Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewas Make Their Case At Pro Day
3/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Zach Libby, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- It was an event that Kavon Frazier remembered watching as a little kid, and the inability to participate in it when his turn came tore him down emotionally.
Frazier, who completed his football eligibility at Central Michigan in 2015, was the lone Chippewa at February's NFL Combine in Indianapolis, receiving the invite after earning Second Team All-Mid-American Conference honors and leading the Chippewas in tackles with 108 last season.
Frazier, however, was unable to showcase his on-field skills to scouts due to a stress fracture in his left foot following the bench press. He would have to wait another month before proving why he deserves to be drafted in April.
"When I found out, I was bummed out," Frazier said. "It's just something that you work so hard for and something you grow up watching. Everybody was telling me that everything happens for a reason, so when everything started to settle in, everything played out well in the end."
Frazier was one of 12 CMU football players who showcased their talents Thursday at the program's annual Pro Day at the Indoor Athletic Complex.
Nearly every NFL team, along with two Canadian Football League teams, were represented by scouts who observed as the players were measured, weighed and tested in traditional criteria, such as the 40-yard dash, the 20-yard shuttle, the broad jump and the bench press.
The group of a dozen may come from different backgrounds and positions during their collegiate careers, but all have a similar goal: earn a paycheck from a professional football organization.
For Frazier, he's not focusing on where he could get drafted in a couple months, but is confident that he will end up on an NFL team, be it through the draft or free agency.
CMSSports.com ranks Frazier ninth among safeties, 212th overall, and projects him as a sixth-round pick. The 6-foot, 213-pounder is scheduled to work out individually with the Detroit Lions next week and is currently in conversations with the Carolina Panthers.
"I can't even explain what it's going to feel like," Frazier said when describing the feeling of receiving a phone call from an NFL club. "I think about it sometimes and I wouldn't really know until it actually happens. It'll be one of the best moments of my life."
Frazier, along with being the only Chippewa at the combine last month, was among the dozen CMU players who attended Thursday's Pro Day who harbor hopes of landing a contract with a professional team.
Center Nick Beamish who is second in CMU history with 51 consecutive starts, earned First Team All-MAC honors for the second straight season. He is ranked 20th among draft-eligible centers by CBSSports.com.
He did not receive an invitation to the NFL Combine, a slight that perhaps motivated him on Thursday.
"It was a great opportunity to show off in front of these guys and just be here at CMU," Beamish said of Pro Day.
There are also others who have taken the initiative to listen to advice from teams of changing positions. That was the case for Blake Serpa, who recorded 37 tackles and led CMU in sacks with three last season, earning Second Team All-MAC honors.
Serpa was a mainstay along the defensive front throughout his career at CMU, making 24 starts in 46 career games. He made the switch to outside linebacker during position drills ahead of Pro Day to show teams that he's capable of playing without his hand in the turf.
The Sugar Grove, Ill., native has been working at linebacker for the past few months and even shed more than 20 pounds to fit the mold for either a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme.
"It was just a smarter move for me to get on a team," Serpa said. "All the agents and trainers that I've talked to thought that I was more of a tweener anyway so to get ready for the linebacker drills was a smart move."
- Denotes that a player did not test
NOTE: All measurables are unofficial
