Top Talent On Display At MSU Pro Day
March 28, 2023 | Football
STARKVILLE – Scouts from across the NFL and beyond converged on Mississippi State's campus on Tuesday to test some of the Bulldogs' top outgoing talent ahead of next month's draft.
Fifteen players from the 2022 squad participated in MSU's annual Pro Day as did past players Scott Lashley and Osirus Mitchell. Among those showcasing their skills at the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex and Palmeiro Center were projected first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes as well as senior all-star game participants Cameron Young, LaQuinston Sharp, Tyrus Wheat, Randy Charlton, Collin Duncan and Jalen Green.
"You just know all eyes are on you – every scout, every player and every person that's in here," Charlton said. "This is your moment to shine so that's been a pretty surreal moment for me."
Also taking part in State's Pro Day on Tuesday were wide receivers Caleb Ducking, Austin Williams and Jamire Calvin, linebacker Sherman Timbs, defensive backs Jackie Matthews and Alexander Shaw, kicker Massimo Biscardi and punter George Georgopoulos.
Forbes, Wheat and Young also took part in the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana earlier this month. Forbes ran the fifth-best 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine at 4.35 and was projected as the 16th overall pick by ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr.
"I feel good with my performance today and feel good with my performance at the combine," Forbes said. "I'm just going to enjoy the process and go to some of these places and see what they think of me and see what I think of them and hopefully it goes well. I'm just taking it one day at a time and trying to enjoy as much as I can, because you only get one opportunity to go through this."
Forbes declared for the draft following his junior season with the Bulldogs but leaves as the all-time leader in FBS history with six career interceptions returned for a touchdown. The cornerback from Grenada, Mississippi picked off 14 total passes during his tenure in Starkville, including an SEC-leading six this past season.
"Mississippi State developed me as a player, but most importantly they developed me as a person," Forbes said. "They taught me to always be humble because kids from Mississippi are always overlooked from other schools, and we just always play with a chip. It taught me to always play with a chip on my shoulder and never take anything for granted."
Green, who transferred to MSU from Texas prior to the 2021 season, started 20 of 25 games in the Bulldogs' secondary and appreciated the blue-collar approach the program has.
"I love the grind and the grit of this program," Green said. "Nothing is given, you've got to earn and work for everything."
NFL offensive linemen Darryl Williams and Greg Eiland as well as many current Bulldogs were on hand in the Palmeiro Center on Tuesday to show their support for those players participating in Pro Day.
"This school and this team is a family," Charlton said. "You look around on Pro Day and there are so many guys out here just supporting their brothers that they've went to war with and chilled with. We've lost a brother and a coach together. It's always been a family environment and that's how I feel about Mississippi State."
The NFL Draft will be held April 27-29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The Bulldogs have had 40 players selected over the last 13 years, including six first-round picks.
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