Pro day wrapup

It's been a long day for the UConn players and there are some things that jumped out at me.

The thing about pro day is that there are people there hoping for different things and have different agendas. UConn's pro day that took place this afternoon was no different. There were players there like Marcus Easley just giving scouts a glimpse. It wasn't really needed for him and he only did a couple of position drills. He is going to be worked out heavily in a couple months. Then, in the same drill, is a guy like Brad Kanuch. He isn't an NFL receiver, and he knows it. He wasn't even planning on participating until a team called him up a couple of weeks ago. They are in different worlds. Kanuch is preparing for grad school and much more. Easley, is heading to the NFL.

Which one was on scholarship again?

Let's breakdown some of the participants.

The players

 It's no secret that the Huskies have three high end players. Easley, Andre Dixon and Lindsey Witten have already done their stuff at the combine. They are here just to show some people they can do it again, and perhaps also help out their teammates. By them participating, it helps other players get noticed such as Dahna Deleston, Keith Gray and Tyler Lorenzen last year (BTW, Tyler should thank Bill Belichick for the Super Bowl ring. He was the one who asked Edsall if Tyler would maybe try some different positions). Easley did the vertical jump, and he did some position drills with a couple of one-handed catches. He looks like a star, which considering he was only a blocker a year ago is a rags to riches story that is even better than Donald Thomas' found playing hoops by Danny Lansanah story. Easley looks like a pro, and is confident like a pro.

Lindsey Witten did some drills, and jumps, but also shut down some other drills. What was he trying to prove? Perhaps his athleticism and 40 time. A 4.65 250 pound defense end with a 36 1/2 vertical and long arms to me looks like a pass rushing prospect. Witten looks much bigger than when I first met him.  He acts like a pro and knows what he is trying to do. Witten is going to me a mid round choice, perhaps a little higher if a team likes the pass rush ability.

Then lastly there is Andre Dixon. He came to just do some position drills. He didn't run the 40, and didn't do any bench press. Dixon wants teams to look at him on film. "I am a player," Dixon said.  He looked good in limited chances out of the backfield. That's important for him as he figures to be a mid to late pick who is used situationally. I like him as a third down back because he is great picking up the blitz and can catch a little. He had the quote of the night when he was asked about all the questions they ask you at the combine -- "It's like an FBI interrogation or something."

Something to prove

Reggie McClain is known by scouts. He is a ball hawk and 5-foot-9 and a good tackling corner. He can also return kicks and excels in the nickel. McClain was here to prove he could athletically play in the NFL. The result? To be continued. He was on his way to a great pro day benching 225 23 times and running a 4.43 40 time. the scouts wanted to see more but Reggie tweaked his hamstring. It was kind of a downer for McClain, but he is going to be someone teams want to see more. I can see him as an UDFA that gets a serious look in summer camp because he is versatile.

Throw Robert Vaughn into the mix also. Vaughn is an experienced safety who has to show he can athletically play in the NFL. He was in shape and proved enough that he probably should get another look at free safety.

Trying to get noticed

This category is where Lorenzen and Gray came from last year. The contenders here were the tackles Mike Hicks and Dan Ryan. Hicks has slimmed down and looks much quicker than I remember. Slim down means about 15 pounds. He and Ryan both are mammoth and once the scouts saw that size it peaked their interest. Hicks caught the eye of Hartford Colonial coaches and if things don't work out in NFL camp, a home in Hartford as a developmental player looks to be in the cards. elephants are in short supply, and both Hicks and Ryan have showed that they have some athletically ability with that size.




Staying alive

Dahna Deleston, a safety, has been through this before and isn't looking to get drafted. He is free to sign tomorrow. He will play tomorrow. A final cut by the Bears last camp, Deleston knows that his time to impress scouts is limited. He is looking to catch the eye of a scout that will get him into camp. He hasn't played in over a year and it's hard to get notice with no film. Deleston, who was cleaning air ducts as a part-time job while he kept the NFL dream alive, has a plan. He talked for about 10 minutes with UFL coach Chris Palmer, who later said Deleston is someone they are very interested in. He is about 215 and ran a 4.49 40 yard dash. He had a 40 inch vertical. Someone is probably going take a shot again.

"I jsut need to get some film on me," Deleston said.

The key for Deleston is staying on the radar. He did that. He has a plan of going to NFL camp first, hooking on with the UFL second and if need be play in the CFL.  

Longshots

Kancuh wasn't even sure he was going to play. Others such as Terry Baltimore came back to workout just to give it a shot. Neither is seriously expecting a lot of calls, but you never know. Aaron Bryant from New London also gave it a shot as did punter Desi Cullen, who made the entire crowd laugh with screaming after weight lifting. Most of these guys already have one foot out the door in football. It's a longshot, but why wouldn't you take your shot?

Other notes:

Talked a bit with Hartford Colonials coach Chris Palmer. the roster is coming together and they are looking for players. Who did Palmer and staff eye? They like Deleston a lot and figure the UFL is a league he could use. They also liked Mike Hicks. His size and potential would be served well with a couple of years playing. Guys like Deleston and Hicks probably need development and game-time and as Palmer said to me, "Tony Romo needed 3 1/2 years before he threw a pass." The UFL is geared towards guys like Deleston and Hicks. Palmer also said he wanted to talk with Terry Caulley. Caulley just finished with Hamilton in the CFL and while he wasn't working out, Palmer was interested in what he was doing. I just wish Palmer was able to see the pre-knee injury Caulley.

Other UFL notes that I gleamed was the roster composition. They are looking for about 1/3 4 year vets, 1/3 players cut from NFL teams and about 1/3 college players. They are trying to get a good mix to give the NFL options.

The Colonials will also have first rights to any NFL players cut from teams in the AFC East. That's kind of like a territorial pick. 


Who helped themselves the most? I would say Hicks had people turning some heads and I think McClain intrigues people. Those would be my two best guesses.

Later, got to do a ton of work.