Saturday, March 24, 2012

Giants GM, NFL scouts observe Jaguars at Pro Day

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern University welcomed several officials from around the NFL, including New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese, to Doug Williams Field at the Louisiana Leadership Institute for Pro Day Thursday.

Eleven Jaguars worked out for NFL scouts after being measured and weighed. The players were put through a series of combine drills, including the broad jump, 225-pound bench press, 40-yard dash, the shuttle run and the three-cone drill before conducting individual position workouts.



"What really impressed me were some of the guys that are in the stands, our underclassmen, that had an opportunity to see these guys and see the pro scouts," said Southern head coach Stump Mitchell.

"It will assist them in getting serious about their (own) workouts."

Wide receiver Laquinton "Smoke" Evans ran the fastest 40-yard dash on Thursday with a 4.46 time. Wide receiver Jared Green recorded a 10'9" broad jump. Dexter James (23), Kedy Enabulale (21), and Lee Almanza (20) each surpassed the 20-rep plateau in the 225-pound bench press.

Over seven NFL team were represented at Pro Day, including the New Orleans Saint, New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, St. Louis Rams, and Dallas Cowboys.



Former Southern standout wide receiver Juamorris Stewart, now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, was on hand to watch some of his former teammates at Pro Day. Last year, former defensive tackle Jordan Miller used his Pro Day workout to fuel his campaign to reach the NFL and was eventually signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears.

"When you're at an HBCU, if you don't (perform) well its a slap in the face," said Mitchell.

"You usually have to go the Canadian (Football League) route or something like that. When you do (perform) well from an HBCU, usually it gets you an opportunity to get in the door a lot sooner than if you were at a major school."



COURTESY SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

No comments: