Central Michigan University Athletics
Players Strut Their Stuff at Pro Day
3/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Jared Porter, CMUChippewas.com
Current Pro Chippewas | All-Time Draft Picks
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Football players dream of hearing their name called on NFL Draft Day, but few are given the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of professional scouts and help make that dream become reality.
Fifteen former Chippewas with hopes of Sundays on the gridiron and handsome paychecks participated in Central Michigan University's Pro Day on Friday, demonstrating their prowess before scouts and coaches from 24 NFL organizations.
The draft-eligible athletes took part in several tests and drills in CMU's Indoor Athletic Complex, gauging their speed, strength, quickness, agility, pass-catching ability and other attributes relating to NFL prospects.
For offensive lineman Andy Phillips, Pro Day was about preparation and demonstrating to scouts the intangibles he brings to go along with his skill-set.
"I just wanted to show all the teams that I've been working hard and really training for this," said Phillips, a First Team All-MAC offensive lineman who started the final 42 games of his collegiate career.
"Some of the things we do (at Pro Day) is repetitive and doesn't always translate to the offensive line, but I just wanted to show scouts that I could do everything they wanted me to do and go out here and bust my tail.
"I thought I had a really good day. I wanted to show that I bring leadership, hard work and knowledge, and I think I did that. I'm not a 6-foot 7-inch offensive lineman, but I think I understand the game better than a lot of people and I know I'll always be prepared. That's what separates me."
Three of the Pro Day participants in particular drew much of the attention from scouts throughout the day.
Defensive lineman Letterius Walton, running back Thomas Rawls and wide receiver Titus Davis all partook in this year's NFL Draft Combine in Indiana a month ago. And the featured players had an opportunity to illustrate their competence once more and in a one-on-one setting.
After completing the NFL Combine, Walton wanted to focus on improving his technique on the defensive line so that he would have an even better performance at Pro Day.
"I just continued working on (defensive line) drills after the combine and that allowed me to have a pretty good day (Friday at Pro Day)," said Walton, who, like Phillips, was a First Team All-MAC honoree who recorded 33 tackles, 19.5 solo, and 3.5 for loss.
"The combine and Pro Day are totally different," Walton said. "You have a lot of guys in the same position at the combine, but Pro Day is more one-on-one and you have more interaction with the coaches and scouts. For me, I was able to talk to some former players that were once in my position, so I knew what to expect from all of this. It really helped me."
The Chippewas' all-time reception yards leader (3,700), Davis had high expectations for himself coming into Pro Day. He said nerves played a slight role early in the workout, but he settled in as the day progressed and finished on a high note.
"There was some nervousness at first, but as we went on with it, everything was fine and started to level out," he said. "It was just good to get back with the guys, back with the team and hanging out like old times.
"I'm always going to hold my own personal standards higher than everyone else's. I'm happy with how I did and how I ended the day, but I know there is more work to do. I'm a route-running freak, so I don't care what it is, I'm going to pick any little thing out and work on it to perfect it.
"This whole (combine and Pro Day) process is bittersweet, but looking back, I enjoyed it and it was a great experience. I'm ready to get started and play football. I can't wait to see what team picks me.
"Right now, I can focus on the little things to get better. I love that, to be able to relax and work on those little things and fine tune some things in preparation for the draft."
- Denotes that a player did not test
NOTE: All measurables are unofficial
