Temple hosted 11 former players and various other players from the surrounding area for its annual Pro Day at the Aramark Star Complex on Thursday. The athletes presented their skills to a handful of NFL scouts and coaches, hoping to turn heads and catch eyes ahead of next month’s NFL Draft.
The event was highlighted by kicker Maddux Trujillo, defensive end Diwun Black, wide receiver Dante Wright and safety Andreas Keaton. Participants also included tight end James Della Pesca, wide receiver Ashton Allen, offensive lineman Wisdom Quarshie, defensive lineman Latrell Jean, linebacker D.J. Woodbury Sr. and defensive backs Elijah Deravil and Torey Richardson.
The day was kickstarted at Edberg-Olson Hall, Temple’s practice facility, where measurements and physical testing were conducted. Testing included players’ height, weight and wingspan along with the vertical leap and bench press.
Quarshie and Jean led the way on the bench press, showcasing their strength to the scouts.
Jean led all participants with 28 reps of 225 pounds while Quarshie was close behind with 24 of his own.
“I felt like I could have got more. I wish I got more,” Quarshie said. “I was aiming for 30, but I just kept going until I couldn’t go anymore. And that’s my goal, as long as I give everything I have and not give up, that’s my goal.”
Once the physical testing was done, everyone moved to the Star Complex for individual and positional drills. The first player up was Trujillo — and he put on a show.
Trujillo made a name for himself during the season when he connected on a 64-yard field goal against Utah State on Sep. 21, which set the record for the longest field goal in Lincoln Financial Field history. He made another 60-yard field goal against UConn on Oct. 5 and went 16-22 on field goals during the season.
The Georgia native got the day started with field goal kicking and made multiple long kicks, topping out at 65 yards. He then went back to Edberg-Olson Hall to do kick-off drills in front of special teams coaches from the Washington Commanders, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.
“I’m very much a perfectionist,” Trujillo said. “I want to make every field goal that was in front of me, plain and simple. I’ve shown that I can hit from 64, so I wanted to hit from 65 today to show that I have more. I think my 65-yarder had more to spare on it than just 65. I just want to show that I have that distance, but also I’m super accurate and consistent. I hit a straight ball, and I can make all the little ones as well.”
Once Trujillo finished his portion of the workout, the rest of the players competed in different agility and speed drills. The first agility drill was the broad jump, where Black and Allen made the biggest waves for the Cherry and White. They each leapt 10’6” which led all Temple participants.
The participants then ran the 40-yard dash, which can typically make or break a player’s shot at getting drafted or earning a chance in NFL training camp. Wright led the way with a time of 4.56, just edging out Allen, who has a background as a track star at the University of Southern California, who finished with 4.57.
Jean was another player who came into the day hoping to impress scouts and earn a spot. The 300 pound defensive tackle wanted to show teams that he can move well despite his weight, and he ran a 5.15 time in the 40-yard dash and 7.60 in the 3-cone drill.
“I feel like today just put the icing on the cake,” Jean said. “The film doesn’t lie and at the end of the day, they’re gonna go back and watch film. When they watch my film, they are going to see what type of player I am. I just feel like today, I just showed them I can move and I can move well. I’m almost 300 pounds and I can move very well for my size.”
All of the participants will now turn their focus back to preparing for the NFL Draft, which takes place from April 23-25. In the upcoming weeks, the players will either take visits to various teams or hold private workouts in hopes of continuing to turn heads.
While most of the players who participated in Pro Day may not be drafted or even make an NFL roster, being able to display their skills in front of scouts is a life-changing experience. It not only represents a chance for them to earn a chance in the NFL but a chance for them to represent Temple one more time.
“Man, this is special,” Quarshie said. “Just seeing all the scouts come back, I remember when I committed to Temple in 2019 and I was like, ‘Man, this place to be.’ From year on end, I go to every pro day, and I see the love that Temple has. So I know when I step on the field for Pro Day, it’s bigger than me. It’s about the program, what you represented for Temple. So it was a special day. It means a lot to me.”
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