Highlights from the LSU, Notre Dame, and Florida pro days

The last day in the month of March turned out to be one of the biggest days in the draft process. Wednesday was such an important day because of a trio of massive pro days.

The pro day schedule is nothing new in the NFL Draft process, but they took on new importance after the NFL decided to cancel the 2021 NFL Scouting Combine out of caution with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the various pro days Wednesday saw prospects from LSU, Florida, and Notre Dame take the practice field to work out for the NFL, and the results were impressive to say the least.

LSU

LSU did not back up its championship season the way the Tigers might have hoped, a fact made more frustrating by how talented their draft class will be. All eyes were on WR Ja’Marr Chase to see if he could back up his great sophomore season with a great workout after a season away from football. But there were also other prospects like Jabril Cox and Terrace Marshall Jr. with a lot of their own to prove.

Jabril Cox

Linebacker Jabril Cox didn’t work out at LSU’s pro day as he’s dealing with a hamstring strain, but Adam Schefter did tweet out some analysis of his GPS tracking data. Suffice to say, Cox is an excellent athlete as well as an impact linebacker.

While Cox didn’t work out, he did get measured, and has prototypical size in addition to his athleticism.

Height: 6-foot-3 1/8 inches
Weight: 232 pounds
Hand: 9 inches
Arm: 32 3/8 inches
Wingspan: 79 inches

Ja’Marr Chase (WR)

Chase might have opted out of the 2020 season, but he certainly didn’t opt out of his training and resting on his laurels after posting an absolutely monster sophomore season in 2019.

Chase came into the season as WR1 — to me he resembles Hakeem Nicks coming out of North Carolina with his play style and competitive toughness. At least that’s the comparison on the field. In shorts, there’s no comparison between the two and Chase is a much better athlete than Nicks ever was.

Height: 6-foot 3/8 inches
Weight: 201 pounds
Hand: 9 5/8 inches
Arm: 30 ³⁄₄ inches
Wingspan: 74 7/8 inches
40-yard dash: 4.38 seconds
Vertical Jump: 41 inches
Broad Jump: 11 feet
3-Cone: 7.00s
Short Shuttle: 3.98s

Terrace Marshall Jr. (WR)

With Chase opting out of the 2020 season, Marshall Jr. took the opportunity to step up and make a name for himself. Marshall was buried on LSU’s incredible 2019 depth chart, but he established himself this year, particularly as a big slot receiver. His speed was a surprise and he could surprise as a deep threat in the NFL as well as a reliable option out of the slot.

Height: 6-foot-2 5/8 inches
Weight: 205 pounds
Hand: 9 ¹⁄₂ inches
Arm: 32 ³⁄₄ inches
Wingspan: 78 1/8 inches
Bench Press: 19 reps
40-yard dash: 4.38 seconds
Vertical Jump: 39 inches
Broad Jump: 10-foot-5 inches

Tyler Shelvin (NT)

Shelvin is probably the best nose tackle in the draft, and he somehow managed to measure out even more stoutly than he appeared on tape. He is a veritable boulder in the middle of LSU’s defensive line, and is almost impossible to move out of the way as a run defender. But even so, his height and weight certainly stand out, though his 40 time isn’t all that surprising.

Height: 6-foot-2 inches
Weight: 350 pounds
Hand: 10 ¹⁄₄ inches
Arm: 33 5/8 inches
Wingspan: 80 ¹⁄₄ inches
40-yard dash: 5.40 seconds
Vertical Jump: 28.5 inches
Broad Jump: 8-feet 1-inch
3-Cone: 8.19 seconds
Short Shuttle: 4.97 seconds

Florida

The Gators boast two of the most anticipated workouts of the draft process with Kyle Pitts and Kadarius Toney — and Pitts stole the show for the whole day. Mel Kiper Jr. exclaimed after Pitts’ workout that he (Pitts) is his (Kiper’s) highest graded tight end ever. The day also featured a surprise performance by cornerback Marco Wilson.

