Former TCU quarterback Casey Pachall is preparing for this year’s NFL draft, hoping to eliminate character concerns in the process.
“Whatever is in front of me, I’m gonna give 100 percent with it and do what I have to do,” Pachall told NBC 5 Sports.
In preparation for the draft, which is scheduled for early May, Pachall is training with former Olympic sprinter Michael Johnson at Johnson’s performance center in McKinney, Texas.
TCU’s all-time leader in completion percentage was not invited to next week’s NFL Combine despite holding the third-most touchdown passes (42) and passing yards (5,415) in school history.
“I was a little disappointed,” Pachall said. “At the same time, I’m gonna play the cards that are dealt to me.”
Pachall missed most of the 2012 season after withdrawing from TCU following an arrest for driving while intoxicated. The Brownwood, Texas, native returned to school and the team last spring.
“I need to prove my off-the-field quality,” Pachall said. “That I’m trustworthy. That I can be a leader on and off the field and that I’m not a risk bringing in and spending a lot of money on.”
While Pachall was not invited to the NFL Combine, he’ll still have a chance to impress scouts at TCU’s Pro Day prior to the draft.
“He knows that he’s got a lot to prove and he feels confident that he can,” Johnson told NBC 5 Sports. “We feel good about what he’s been able to do here, not just about his forty-yard dash and his bench press and all those things from an athletic standpoint but the skill position quarterback drills as well.”
According to Johnson’s performance center’s website, “MJP offers integrated training programs for professional athletes from all sports from NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS to tennis, martial arts, gymnastics and Olympic sports and everything in between.”
After suffering a broken arm early last season, Pachall struggled to get into a rhythm, finishing the year with 1,468 yards passing along with six touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
In his most recent appearance on the field, the TCU graduate completed 8-of-15 passes for 54 yards in the Medal of Honor Bowl.
