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NFL Pro Day Takeaways: Texas LB Shines, Skyler Bell Stands Out
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- NFL Pro Day Takeaways: Texas LB Shines, Skyler Bell Stands Out
Tuesday was a busy day on the pro-day schedule, with more than 10 workouts taking place across the country. Here are breakdowns from the Texas , Cincinnati , and UConn events.
TEXAS
All 32 teams in the NFL, led by large contingencies from the Houston Texans , Dallas Cowboys , and New Orleans Saints , were on hand for Texas' pro day, as the Longhorns have at least a half-dozen draftable players.
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Linebacker Trey Moore , who's wrongly branded as an edge rusher by many, stood on many of his combine numbers, yet he did time 4.21 seconds in the short shuttle and 7.08 seconds in the three-cone, both terrific marks. He then looked really good in linebacker drills and also stood out in pass-rush drills.
NCAA, College League, USA Football: Kentucky at Texas, Nov. 23, 2024, Austin, Texas, USA. Texas Longhorns linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. (0) celebrates after a stop against the Kentucky Wildcats on fourth down in the third quarter at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. Austin Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Texas, USA. EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xRicardoxB.xBrazziellx 20241123_gma_usa_0626
Anthony Hill Jr. sat on all his marks from the combine, but he did position drills. Several scouts mentioned Hill has a bad (soft) body and needs a lot of weight room work.
The New York Giants ran the linebacker drills.
The Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers both sent their general managers to the workout specifically to scout Hill. The Cowboys took both Moore and Hill to dinner on Monday. Both linebackers also met with the Miami Dolphins , Cincinnati Bengals , and Denver Broncos . Hill could slide into the bottom third of Round 1, while Moore likely sealed himself as a Day 2 pick.
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Cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau, who's been nursing a hamstring strain that kept him from testing at the combine, timed 4.52 in the 40 and 6.86 in the three-cone drill. Guilbeau is much faster, but the hamstring issue slowed him.
Teammate Malik Muhammad sat on all of his marks from the combine but timed 6.95 in the three-cone. Safety Michael Taaffe timed a super quick 6.80 seconds in the three-cone drill and 4.15 seconds in the short shuttle.
Both Guilbeau and Muhammad looked terrific in drills. The Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings ran the defensive back drills.
Defensive end Ethan Burke measured just under 6-foot-6 and 267 pounds and timed a best of 4.94 seconds in the 40, 6.94 seconds in the three-cone, and 4.33 seconds in the short shuttle. While his 40-yard time was slightly disappointing, Burke did turn in a 10-yard split of 1.68 seconds, and his shuttle marks were exceptional. He looked smooth and fluid in drills, which were run by the New Orleans Saints.
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CINCINNATI
It was a large turnout for Cincinnati's pro day, as all 32 NFL teams were on hand, including most of the Cincinnati Bengals' coaching staff, including Zac Taylor. There were good and bad things from the workout.
Both Bearcats linebackers, Jake Golday and Jack Dingle, performed incredibly well. Golday ran a super-fast three-cone drill of 6.84 seconds as well as 4.33 seconds in the short shuttle, the latter being a slight improvement from his combine mark. He stood on his 40-yard time of 4.62 seconds from Indianapolis , though he had hand-times as fast as 4.55 seconds from his run.
There were four linebacker/assistant linebacker coaches on hand from the New York Jets , New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills , and Cincinnati Bengals. After position drills, the Saints and Miami Dolphins, who had scout Grant Wallace on hand, ran Golday through an individual workout.
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Dingle, a woefully underrated linebacker, timed anywhere from 4.51 seconds to 4.62 seconds in the 40, 4.13 seconds in the short shuttle, and 7.10 in the three-cone; hit 35 inches in the vertical jump; and completed 23 reps on the bench after measuring just over 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds. Like Golday, he looked terrific in position drills and then later met with the Saints. Dingle, who was not invited to the combine even though he deserved consideration, has an official 30-visit set up with the Las Vegas Raiders .
Golday has cemented himself as a second-round pick. Dingle deserves late-round consideration.
The Cincinnati Bengals, New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots , and New Orleans Saints all had their receivers coaches in attendance for Jeff Caldwell .
You may remember that the transfer from Lindenwood turned in an incredible combined workout timing, 4.31 seconds in the 40 and hitting 42 inches in the vertical jump and 11 feet 2 inches in the broad jump after measuring just under 6 feet 5.5 inches and 216 pounds. Tuesday was a different story, as Caldwell struggled in position drills and had a lot of dropped passes.
Syndication: The Enquirer Cincinnati Bearcats defensive lineman Donte Corleone, 58, celebrates a sack in the first quarter of the NCAA College League USA football game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Kennesaw State Owls at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. Kennesaw State Owls At Cincinnati Bearcats Football, Cincinnati, OH. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY. Copyright: xSamxGreene/ThexEnquirerx, 19021110
Defensive tackle Dontay Corleone tipped the scales at 333 pounds, seven fewer than his combine weight. Corleone did not look good during his single day of practice at the Shrine Bowl, sitting out the rest of the week in a boot. He was medically excluded from working out at the combine with a left ankle injury (the foot he had the boot on at Shrine practice) and did nothing on Tuesday. His past injury issues, which include blood clots, as well as his poor appearance and performance the past three months, will leave Corleone undrafted.
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Tight end Joe Royer also didn't work out today, which raised some red flags. Royer chose not to work out at the combine, and not participating in the pro day makes people wonder if he's healthy.
UCONN
Almost two dozen teams were on hand for UConn's pro day.
Receiver Skyler Bell blazed in the three-cone drill with times as low as 6.57 seconds. The "official" time (there are no real official times at Pro Day) from the APT scout on hand was recorded at 6.65 seconds, which is still very quick. He caught the ball exceptionally well and missed just one pass, a deep ball that was underthrown. The Cincinnati Bengals had a receiver's coach on hand to meet with Bell.
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Quarterback Joe Fagnano did not test, but he threw for Bell and other pass catchers on hand. He was right on the money except for one pass that was off the mark. Fagnano, who was not on the scouting radar prior to the season, grades as a late-round pick. There are some teams that have him rated higher than Drew Allar of Penn State , who is also a Day 3 prospect. The New York Jets had their quarterbacks coach on hand, and he spent time with Fagnano.
