Penn State hosted scouts and coaches from all but two NFL teams on Thursday as a few Nittany Lion hopefuls looked to improve their draft stock only weeks before the NFL Draft.
Here are notes on each of the Nittany Lions who tested Thursday afternoon.
Adrian Amos:
- Amos did not participate in the bench press to start off the day but did run the 40-yard dash. According to what he was told by scouts, he was timed at 4.38 on his second attempt and roughly 4.42 his first time around. Amos weighed in at 6-feet even and 215 pounds.
- Quotable: “It went pretty good from start to finish, I feel like I did pretty well. I wanted to run the 40 again, so better situation back at Penn State. I felt more relaxed here.”
Deion Barnes:
- Barnes posted the top score on the bench press with 31 reps at the standard 225 pound mark. He checked in at 6-foot-4, 257 pounds. Barnes didn’t have a number for his 40-yard dash but felt good about his second attempt and felt he could go even faster.
- Quotable: “I think everything went well today. I heard 3-4 outside linebacker and defensive end [from NFL teams].”
Brad Bars:
- At 6-foot-3, 261 pounds Bars had the second best bench press performance of the day behind Barnes with 26 reps. His 40 yard dash was in the 4.6 range which was what he was expecting to run after his training.
- Quotable: “My goals were to come out here and show NFL teams the type of player I was, the potential I have, and the work ethic I gained by being at Penn State.”
Bill Belton:
- Belton started off the day with his weigh in at 5-foot-8, 199 pounds only seven pounds heavier than Sam Ficken. He felt good about his 40 yard dash but did not know his exact time. Belton posted a 15 rep workout at the bench press.
- Quotable: “I had fun today. That’s what I wanted to do.”
Miles Dieffenbach:
- Coming in a 6-foot-, 304 pounds. He benched 24 reps and looked strong on the running drills. Coming off of multiple lower body injuries Dieffenbach said he felt as good as he ever has while healthy and isn’t worried about any lingering issues.
- Quotable: “(Wanted to) Prove to these coaches that I have the ability to do lateral movements. It felt good. Numbers were actually a little better than I thought. Everyone did a great job training us.”
Sam Ficken:
- Reported Pro Day numbers: Ficken measured in at 6-foot, 192 pounds, but did not do any bench press reps. He kicked at the end of the workout session from roughly 35-50 yards away. Ficken is currently living with former Nittany Lion John Urschel in State College for the summer.
- Quotable: “I’ve added some distance to my kickoffs and changed a bit about my setup for them. You don’t want to change too much during the season…there aren’t many coaches who know the little details about kicking so that’s really on yourself.”
Mike Hull:
- Hull measured in at 5-foot-11, 237 pounds, but did not bench after he did well at the combine. Hull didn’t know his numbers on running drills but was happy about his performance after some minor offseason knee surgery and muscle issues.
- Quotable: “I’m going to work my ass off every single day, and I’m going to give you everything I have. That’s all you can really do.”
Jesse James:
- James was 6-foot-7, 232 pounds. While James did not bench again after an impressive combine he ran what he believed to be a 40 yard dash in the area of 4.65 seconds.
- Quotable: “I felt good about it. All I did was run the 40. I think I ran a 4.65, somewhere in that range. It felt great.”
Matt Lehman:
- The former Penn State tight end was 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, posting 21 bench press reps. His second straight pro day, Lehman has been working at a pizza shop this past year.
- He said it: “I’m just the counter guy, I don’t have the skills for (making pizzas).”
C.J. Olaniyan:
- After missing out on a combine invite Olaniyan used Thursday to test in all areas. The Michigan native looking to move his stock on to the radar of teams in attendance. Olaniyan posted a 22 rep performance on the bench press but was unsure of running times. He weighed in a 6-foot-0, 253 pounds.
Donovan Smith:
- Smith registered solid but unknown times on the 40 yard dash before pulling up late in one sprint with an apparent hamstring pull. Smith still participated in other drills but did not bench press after his performance at the combine. He checked in at 6-foot-5, 328 pounds.
Tyrone Smith:
- Smith checked in at 6-foot, 288, and performed 22 bench press reps.
Zach Zwinak:
- Zwinak did not weigh in or do bench press reps Thursday as he continues to heal from a broken ankle he suffered last season.
