Temple Football held their annual pro day at the Student Training and Recreation Complex Wednesday afternoon in front of 13 NFL scouts.
The Owls had eight participants in wide receivers Jose Barbon and Adonicas Sanders, offensive linemen Adam Klein and Isaac Moore, cornerback Cameron Ruiz, safety Jalen Ware, defensive lineman Xach Gill and punter Mackenzie Morgan. Former Temple defensive lineman Will Rodgers also participated in drills.
The nine participating players went through physical, agility and position drills for the scouts and media members ahead of the start of the NFL Draft, which begins on April 27.
Here are three players that stood out the most:
Jose Barbon
Barbon put together an impressive performance.
His 40-time was the most important aspect of his workout. Barbon had high expectations for himself as he set his goal for a “high 4.3 or low 4.4.”
After a word with scouts, Barbon shared what his times were looking like.
“They had told me, I ran a 4.3 on the first one and then on the second one it was a 4.45,” Barbon said.
Barbon’s unofficial time was a 4.47, according to Owlsports. That time would have put him in the top-20 among wide receivers who ran the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.
In the position drills, Barbon looked comfortable running the entire route tree and caught nearly every ball thrown his way. He didn’t have a lot of body catches, which should go a long way with NFL scouts during the draft process.
Barbon looked smooth in all of the agility drills, showing off his short-area quickness and change of direction skills. Both of which should translate well at the next level.
His overall good performance should help his draft stock as the NFL Draft inches closer.
Cameron Ruiz
Similarly to Barbon, Ruiz had a good performance.
He dominated the physical drills, posting the best broad jump of all the participating players with a jump of 10 feet, nine inches. His 34.5-inch vertical and 4.55-second 40-yard dash were both second-best among participating players.
His most impressive physical drill was his 14 reps on the bench press. Benching 225 pounds 14 times, while weighing only 181 pounds, is an impressive feat. For context, 297-pound Xach Gill also benched 225 pounds 14 times.
In the agility drills, Ruiz also put together a strong performance. He was quick and displayed solid foot speed.
His hips were fluid in the position drills and he got in and out of his breaks quickly, all things that NFL scouts look for from cornerbacks.
Ruiz’s performance is even more important because of a serious pelvis injury that plagued him for all of this past season and kept him from playing more snaps. Ruiz expressed gratitude for being able to bounce back from such a serious injury.
“I feel like I showcased that I can bounce back from a crazy traumatic injury,” Ruiz said. “A lot of people can’t bounce back from it, so I’m pretty proud of what I’ve overcome. I’m pretty happy with my performance.”
Adam Klein
Klein has been a mainstay at Temple, with experience playing all five offensive line positions during his collegiate career. His versatility alone is enough to get NFL scouts to look his way.
His performance at the pro day solidified that.
Klein posted the best bench press of all participating players, benching 225 pounds 19 times. His 5.38-second 40-yard dash would have placed him within the top-24 offensive linemen who participated in the NFL Scouting Combine. Klein’s eight-foot, eight-inch broad jump would’ve been tied for 11th among participants at the combine.
Klein showcased solid foot-speed during his position drills, which is important for offensive linemen. His ability to quickly slide his feet will do nothing but help him at the next level.
Klein initially struggled in his agility drills, but he looked good once he got his feet under him.
If a team takes a chance on Klein, they’ll be getting a solid player on the field. Klein believes that he not only brings the physical aspect to a team, but he also brings the mental aspect to the game.
“My ability to learn a playbook pretty quickly, understand defenses, and be able to scheme up while I’m out there,” Klein said.
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