Bulldogs Showcase Skills To NFL Teams at 2015 Pro Day
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Twenty former Mississippi State Bulldogs showcased their talents in front of representatives from all 32 NFL teams Wednesday as part of 2015 MSU Pro Day at the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex and Palmeiro Center.
Players were measured and then went through six drills -- 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone drill and shuttle run. With NFL scouts and assistant coaches on hand watching every move, select players then went through positional workouts on the field.
“We have every NFL team represented here today, and it is exciting for all of them to come look at our prospects,” said head coach Dan Mullen. “Our senior class is walking out the door having been to four, and in some cases five, straight bowl games. Most of the guys that are here working out are college graduates and have earned their degree. This is a great opportunity for them to live a dream and move on to professional football.”
NFL Combine participants Benardrick McKinney and Preston Smith – two potential first-round draft choices – did not go through the six drills after posting solid marks last month. They did, however, participate in on-field positional workouts. The 6-foot-5, 273-pound Smith displayed his versatility by working out with the linebackers.
“I wasn’t highly recruited out of high school, but Mississippi State gave me a chance,” said Smith. “We want to show that stars do not define players. Hard work does.”
McKinney, a once two-star high school quarterback, has been projected to go in the first round. He received only one Division I scholarship offer during his recruitment. Four years later after an All-American career at MSU, he has developed himself into a promising NFL prospect.
“It is a great honor coming back and competing with these guys again,” said McKinney. “We had fun, and I tried to make sure all the guys that did not have the chance to participate in the combine were comfortable. I wanted to keep everyone juiced up.”
Running back Josh Robinson improved his 40-yard dash time from the NFL Combine by running a 4.61 on Wednesday. Linebacker Matt Wells and cornerback Jamerson Love owned the best 40 times of the day at 4.41 seconds.Love was tops in four events – 40-yard dash (4.41), broad jump (9-11), three-cone drill (6.73) and the shuttle run (11.00). Wells shined in all areas, notching a 35.5-inch vertical jump and 9-10 broad jump.
Defensive tackle Kaleb Eulls, a four-year starter on the line for MSU, did an impressive 26 repetitions on the bench and met with teams after the day’s events. Running back Nick Griffin, looking a chiseled 5-foot-11, 232 pounds, also did 26 bench reps while posting a 34.5-inch vertical.
The 2015 NFL Draft gets underway on Thursday, April 30 at 7 p.m. CT live from Chicago. MSU players can still have individual workouts with teams until the draft.
Below are quotes from 2015 MSU Pro Day:
LB Benardrick McKinney
On his performance at Pro Day…
“It was a great honor being able to compete with guys that I competed with for four years. I just wanted to show my talent to all of the coaches and have fun.”
On [Matt] Wells’ performance…
“I think [Matt] Wells did a good job. I do not know what he ran, but I am sure it was fast. He looked good during the drills.”
On the pressure level at Pro Day vs. the NFL Combine …
“I like the game, so at the (NFL) Combine I really wasn’t stressed. I am more stressed doing interviews. I just went out there and had fun. I felt the same way today. It felt good about it.”
On being lightly recruited out of high school…
“Mississippi State was my only Division I offer, so I have to thank Melvin Smith for recruiting me. I have a lot of respect for Coach Collins, because he made me the linebacker that I am today. He always told me to be the best linebacker in the SEC.”
On the feedback he has gotten from NFL scouts…
“They wanted me to show that I can move in space and cover guys in the NFL. I think I showed that I can today.”
On participating in Pro Day with his former teammates…
“It is a great honor coming back and competing with these guys. We had fun and I tried to make sure all the guys that did not have the chance to participate in the combine were comfortable. I wanted to keep everyone juiced up.”
DL Preston Smith
On the difference between Pro Day and the NFL Combine…
“The pro day is much more individual. At the Combine, there are a lot of guys trying to get reps. Here there is much more of a focus on you.”
On participating in linebacker drills…
“I wanted to do it to help myself and make myself a little more marketable to NFL teams.”
On [Matt] Wells’ performance…
“He did great. We always knew he was fast, but we wanted everyone else to realize he was fast. That shoots him up the board.”
On the feedback he has gotten from NFL scouts…
“They like my size. They want to see me be fast off of the ball and use my explosion.”
On his development at Mississippi State…
“I wasn’t highly recruited out of high school, but Mississippi State gave me a chance. We want to show that stars do not define players. Hard work does. All stars mean is that you are the best player in high school, but you have to perform at the next level too. The stars do not mean anything once you step on the field. The coaching staff here has helped me a lot. They believe in us and they want to make sure we are the best players we can be.”
DT Kaleb Eulls
On what advice he got from his teammates that participated in the NFL Combine…
“They told me not to be nervous. They reminded me that I have worked all season for this moment, and they let me know what to expect. They told me to make sure I was well rested and well hydrated.”
On the importance of drills and workouts…
“It is very important. The coaches and scouts want to see the numbers for certain guys. They have numbers that they expect from certain people, and some guys can do more than expected.”
On player development at Mississippi State…
“When guys come in, they are part of the family. Rich or poor, one star or five star, it is a family. We are a brotherhood and we give encouragement to other guys.”
Head Coach Dan Mullen
Opening Statement
“This is a great opportunity for our guys. We have every NFL team represented here today, and it is exciting for all of them to come look at our prospects. Our senior class is walking out the door having been to four, and in some cases five, straight bowl games. Most of the guys that are here working out are college graduates and have earned their degree. This is a great opportunity for them to live a dream and move on to professional football.”
On what this opportunity means for players who did not participate in the NFL Combine…
“They get the same opportunity here that they would there, just in a shorter window. Guys like [Matt] Wells came out and ran a blazing time. [Malcolm] Johnson showed how versatile he can be. I think this gives them that same opportunity that they would get at the combine.”
On seeing players move on to the next level…
“These guys are all a part of our family, so when you see a family member go on and accomplish their dream, it is so special. The whole program takes so much pride in these guys getting that opportunity.”
On the program’s ability to develop…
“Either we develop everyone very good, or the recruiting rankings are way off. When you see the opportunity our players are having, it shows how we develop our players not just on the field, but physically as well. We take a lot of pride in that. I think that shows a lot of younger guys that if they come here and work their tail off, they can be successful.”
On current NFL players being back for Pro Day…
“It is always great having our guys back. We always have guys coming back to work out, or coming back to support our players at Pro Day. It just shows the type of family atmosphere we have here as a program.”
On creating a family atmosphere at Mississippi State…
“I think that is what our family is about, and this shows that it is real. It is one thing to say it, but I think it is real and all of the former players feel that they are part of something bigger here at Mississippi State."
On the difference in evaluating high school players and college players…
“We do not get to come here and measure high school players in a pro day. It would be a lot easier if we could. We try to evaluate them as much as we can by watching them play in high school and watching their film. We rarely take someone who does not participate in our camp, because we want to see how they perform in our drills. That allows us to make pretty good judgments on guys. We also want to evaluate their character. Those are important things that show how they are going to improve throughout their career.”
On comparing on field performance with performance in drills…
“You have to find the windows. A guy that runs a 4.5 can cover a guy that runs a 4.1 if he has great technique, fundamentals and intelligence. But a guy that runs a 5.2 probably cannot cover a 4.1 guy.”