Cody Latimer and Ross Cockrell were arguably the biggest pro day winners Wednesday, posting impressive testing results that could bump them up in the upcoming NFL Draft.
The torrid rush of pro days is beginning to trickle, leaving mostly smaller schools and lesser-name players left to be evaluated. On Wednesday, a below-average Texas class and surprisingly rich Duke and Indiana classes were the star attractions. In particular, players on the Blue Devils and the Hoosier revealed themselves to be potential sleepers.
Highlights from Wednesday include Cody Latimer, Ross Cockrell and more:
Duke
Blue Devils draw solid crowd
Worth noting given how historically awful Duke football has been.
Best attendance at a @Duke_FB pro-day I have ever seen. Pic shows less than half. pic.twitter.com/YuyYZGOOvj
— Dave Harding (@DaveHardingjr) March 26, 2014Ross Cockrell is FAST
Yes it's blurry, but Ross Cockrell really is that fast. pic.twitter.com/NejLlOQlS3
— Duke Football (@Duke_FB) March 26, 2014How fast? Duke is officially reporting that Cockrell ran sub-4.4 in the 40-yard dash and had a 39" vertical jump. Along with 12 reps of 225 reps in the bench press, Cockrell's numbers could push him into the fourth round of the draft.
Notable prospects:
DE Kenny Anunike (projected late-round pick)
CB Ross Cockrell (projected fifth-rounder)
Indiana
Cody Latimer wows scouts
Cody Latimer hadn't been a much-discussed name amongst a talented wide receiver class heading into the 2014 NFL Draft. That should change following a very impressive pro day performance. Standing 6'2, 215 pounds, Latimer posted an unofficial 4.39 in the 40-yard dash and a 39" vertical leap, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Those numbers coupled with an excellent last season at Indiana could be enough to push him to the top of the second day of the draft.
Stephen Houston does too
Stephen Houston didn't have the prolific numbers that Latimer had last season, though they weren't bad --112 carries for 753 yards, good for 6.7 yards per carry. He didn't earn a Combine invite, however, and seemed destined to be taken at the end of the draft. Houston may have changed his fate Wednesday, however.
Tony Pauline at Draft Insider reports that Houston posted a 40" vertical and an 11' broad jump -- numbers that would have best every running back at the Combine except Lache Seastrunk -- while measuring in at 5'10, 225 pounds. A 40-yard-dash in the 4.46-4.49 range certainly won't hurt his chances of being drafted earlier than expected, nor will a relative lack of wear compared to his classmates.
Notable prospects:
WR Cody Latimer (projected third-rounder)
RB Stephen Houston (projected late-round pick)
Louisiana-Lafayette
Notable prospects:
WR Bradley Brown
OLB Darius Barksdale
RB Effrem Reed
CB Charles Tillman
Louisiana-Monroe
Notable prospects:
RB Jyruss Edwards
WR Tavarese Maye
McNeese State
Notable prospect:
TE Nic Jacobs (projected late-round pick)
RB Marcus Wiltz
Syracuse
Notable prospects:
DT Jay Bromley (projected fifth-rounder)
RB Jerome Smith (projected late-round pick)
QB Drew Allen
Texas
Longhorns pro day quiet
Texas is going through something of a transition coming off a disappointing 8-5 season, and may have had its quietest pro day ever. Though all 32 NFL teams were reportedly present, high-ranking personnel failed to show up.
20 teams at Texas pro day by my count, haven't seen any head coaches, GMs or coordinators yet. First time on #ProDayTour that's happened.
— Alex Dunlap (@AlexDunlapNFL) March 26, 2014Little media, few scouts and not much excitement at UT pro day. It is a down year. Longhorns should have more next year.
— Charean Williams (@NFLCharean) March 26, 2014It doesn't help that defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat, arguably the Longhorns' best prospect in the 2014 draft class, opted not to do any testing.
Mike Davis' vertical fails to impress
An unfortunate drawback of the Longhorns' pro day is that the program is apparently barring observers from tweeting out specific numbers. That doesn't them from revealing their impressions, however, which is too bad for wide receiver Mike Davis.
Can't tweet numbers but for vertical lets just say - Mike Davis unimpressive , HAWKINS/HOPKINS impressive. #ProDayTour
— RosterWatch (@RosterWatch) March 26, 2014Of course, that says nothing of how Davis looked while catching the ball. However, failing to test well could solidify his status as a Day 3 prospect.
Notable prospects:
DE Jackson Jeffcoat (projected third/fourth-rounder)
WR Mike Davis (projected fifth-rounder)
DT Chris Whaley (projected late-round pick)
K Anthony Fera