Central Michigan University Athletics
Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw
Taking Their Best Shot On Pro Day
3/15/2022 4:27:00 PM | Football
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – For some, it marked the last time they compete for something tangible on a football field.
For others, it was a chance to confirm their potential or even raise their stock as the National Football League draft looms.
About a dozen Central Michigan football players partook in Pro Day on Tuesday in the turf bay inside CMU's Indoor Athletic Complex. Scouts from all 32 NFL teams were on hand to put the Chippewas, along with a handful of players from state Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schools, through their paces including physical tests that measure speed, quickness, strength, blocking and pass-catching ability, among other things.
"Coming in I would say I was a little nervous," Chippewa wide receiver JaCorey Sullivan said. "Some of the numbers early on I wasn't too happy with, but you just keep rolling, keep working, do your best at all times, and let God do his work at the end of the day."
Offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann got a good long look from scouts for the second time in two weeks after he participated in the NFL Combine in Indianapolis last week. That he received an invite to the combine is a sign that Raimann is high on the draft boards of NFL teams.
And while Raimann and Luke Goedeke can be considered among the cream of the crop of 2022 potential draftees, most other CMU players – along with the vast majority of draft-eligible players in the nation, for that matter – seek to take full advantage of their on-campus Pro Day to strut their stuff.
Among them were receiver/punt returner Kalil Pimpleton, safety Gage Kreski, cornerback Dishon McNary, and defensive end Troy Hairston II.
Hairston, perhaps better than most, epitomizes the importance of Pro Day to a college football player. He started in the Chippewa program as an equipment manager, progressed to walkon and eventually became the Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year as an undersized-but-big-hearted defensive end.
The chase for a player such as Hairston has progressed from a roster spot to playing time to tackles to individual awards to, frankly, a shot at the big time and a paycheck doing what he most loves.
"I've always been an underdog so I've got to do whatever it takes to achieve my dream (and) take care of my family, take care of myself," he said in his typical upbeat, plain-talking style. "I am who I am. You watch me play, that's who I am as a person. I go all out and try to be honest.
"Honestly the dream never dies for me. It's what I've wanted to do since I was a little kid. Whether it's playing in the CFL, USFL, XFL – trying to get a shot. That's what it is for me. I just love football and it's hard for me to let it go, to walk away from it. I'm hoping somebody believes in me the way I believe in myself. I just can't let it go. I'd honestly do anything out here to keep playing."
For most, Pro Day also marked the final time they will be together in an organized football setting. The thought of that can evoke an emotional response and trigger strong memories, Sullivan said.
"The journey that we've all been on and the grit of each and every person that's around me," said Sullivan, a Chippewa since 2017 who has lived the ups and downs of the program, including a 1-11 finish in '18 to a pair of MAC West titles and a Sun Bowl victory. "All of our stories are different; we come from different backgrounds.
"But we come together and make the most of what we had coming off that 1-11 season and seeing that big turnaround, instantly, the next year.
"I don't know what's to come next. I put in everything I could and, like I said, just let God do his work. I'm excited to see what happens next whether I get workouts, whether I get drafted, whatever it may be.
"I know it's going to be done one day."
For others, it was a chance to confirm their potential or even raise their stock as the National Football League draft looms.
About a dozen Central Michigan football players partook in Pro Day on Tuesday in the turf bay inside CMU's Indoor Athletic Complex. Scouts from all 32 NFL teams were on hand to put the Chippewas, along with a handful of players from state Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schools, through their paces including physical tests that measure speed, quickness, strength, blocking and pass-catching ability, among other things.
"Coming in I would say I was a little nervous," Chippewa wide receiver JaCorey Sullivan said. "Some of the numbers early on I wasn't too happy with, but you just keep rolling, keep working, do your best at all times, and let God do his work at the end of the day."
Offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann got a good long look from scouts for the second time in two weeks after he participated in the NFL Combine in Indianapolis last week. That he received an invite to the combine is a sign that Raimann is high on the draft boards of NFL teams.
And while Raimann and Luke Goedeke can be considered among the cream of the crop of 2022 potential draftees, most other CMU players – along with the vast majority of draft-eligible players in the nation, for that matter – seek to take full advantage of their on-campus Pro Day to strut their stuff.
Among them were receiver/punt returner Kalil Pimpleton, safety Gage Kreski, cornerback Dishon McNary, and defensive end Troy Hairston II.
Hairston, perhaps better than most, epitomizes the importance of Pro Day to a college football player. He started in the Chippewa program as an equipment manager, progressed to walkon and eventually became the Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year as an undersized-but-big-hearted defensive end.
The chase for a player such as Hairston has progressed from a roster spot to playing time to tackles to individual awards to, frankly, a shot at the big time and a paycheck doing what he most loves.
"I've always been an underdog so I've got to do whatever it takes to achieve my dream (and) take care of my family, take care of myself," he said in his typical upbeat, plain-talking style. "I am who I am. You watch me play, that's who I am as a person. I go all out and try to be honest.
"Honestly the dream never dies for me. It's what I've wanted to do since I was a little kid. Whether it's playing in the CFL, USFL, XFL – trying to get a shot. That's what it is for me. I just love football and it's hard for me to let it go, to walk away from it. I'm hoping somebody believes in me the way I believe in myself. I just can't let it go. I'd honestly do anything out here to keep playing."
For most, Pro Day also marked the final time they will be together in an organized football setting. The thought of that can evoke an emotional response and trigger strong memories, Sullivan said.
"The journey that we've all been on and the grit of each and every person that's around me," said Sullivan, a Chippewa since 2017 who has lived the ups and downs of the program, including a 1-11 finish in '18 to a pair of MAC West titles and a Sun Bowl victory. "All of our stories are different; we come from different backgrounds.
"But we come together and make the most of what we had coming off that 1-11 season and seeing that big turnaround, instantly, the next year.
"I don't know what's to come next. I put in everything I could and, like I said, just let God do his work. I'm excited to see what happens next whether I get workouts, whether I get drafted, whatever it may be.
"I know it's going to be done one day."
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