Pro Day: Chippewas Put On Their Best in Front of NFL Scouts

Photo by: Sydney Kline '26 - @sydney.kline.photography

3/18/2026 2:38:00 PM | Football

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By: Andy Sneddon

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – They showed up and they showed their stuff.

Now, it's a matter of waiting and hoping.

The Central Michigan football program held its annual Pro Day on Wednesday in the turf bay of CMU's Indoor Athletic Complex.

More than a dozen Chippewas who are eligible for the NFL Draft underwent several measures and physical tests, including timed 40-yard dash, bench press, standing broad jump, shuttle and three-cone drill, among others. The players were also weighed and measured.

Some 20 professional football organizations, both NFL and CFL, were represented.

"I woke up this morning around 7 o'clock," said CMU safety Caleb Spann. "I couldn't get much sleep because I was just so excited to show what type of player I am. I think I did my best today to show that."

An advantage for each player who participates in Pro Day is that they are generally in good health and far removed from the day-to-day wear and tear that comes with the season.

The Chippewas last played the day after Christmas in the GameAbove Sports Bowl in Detroit. The players have since healed from the season and have trained specifically for this day.

That training, they hope, pays off in either a call from an NFL team on draft day or a free agent tryout.

"I hit a lot of marks that I wanted to hit, exceeded a lot of marks I wanted to hit," linebacker Jordan Kwiatkowski said. "It was good, it felt good. During the training process, I trimmed a lot of body fat; it's the lightest I've been, the most lean I've felt, and definitely the healthiest and I felt that out there today."

Pro Day can be an equalizer and help to raise the profile of players from a lower-profile school, such as CMU, as compared to players from, say, Big Ten schools.

"It might be a little different in how they see someone coming from a school like this, Central Michigan," Kwiatkowski said. "I'm very proud to come from a school like this. I feel like I put my best foot forward and did what I had to do."

Linebacker Dakota Cochran said he was less than 100 percent for Pro Day, but he was obligated to partake; after all, he may never get another chance to prove himself.

"It went very well considering the circumstances I'm in," he said, adding that he hasn't fully recovered from a meniscus tear. "I appreciate every coach that came out, and I'm thankful for the opportunity.

"If I get an opportunity and I'm heathy, I feel like I can make an impact on a team, at linebacker, special teams, whatever."