Eleven former Penn State football players took the field inside Holuba Hall Tuesday afternoon to showcase their physical capabilities for scouts and coaches one final time before the upcoming NFL Draft which is set for early May. For John Urschel, Allen Robinson, and DaQuan Jones, the event was a chance to retest in some areas after working out at the invitation-only NFL Combine.
For eight other Nittany Lions though, this was their first chance to show off what they have been working on since the conclusion of the 2013 season.
All Participants At Penn State’s Pro Day Event: Allen Robinson, DaQuan Jones, John Urschel, Glenn Carson, Stephen Obeng-Agyapong, Malcolm Willis, Brandon Felder, Adam Gress, Garry Gilliam, Matt Lehman and Alex Butterworth.
In Town: 26 NFL teams were in attendance on Tuesday according to Penn State. Some teams of note that made the trip included the Eagles, Steelers, Broncos, Jets, Colts, Lions, Chargers, 49rs, Saints, Panthers, Bengals, Chiefs and Redskins. Head coaches Chip Kelly and Mike Tomlin were both in town, representing the Eagles and Steelers alongside their scouting crews.
Results from the various tests are not always known by the participants immediately following Pro Day and not every player participates in every event. With that in mind, here are some notes coming out of Penn State’s Pro Day as they apply to each Nittany Lion.
Matt Lehman:
Lehman only participated in the bench press and did 19 1/2 reps at the standard of 225 pounds. He cited a hamstring injury suffered two weeks ago as the reason for his limited action.
-Says he’s only interested in playing tight end at the next level
Adam Gress:
Measured in at 6-7, 309 pounds and did 22 reps on the bench press while posting a 28.5 inch vertical.
-Says overal athletic ability is his biggest area of focus. “Those were all above what I expected,” Gress said of his numbers. “Those were above what I did previously during training. I think a little bit of excitement, little bit of adrenaline kicked in and definitely helped me push a little further today.”
Gary Gilliam:
Said that he posted “19 or 20” reps on the bench press. Measured in at 6-6, 306. Also noted that he ran a sub-5 40 but didn’t know the exact time.
-Says a few scouts were interested in him after finding out he was heading to the draft after delaying his decision to do so. Says he would play tight end if need be or offensive tackle.
DaQuan Jones
Jones checked in at 6-4, 324 pounds. 5.35 40-yard dash, 25 bench press reps, 27.5 inch vertical jump, 101.0 inch broad jump, 7.73 three cone drill, 4.78 second 20-yard shuttle.
-Says he has talked to teams about playing multiple positions on the defensive line. Has been working out along with John Urschel at a local MMA gym. Hand speed and footwork are areas of emphasis in MMA.
Allen Robinson
Posted better numbers than at the combine with a 42 inch vertical, 10 feet 11 inches on the broad jump. Also heard 4.42-4.47 range on 40. Had a 6.53 in three-cone which is almost a half second better than his combine numbers. Robinson had the most to gain after an average combine performance and helped his stock greatly after Tuesday’s workout.
-Says he’s happy with how his day went. His cousin (Ottawa Redblacks quarterback Kevin Glenn) threw for him at Pro Day. Trained in Florida prior to the event. Time was the biggest thing he was trying to change on Tuesday and was able to improve his times across the board.
Glenn Carson:
Measured in at 6-2 and 238 pounds. Had an impressive performance as well posting a 4.7 in the 40, 6.9 on the three-cone, a 4.25 shuttle, a 35 inch vertical and 30 reps on the bench press.
-Says he feels good about his performance and how he was able to do. Says he focused on nutrition and the details needed to succeed in the specific drills. Says scouts wanted to talk to him after his workouts and is pleased he was able to grab their attention.
John Urschel:
Measured in at 6-3 and 313 pounds. Participated in the 40 but didn’t know his time other than he took some time off of his old score. Also participated in lineman drills but did not know his results.
-Says that the workout today was a lot easier than at the combine because there was a lot less stress and pressure after having gone through the process already. Is excited about focusing on football now and getting ready for whatever teams are interested in him. Didn’t know what his Wonderlic test score was.
Malcolm Willis:
Measured in at 5-11 1/2 and 222 pounds and the only number that he knew was that he did 18 reps on the bench press but felt good about how he ran on the field.
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Alex Butterworth, Brandon Felder and Stephen Obeng-Agyapong did not speak with the media following the event.
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