Bryant missed the majority of the 2009 season after being suspended for lying to NCAA investigators looking into his relationship with former NFL star Deion Sanders. Now the Oklahoma State WR Dez Bryant's pro day took place at an off campus site, Abe Martin Stadium in Lufkin, which was Bryant's high school, and his former coach, John Outlaw, was the man hosting the event. Some notables in attendance would be; Seattle's coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider, Packers coach Mike McCarthy and college scouting director John Dorsey, San Diego senior executive Randy Mueller, Pittsburgh GM Kevin Colbert, San Francisco coach Mike Singletary, Baltimore receivers coach John Hostler, a group from Oakland and at least one representative from 10 other teams.
Bryants numbers from his Pro day were very impressive despite him struggling with the short shuttle, almost as if he had never attempted one before, and needed four tries before completing the drill and recording a 4.46. However, the fact that he quit on his fifth attempt tells a much deeper story because most these scouts were not here to see his athleticism, but rather to see whether or not a guy who carries some character baggage, could check them.
Even with the one set back, Scouts left Abe Martin Stadium impressed and with only one question left to answer. Talent evaluators have to decide what kind of financial risk they are willing to make when taking on a player who is competitive and athletic but sometimes loses focus. However, enough teams seem to think Bryant is not a bad guy but simply the product of a tough life. Look for Bryant to be a first day pick, being the first WR off the board.
Raspberrys Pro Day
Greg Raspberry just participated in his pro day this week up at the University of Toledo. Greg is looking to further his future in football, and here are the numbers he posted while participating.
40yrd dash 4.52 and a 4.56
Vertical 37
Broad jump 10.2
Pro shuttle 4.3
3 cone drill 6.92
225 Bench test 11
60 yrd shuttle 11.89
These numbers are pretty impressive and when comparing them to the numbers posted in last months combine results, Raspberry would of been on the top performer boards in both the vertical where he would of placed 7th and the broad jump in which he would of placed 6th. His numbers in the other catagories would not of been that far off of top ten performer numbers. With an excellent performance in the this pro day, Raspberrys hopes may start to look like a reality in terms of the the NFL.
Jimmy Clausen Smarter Not Stronger
Every question around Jimmy Clausen involve whether or not his arm strength is ideal for an NFL quarterback. It is pretty much a given that Clausen will be a first-round draft pick, but his arm strength is enough of a question mark to cause his predicted draft slot status to vary significantly. For example, Mel Kiper's initial mock draft has Clausen going to the Buffalo Bills at the No. 9 spot because he possesses "an NFL arm." Scouts Inc.'s Todd McShay, on the other hand, has Clausen going in the No. 23 spot in part because "he doesn't have ideal arm strength." However it is hard to determine who is right because Clausen will not have his arm tested till later this month due to an injury that kept him out of the combine and pushed back his pro day till only a few weeks before the actual draft. However tape on clausen has showed different cases on where he made the long throws such as deep outs and there were other games when his arm strength was that of the ball boys.
When it comes down to it, tape can show both an upside and a downside to Clausen's arm, but one thing that can not be questioned is his ability to read a defense. Last year he had only 4 ints in 224 passes. Which says something in its own, that clausen is smart enough to put the ball where his arm will allow it.
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