Temple University Football held its annual Pro Day at the Student Training and Recreation building on Monday, giving its graduating seniors a chance to perform live in front of more than 60 NFL scouts.
The scouts and coaches came from more than 26 NFL teams including the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, and Green Bay Packers.
During the event, players participated in the 40-yard dash, three-cone drill, and position drills. After, NFL representatives meet with players individually for brief interviews.
Defensive Backs
Former cornerback Rock Ya-Sin was one of the main attractions to NFL teams after his impressive combine performance earlier in the month.
Ya-Sin did not participate in the 40-yard dash, but the former cornerback did complete position-specific drills run by John Butler, the Buffalo Bills defensive back coach.
Ya-Sin ran a “comeback drill” which measures hip flexibility and short area acceleration. Ya-Sin completed the drill by making the catch and sprinting down the sideline.
“You look down that line and you understand that you have to run good times,” Ya-Sin said. “Everything you’ve worked for since you started at college is all on that line. Everything you want is at the end of that line, so you run as fast as you can.”
Former safety Delvon Randall ran a 4.71-second 40-yard dash. Monday was Randall’s first chance to perform in front of numerous scouts since suffering an injury during the week leading up to the East-West Shrine Game.
Randall competed in the same position drills as Ya-Sin, which included “ball skill” drills, where players backpedal 10 yards before making a jumping catch downfield.
Former safety Rodney Williams had the best standing vertical jump at 41 inches and 40-yard dash time with 4.46 seconds.
Running Backs
Former Temple running backs Ryquell Armstead, Rob Ritrovato and Nick Sharga competed in position drills led by Philadelphia Eagles running backs coach Duce Staley.
The drills tested footwork, route running, and the ability to catch passes.
Armstead prioritized pass-catching drills on Monday. Scouts have questioned his ability to be a receiver out of the backfield, he said. Armstead didn’t drop a single pass.
Armstead met with Staley and other Eagles representatives on Monday and will meet with the Chicago Bears on Tuesday.
Ritrovato ran a 4.77-second 40-yard dash and Sharga ran it in 4.75 seconds. Sharga graduated after the 2017-18 season but came back in an attempt to garner attention from NFL teams.
Wide Receivers
Kevin Koger, the Packers offensive quality control coach, led former Temple wide receivers Ventell Bryant and Brodrick Yancy in various receiver drills.
The first drill run was a “deep slant” drill where the receiver runs straight and then cuts across the field to catch a pass.
“It was motivating and I just wanted to come out and show what I can do,” Bryant said. “I had to work my whole life for this.”
Bryant ran a 4.56-second 40-yard dash while Yancy ran a 4.58-second 40-yard dash.
Defensive Line
Former defensive lineman Michael Dogbe and Freddie Booth-Llyod participated in the 40-yard dash and position drills. Dogbe ran the 40-yard dash in 5.06 seconds while Booth-Llyod ran it in 5.33 seconds.
“A couple of scouts came up to me and said I did a very good job and that we would stay in touch,” Dogbe said. “So I will continue to get feedback and see what I need to work on and what I did well.”
Dogbe benched 225 pounds 34 times, which would have been the third highest at the combine.
Dogbe was motivated to perform well at Temple’s Pro Day after not being invited to the NFL scouting combine earlier in the month, he said.
Tight Ends
Chris Myarick recorded a 4.81-second 40-yard dash and was the only tight end to compete in the events on Monday.
Myarick took part in pass catching drills alongside Bryant and Yancy. Myarick was asked to run a “stick route,” where the player runs five-yards and then chooses to break left or right before a pass is thrown.
“As the days are coming you start counting down the days, and when it finally gets here it’s like more of a relief,” Myarick said.”You know you are ready, and you know you put in the work, and you know you trained hard for these moments.”
The next step for all of the players who attended Pro Day is to await the three-day NFL draft in Nashville, Tennessee from April 25-27.
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