ATLANTA- Georgia Tech held the annual Pro Day for former Yellow Jacket players on Monday afternoon and nearly all 32 NFL teams showed up to work with 16 former student-athletes including a handful of players who played elsewhere last year after transferring out of the program like Jerry Howard, Austin Kent, and Ajani Kerr.
Defensive back Juanyeh Thomas limited his work to drills and a few other non-running items after his NFL Combine performance while the rest of his teammates aimed to impress scouts.
Tobias Oliver pulled a muscle during the 40-yard dash and was unable to compete after that. Defensive end Antonneous Clayton also strained something during the cone drills, but he was able to recover enough to go through DL drills.
"At last count, almost every NFL team showed up today for the guys and I haven't seen all the numbers yet, but it is great to see them all back and healthy and working out really hard and to see so much interest in our guys," head coach Geoff Collins said.
Collins said that Tariq Carpenter impressed scouts with his performance.
"Riq jumped 39-inches and I think he had an 11.4-foot broad jump and I think he was sub 4.5 in the 40, but I didn't get an official time and he did all of that at 225 to 230 pounds," Collins said. "I think a lot of people were excited to see Tre (Swilling), Juanyeh, and Riq workout."
Collins said that Juanyeh got high marks at the East-West Shrine Game and the things he learned at Georgia Tech he put on display for the coaches and the guys did a tremendous job of coaching him out there and he has a great personality so that has NFL teams excited because he is coachable, has great physical abilities and is a really good player.
I asked Collins who he thought would be the surprise guy to make a NFL team like Nate Cottrell or Jalen Camp the last few years and he said he thinks Jordan Mason might be another guy like Nate Cottrell or Tyler Davis who can make it because of strong special teams play and being versatile.
Collins joked that Ryan Johnson and Devin Cochran may set the Wonderlic record for OLs and they did well during their drills and both have a lot of tape playing in the SEC and ACC now so that will help them get an opportunity.
Collins said it was big having all the current players watch at least some of the Pro Day so they can visualize their futures and support their former teammates and understand how important working hard is.
Each of the players we spoke to afterward talked about having watched past Pro Days and how that motivated them as well.
Carpenter said he was blessed with explosiveness as a player and he really just relied on his training today because he was very nervous.
Carpenter passed after when it was his time to do the 40, he joked he was second up behind Djimon Brooks alphabetically so he was not quite loose when they called him so he took his first turn a little later to make sure he was loose and stretched out.
Carpenter had an injury during his offseason workouts in Jan. and that was a setback. He is also on his third agent so he has had a lot to deal with to get ready for Pro Day, but he thinks he did well.
Carpenter said that he was little disappointed he did not outrun Jamin Davis his close friend who ran a 4.3 during his pre-NFL workout (not sure if that was a Pro Day or Combine), but he is happy with a 4.4. He said jumped an 11.5 on the broad jump, he said he should've been at the Combine. Carpenter said doing well at the Reese's and playing LB there for the first time in his life and only having one day to prepare to play LB, he felt like he did enough to earn a Combine invite, but he said the snub motivated him for today.
Carpenter joked he is a big ball of playdough and he will play wherever teams want him, he played CB even at one of the things he went to this offseason and he can play LB or safety or dime at 230. He said he can play all three LB spots as well, he just wants a chance to show he can be a physical guy with brains and he thinks he is the complete package.
Carpenter said he has workouts coming with the Cardinals and Bears.
Juanyeh actually broke down twice while talking to us because of the emotions of being in GT gear for the last time working out in the indoor and being with Riq for probably the last time on the field. He said the Combine and this Pro Day are both a dream come true for him and a blessing. He said he decided to stick with the 4.55 he ran at Indy and he took it personally when people told him was slow.
Junayeh said that he wanted to show people more how he moves and how he can turn his hips and run because he says a lot of teams like him as a LB, but he feels like he can play multiple spots even safety or corner if needed to and he wants that versatility to be a selling point.
Juanyeh said he woke up at 5 am this morning and he realized this would be his final time putting on the GT gear and representing GT after his four years here and all the hard work and heart he put in it weighed on him a lot.
Jordan Mason looked to be in the best shape of his life, he said he worked with Exos Training and they knew all the keys and gave him everything to pass the test and he did it. Mason said he is so much healthier, leaner and healthier than he has been in a long time thanks to being able to train and focus.
Mason said it was great to be out there with Jerry Howard again who returned for Pro Day. He said it felt really good.
Mason said when he ran the 40 it was all adrenaline and he fell back on his training and went out and executed.
Mason said all he is looking for is one person to take a chance on him and he will amaze them if he gets the opportunity. Mason said he heard between 4.4 and 4.5 for his 40 time and he was like, "am I really running that fast?"
Devin Cochran also spoke and he said it was great and he enjoyed the process today. He said it was great getting support from his former teammates watching and seeing the coaches and everyone one last time as a Jacket.
Cochran said this is like the biggest job interview of your life. He said the Wonderlic test was interesting because so much of it was common sense and he said at the end they had some real math questions and things he had to work on but most of it was pretty easy.
