Some notes from Friday's Pro Day at the University of Cincinnati.
- Depending on whose column you read, either 20, 22, or 28 NFL teams had representation at the Bearcats Pro Day. If it was indeed 28 then I would almost assume that the Pats had some representation there.
- There were three UC players that were invited to the Combine: RB Isaiah Pead, DT Derek Wolfe, and DT John Hughes.
Football Holds Annual Pro Timing Day - University of Cincinnati Official Athletics Site
Zach Collaros, Reuben Haley, Steve Hancoch, Tomaz Hilton, Randy Martinez, Wesley Richardson, Adrien Robinson, Monte Taylor, Rob Trigg and D.J. Woods took part in the workout. Isaiah Pead and Derek Wolfe were on hand for measurements and took part in position drills.
Evan Davis (ankle), Alex Hoffman (Achilles), John Hughes (hamstring), J.K. Schaffer (hamstring) and Orion Woodard (leg) either were limited or did not participate due to injury.
Robinson created the most buzz on the day, starting with his 39.5 inch vertical jump and his leap of 11-3 in the broad jump. He followed that up with 40-yard dash times of 4.51 and 4.58 unofficially, not bad for someone who measured in at 6-4 and 264 pounds. The tight end from Indianapolis, Ind. clocked 4.37 in the 20-yard shuttle, 11.59 in the 60-yard shuttle and 7.11 in the 3-cone drill.
2012 NFL draft pro day updates - Tony Pauline - SI.com
Running back Isaiah Pead and defensive tackle Derek Wolfe participated in position drills. Wolfe, in particular, looked good in drills. He was fluid moving around the field and looked powerful during bag drills.
The team's other senior, defensive tackle John Hughes, took part in the bench press. Hughes completed 29 reps, one more than his total from Indianapolis. Hughes has been struggling with hamstring tightness and will run for scouts on March 24, as will linebacker J.K. Schaffer, the team's leading tackler who sat on the sidelines most of today with an injury.
Receiver D.J. Woods turned some heads with an exceptional showing. The 6-foot, 180-pound pass-catcher posted a 37-inch vertical jump, then ran a pair of 40s in the low 4.4-second range (4.42 fastest). During drills Woods ran crisp, detailed routes and caught the ball well. Coaches on hand asked the swift wideout to run nearly a dozen NFL routes and came away impressed with his ability.
Quarterback Zach Collaros also turned some heads. The smallish passer (Collaros struggles to measure 6-feet even) displayed solid arm strength and accurately placed his deep throws into pass-catchers' hands.
NFL.com Blogs » Gil Brandt » Unheralded TE gets chance to shine at Cincy’s pro day «
There were three Cincinnati Bearcats at the recent NFL Scouting Combine, but when the school hosted its pro day on Friday an unheralded tight end with little playing experience might have raised the most eyebrows.
Adrien Robinson (6-4, 264 pounds) was not invited to the combine, so the tight end had to prove his NFL worth at Cincinnati’s pro day. Robinson — a first-year starter in 2011 — worked out impressively in the position drills. In workouts, Robinson clocked 4.56 and 4.55 40-yard dash times. In the jumps, Robinson excelled, going for 39.5 inches in the vertical jump and an 11-foot, 3-inch broad jump (each would have been tops among tight ends at the combine). Robinson ran 4.40 in the short shuttle and a 7.01-second cone drill, and did 15 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press.
For Derek Wolfe fans, the link below also includes a short video of him in some drills at his Pro Day.
Wolfe and Schaffer among Bearcats interviewed at Pro Day - Cincinnati Bearcats
I'm sure this has been rehashed in other areas, but my impression was Isaiah Pead was the "darling" of the group with 4.47 combine 40 and his impressive Senior Bowl. Bengals running back coach Jim Anderson spent a lot of time with the Pead family.
Zach Collaros also looked good to me throwing the ball. He threw some precision deep balls and benefited by having former teammates Armon Binns and Vidal Hazelton back to help catch them.
Again, Zach will be knocked for his height, but he's roughly the size of Drew Brees who's had a relatively good run around the six-foot mark.
Derek Wolfe also did his share of interviews after measuring out with the biggest hands there (10 3/4) and pounding out 33 reps on the bench press.
Also turning some heads was tight end Adrien Robinson who ran a 4.51 40. That time would've been third best at the NFL Combine.
Finally, despite a hamstring issue that kept him from running, linebacker JK Schaffer cranked out 26 reps on the bench press and probably as many interviews as he worked the crowd like he was running for office this November.
For what it's worth, I think JK is a sleeper. Whatever camp gets him will get a relentless, blue-collar worker who seemingly is in on every play. From covering NFL drafts and college football for 25-plus years I can tell you what is often ignored is, "Can they play football?"