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SEC Pro Day recap: Arkansas, Mississippi State and Texas A&M

Ethan Levine

By Ethan Levine

Published:

After Auburn held the SEC’s first pro day on Tuesday, three more SEC schools held Pro Days on Wednesday as the NFL Draft process continues.

Arkansas, Mississippi State and Texas A&M all hosted representatives from all 32 NFL teams on Wednesday as their top departing talents tried to prove their worth with one last home-field advantage.

Let’s take a look at who impressed at all three Pro Days:

ARKANSAS

Sixteen former Razorbacks took part in the Arkansas Pro Day on Wednesday, although the program’s top four draft prospects (Trey Flowers, Darius Philon, Martrell Spaight and A.J. Derby) all attended the NFL Combine last month to give scouts a taste of what they can do on the field.

Flowers showed off his athleticism and versatility by participating in defensive end and linebacker drills on Wednesday, although his speed (or lack thereof) continues to present an issue for some NFL teams.

Derby, a former quarterback turned tight end, impressed with his 40 time after not running at the NFL Combine, which should in turn elevate his draft stock moving forward.

https://twitter.com/tonycon13/status/573220725516988416

Derby also caught passes from former Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson, who was on hand for the Pro Day. Derby looked rather impressive in drills with Wilson, and reportedly so did the former Hogs signal caller.

Other news & notes from Arkansas’ Pro Day:

Full list of Pro Day participants: Patrick Arinze, Daunte Carr, Brey Cook, Alan D’appollonio, A.J. Derby, Trey Flowers, Sam Irwin-Hill, Cam Jefferson, Tevin Mitchel, Braylon Mitchell, Darius Philon, Martrell Spaight, Alan Turner, Carroll Washington, Demetrius Wilson and Tenarius Wright.

MISSISSIPPI STATE

Mississippi State’s Pro Day garnered plenty of attention, especially regarding defensive standouts Benardrick McKinney and Preston Smith.

Both players are projected to be taken either in the first round or early in the second round, and both elected to only take part in position drills as opposed to the measurements and workout elements of the Pro Day.

Robinson, who was third in the SEC in rushing last season, indeed ran the 40 and was given an official time of 4.61 seconds, which is nearly a tenth of a second better than the 4.7-second time he posted at the NFL Combine last month.

Center Dillon Day, a multi-year starter at Mississippi State but a fringe candidate to be drafted, was unable to participate on Wednesday due to a hamstring issue, according to Bonner.

Two unheralded prospects who caught many by surprise with fantastic workouts were tailback Nick Griffin and linebacker Matthew Wells.

Griffin’s 26 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press tied for the high mark on the day with defensive tackle Kaleb Eulls, who was more than 70 pounds heavier than Griffin last season.

Wells, meanwhile, ran his 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds, tying cornerback Jamerson Love with the best time of the day. He was apparently just as good in position drills.

Lastly, the best broad jump of the day went to Love, who leaped 9 feet, 11 inches from a standstill on Wednesday.

Other news & notes from MSU’s Pro Day:

(All three players listed above were 2013 graduates.)

Full list of Pro Day participants (* indicates a 2013 graduate): Ben Beckwith, Blaine Clausell, Dillon Day, Kaleb Eulls, Nick Griffin, Brandon Hill, Christian Holmes, Jay Hughes, Malcolm Johnson, Robert Johnson, P.J. Jones, Jameon Lewis, Jamerson Love, Benardrick McKinney, LaDarius Perkins*, Josh Robinson, Tyler Russell*, Preston Smith, Matt Wells, Nickoe Whitley*.

TEXAS A&M

Scouts were busy at Texas A&M’s Pro Day as well with players going through workouts in College Station on Wednesday.

For starters, here’s a rundown of the Aggies workout results:

Offensive tackle prospect Cedric Ogbuehi did not participate in workouts due to the torn ACL he continues to recover from as he tries to get healthy by the start of NFL training camps this summer.

Ogbuehi is still widely regarded as A&M’s top draft prospect in this year’s class, but his injuries do seem to be finally catching up with him.

As for the Aggies who did workout on Wednesday, a number of players improved their draft stock at their Pro Day.

Tight end Cameron Clear, who attended the NFL Combine but did not go through all the workouts, impressed scouts with his performance on Wednesday. He improved his 40 time from the combine and scheduled visits with a number of teams in the coming weeks.

https://twitter.com/JaredStanger/status/573185984075939840

Trey Williams ran the 40 again despite already running at the combine, but he actually improved his time on Wednesday, albeit by just o.01 seconds.

The Aggies former tailback and kick returner impressed a number of teams with his workout, particularly the Houston Texans, who scheduled a private workout with Williams for next month.

When talking to the media during Pro Day festivities, Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin praised Williams not only for his explosiveness as a runner but for his versatility as a football player.

Two players who starred during their A&M careers but were excluded from the combine were wideout Malcome Kennedy and defensive back Deshazor Everett. Because of their absence at the combine, both players have plenty to prove on Wednesday, and both made the most of their opportunity to workout for pro scouts.

Everett led all Aggies in the vertical jump, broad jump and three-cone drill. His 40 time was the second-fastest of the day behind Williams.

Kennedy was just as impressive on Wednesday in going through wide receiver workouts. He admitted his goal was to show off his versatility to scouts, and told the media after his workout he thought he’d done just that.

Kennedy reportedly will take part in a private workout with the New England Patriots before the NFL Draft, and some think that his Pro Day performance alone was good enough to earn him a selection in the draft this spring.

(The other player referenced in that tweet is Everett.)

Other news & notes from Texas A&M’s Pro Day:

Full list of Pro Day participants: Donnie Baggs, Cameron Clear, Ben Compton, Deshazor Everett, Alex Freeman, Malcome Kennedy, Josh Lambo, Cedric Ogbuehi, Floyd Raven Sr., Ivan Robinson, Tommy Sanders and Trey Williams.

Ethan Levine

A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.

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