Wednesday, March 7, 2012

30 NFL teams represented at Alabama’s Pro Day workout

SabanProDay2012
Alabama coach Nick Saban addresses media at Alabama Pro Day

Correction: An earlier version of this post reported that all 32 NFL teams were present. According to reports from NFL Network, the Bears and Rams were the two teams that did not sent representatives.

A contingent numbering somewhere between 75 and 100 NFL scouts and members of the media were on hand Wednesday to observe Alabama’s NFL Draft hopefuls participating in exercises and drills.

Alabama Strength and Conditioning Coach Scott Cochran was also on hand, and could be heard throughout the two-hour event, pushing and encouraging his former pupils.

The workout was streamed live by the Alabama Crimson Tide Sports Network.

Courtney Upshaw, Trent Richardson and Mark Barron did not participate. All are recovering from offseason surgery or injury, with Upshaw citing knee tendonitis. All three are expected to work out during a private March 29 exercise, which should draw an even larger contingent of talent scouts than today’s Pro Day workout.

A few notables:

Josh Chapman is beastly strong. Although Goodbread’s notebook says he lifted 29, I counted 30. But during the early reps he was throwing the bar up like a broomstick. The reaction from scouts and teammates (and Cochran) was the highlight of the bench press exercise.

DeQuan Menzie slightly bettered his combine time with a 4.66 in the 40 yard. He later told CTSN’s Chris England that he had the fastest 10-yard split at the combine and felt good about how scouts viewed his quickness.

William Vlachos showed good speed for his size. He ran 5.00-ish 40 yard heats, a major plus for a downfield blocking offensive lineman.

A mild surprise (as I tweeted when I saw it) was Nick Gentry running linebacker agility and pass coverage drills. Gentry’s smallish size and his athleticism make him a good fit at OLB for either a 3-4 or a 4-3 scheme, and he looked good.

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