Cochran said the Shrine Game helped prepare him for some of the questions and dealing with the scouts and the interviewing by the teams and he said he has done it now like 20-30 times so it is getting easier.
Defensive back Juanyeh Thomas limited his work to drills and a few other non-running items after his NFL Combine performance while the rest of his teammates aimed to impress scouts.
Tobias Oliver pulled a muscle during the 40-yard dash and was unable to compete after that. Defensive end Antonneous Clayton also strained something during the cone drills, but he was able to recover enough to go through DL drills.
"At last count, almost every NFL team showed up today for the guys and I haven't seen all the numbers yet, but it is great to see them all back and healthy and working out really hard and to see so much interest in our guys," head coach Geoff Collins said.
Collins said that Tariq Carpenter impressed scouts with his performance.
"Riq jumped 39-inches and I think he had an 11.4-foot broad jump and I think he was sub 4.5 in the 40, but I didn't get an official time and he did all of that at 225 to 230 pounds," Collins said. "I think a lot of people were excited to see Tre (Swilling), Juanyeh, and Riq workout."
Collins said that Juanyeh got high marks at the East-West Shrine Game and the things he learned at Georgia Tech he put on display for the coaches and the guys did a tremendous job of coaching him out there and he has a great personality so that has NFL teams excited because he is coachable, has great physical abilities and is a really good player.
I asked Collins who he thought would be the surprise guy to make a NFL team like Nate Cottrell or Jalen Camp the last few years and he said he thinks Jordan Mason might be another guy like Nate Cottrell or Tyler Davis who can make it because of strong special teams play and being versatile.
Collins joked that Ryan Johnson and Devin Cochran may set the Wonderlic record for OLs and they did well during their drills and both have a lot of tape playing in the SEC and ACC now so that will help them get an opportunity.
Collins said it was big having all the current players watch at least some of the Pro Day so they can visualize their futures and support their former teammates and understand how important working hard is.
Each of the players we spoke to afterward talked about having watched past Pro Days and how that motivated them as well.
Carpenter said he was blessed with explosiveness as a player and he really just relied on his training today because he was very nervous.
Carpenter passed after when it was his time to do the 40, he joked he was second up behind Djimon Brooks alphabetically so he was not quite loose when they called him so he took his first turn a little later to make sure he was loose and stretched out.
Carpenter had an injury during his offseason workouts in Jan. and that was a setback. He is also on his third agent so he has had a lot to deal with to get ready for Pro Day, but he thinks he did well.
Carpenter said that he was little disappointed he did not outrun Jamin Davis his close friend who ran a 4.3 during his pre-NFL workout (not sure if that was a Pro Day or Combine), but he is happy with a 4.4. He said jumped an 11.5 on the broad jump, he said he should've been at the Combine. Carpenter said doing well at the Reese's and playing LB there for the first time in his life and only having one day to prepare to play LB, he felt like he did enough to earn a Combine invite, but he said the snub motivated him for today.
Carpenter joked he is a big ball of playdough and he will play wherever teams want him, he played CB even at one of the things he went to this offseason and he can play LB or safety or dime at 230. He said he can play all three LB spots as well, he just wants a chance to show he can be a physical guy with brains and he thinks he is the complete package.
Carpenter said he has workouts coming with the Cardinals and Bears.
Juanyeh actually broke down twice while talking to us because of the emotions of being in GT gear for the last time working out in the indoor and being with Riq for probably the last time on the field. He said the Combine and this Pro Day are both a dream come true for him and a blessing. He said he decided to stick with the 4.55 he ran at Indy and he took it personally when people told him was slow.
Junayeh said that he wanted to show people more how he moves and how he can turn his hips and run because he says a lot of teams like him as a LB, but he feels like he can play multiple spots even safety or corner if needed to and he wants that versatility to be a selling point.
Juanyeh said he woke up at 5 am this morning and he realized this would be his final time putting on the GT gear and representing GT after his four years here and all the hard work and heart he put in it weighed on him a lot.
Jordan Mason looked to be in the best shape of his life, he said he worked with Exos Training and they knew all the keys and gave him everything to pass the test and he did it. Mason said he is so much healthier, leaner and healthier than he has been in a long time thanks to being able to train and focus.
Mason said it was great to be out there with Jerry Howard again who returned for Pro Day. He said it felt really good.
Mason said when he ran the 40 it was all adrenaline and he fell back on his training and went out and executed.
Mason said all he is looking for is one person to take a chance on him and he will amaze them if he gets the opportunity. Mason said he heard between 4.4 and 4.5 for his 40 time and he was like, "am I really running that fast?"
Devin Cochran also spoke and he said it was great and he enjoyed the process today. He said it was great getting support from his former teammates watching and seeing the coaches and everyone one last time as a Jacket.
Cochran said this is like the biggest job interview of your life. He said the Wonderlic test was interesting because so much of it was common sense and he said at the end they had some real math questions and things he had to work on but most of it was pretty easy.
Cochran said the Shrine Game helped prepare him for some of the questions and dealing with the scouts and the interviewing by the teams and he said he has done it now like 20-30 times so it is getting easier.