Kadarius Toney (WR)

Toney emerged as a possible (likely) first round pick over the last year as he transitioned from being a “gadget” player to a true receiver. But while he was always known to be explosively athletic, he had to prove to the NFL that he could be an every-down receiver as a pro. There were also concerns about Toney’s size, but he answered those questions, while confirming what our eyes told us about his explosiveness

Height: 6-foot
Weight: 193 pounds
40 Yard Dash: 4.39 seconds
Vertical Jump: 40.5 inches
Broad Jump: 11-feet, 4-inches

Kyle Pitts (WR/TE)

Pitts was, perhaps, the biggest problem for defenses in college. He lined up across Florida’s offensive formation and was basically uncoverable wherever he aligned. We knew Pitts was big and athletic, but nobody was quite prepared for his blend of size and explosiveness.

Height: 6-foot-5 5/8 inches
Weight: 245 pounds
Hand span: 10 5/8
Arm length: 33 4/8
Wingspan: 83 3/8 (largest wingspan for a skill position player on record)
40 time: 4.44 seconds
Vertical Jump: 33.5 inches
Broad Jump: 10-foot, 4 inches

Marco Wilson (CB)

Florida junior Marco Wilson wasn’t getting much buzz before the workout started, but he wowed the scouts in attendance. It’s fairly safe to say that scouts will be going back to their tape to see if they missed anything with Wilson.

Height: 5-foot-11 5/8 inches
Weight: 191 pounds
40 time: 4.37 seconds
Vertical Jump: 43 inches
Broad Jump: 11-feet 4 inches
Bench Press: 26 reps

Notre Dame

We end our tour of the day’s biggest pro days in South Bend, Ind. with Notre Dame. The Irish had a great season and are going to have a strong draft class, potentially putting multiple impact players into the NFL this year. The most intriguing player is linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, but there are several other players who could have benefitted from a good workout.

(Full Results)

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (LB)

JOK’s tape made it obvious to anyone who cared to watch that he is a rare athlete for the linebacker position. But what it also made obvious is that he doesn’t have prototypical size. Much like some other prospects, he needed to show that he has the size to make it in the NFL — without sacrificing any of the athleticism that makes him special.

Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 221 pounds
Arm length: 33 inches
Broad jump: 10-foot, 4 inches
Vertical Jump: 36.5 inches
3-Cone: 6.80 seconds
Short Shuttle: 4.15 seconds

Liam Eichenberg (OL)

Notre Dame’s left tackle was the other big name prospect scouts flocked to South Bend to see. Where the big question with Owusu-Koramoah is whether he is big enough to be a linebacker in the NFL, with Eichenberg the question is whether or not he’s athletic enough to remain an offensive tackle.

Height: 6-foot-6 1/8 inches
Weight: 306 pounds
Hand: 9 5/8 inches
Arm: 32 3/8 inches
Wing: 79 3/8 inches
Vertical Jump: 26.5 inches
Broad Jump: 8-foot-9
Short Shuttle: 4.58 seconds
3-Cone: 7.53 seconds
Bench Press: 33 reps

Tommy Tremble (H-Back/TE)

Tremble is one of my favorite sleepers in the draft. He is obviously athletic and a punishing blocker on tape, but Notre Dame has barely scratched the surface of his upside as a receiver. Tremble takes obvious pride in his ability as a blocker, but if an NFL team can unlock his potential as a pass catcher, he could be one of the steals of the draft.

Height: 6-foot-3 3/8 inches
Weight: 241 pounds
Hand: 9 ¹⁄₄ inches
Arm: 31 7/8 inches
Wing: 78 ¹⁄₂ inches
40-yd: 4.64/4.60 (NFL scout )
Vertical Jump: 36.5 inches
Broad Jump: 10-foot-2
Bench Press: 20 reps