After a stressful week at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Andy Dalton, Wayne Daniels, Marcus Cannon and several other TCU seniors returned to Fort Worth to put on a pro day for scouts.
Over 20 TCU seniors competed to drills for NFL scouts such as new 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh and Jay Gruden of the Cincinnati Bengals. The early story of the day was Malcolm Williams putting up a 40 inch vertical jump and 10 feet 6 inches in the broad jump.
In the 40 yard dash, safety Colin Jones ran the fastest time a 4.34 seconds and wide receiver Jimmy Young ran the 40 in 4.4 seconds.
Several players like Andy Dalton, Jeremy Kerley, and Marcus Cannon opted not to take part in some of the drills that they had already completed at the NFL combine.
Most scouts were in attendance to watch Andy Dalton throw to his receivers. Dalton has been working with quarterback guru Jerry Rome. Rome led the workout for Dalton and his receiving corp of Alonso Adams, Curtis Clay, Bart Johnson, Evan Froesch, Jeremy Kerley, and Jimmy Young.
Andy Dalton appeared to be very comfortable. He was able to make all the throws that Rome put him through including rollouts and play action fakes. Dalton threw about 40-50 balls to different receivers. Dalton said of the workout: “It went really well….we all got back together this week and perfected [this workout].”
“I really don’t get nervous,” Dalton went on to say. “I am just out here doing what I love.”
Head coach Gary Patterson also seemed very pleased with the workouts of Dalton and the receivers. “[Scouts] know Andy has all the intangibles, and it is a complement for the scouts to be here to watch our young men.”
Patterson also explained his role as he watched intently today. “I am like a parent. My role is to grow up these young kids, and now to be here for them whether they did well today or not.”
Two other players that scouts undoubtedly had their eye on was center Jake Kirkpatrick and tackle Marcus Cannon. Cannon and Kirkpatrick both took part in position drills run by a scout from the Cincinnati Bengals. Kirkpatrick figures to be a mid round draft pick while the jury is still out on Marcus Cannon. The 6’5, 330+ pound tackle was out to show his agility and quickness that will enable him to block quick NFL defensive ends.
Cannon said of the pro day: “The hardest part is done. The hardest part was the combine. There you go to sleep at 12:30. Then, you are up at 5. This is the easy part because my family is here, and all I have to do is watch TV and see where I end up.”
Marcus’ mass is his biggest strength,” Gary Patterson said. “Anybody who can squat 850-900 pounds and run a 5.2 can play in the NFL. [Scouts] will just be looking for that aggressiveness that you have to have in the NFL.”
Defensive linemen Corey Grant, Kelley Griffin, and Wayne Daniels also worked out for scouts. Griffin is finishing his rehabilitation of his knee that he injured during the season, and Wayne Daniels is currently dealing with a strained pectoral muscle.
Other notes: 2009 graduate Marcus Jackson also worked out at quarterback for scouts. Jason Teague looked good in the secondary drills. Finally, in draft expert Mel Kiper’s most recent draft board Andy Dalton was the 5th ranked quarterback behind Blaine Gabbert, Cam Newton, Ryan Mallet, and Jake Locker.
