On Pro Day, former USF football players showcase their skills to NFL scouts.
A lot of college football players want to play in the NFL. It’s conceivably the pinnacle of a dream come true.
Donovan Jennings, an offensive tackle for the Chicago Bulls who finished his playing career in 2023, saw his NFL Pro Day as another step toward realizing his dream.
“It’s quite an odd sensation,” he remarked following the exercise. “I’m getting that much closer to accomplishing a goal I’ve had for a while.”
Jennings is one of nine former Bulls who will be on display during USF football’s Pro Day on Wednesday morning in an attempt to catch the attention of one of the fifty-one NFL scouts present.
Except for the Los Angeles Rams, 31 of the 32 professional teams had scouts in attendance.
For the second year running, there were more NFL teams represented. In 2022, there were 11 teams, and by 2023, there were 27.
We started the morning in the weight room at about 10:15. The guys were measured by scouts, and then they underwent vertical and bench press tests.
For the following part of the Pro Day, players traveled to the Indoor Performance Facility, where they competed in a 40-yard dash and other agility and positional drills.
When Jennings ran a 4.95-second 40-yard sprint, which was remarkably quick for a 330-pound offensive lineman, the crowd applauded.
He remarked, “It felt really good.” “I made the proper preparations. I thought I had done what was necessary when I arrived here.
Another long-tenured Bull, senior defensive back Daquan Evans, made an effort to get the attention of NFL scouts following a career season that culminated in a defensive MVP award in the Boca Raton Bowl.
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He said that a shoulder surgery he had after the season had changed how he prepared for the workout.
Evans remarked, “I’ve been preparing for the last two months.” “Fixing bumps and bruises and just making sure I’m as complete as I can be, every day was like a game day.”
Evans said to watching USF reach previously unheard-of heights in his last season as a “blessing.”
He declared, “I’ve been here since day one.” “When I arrived in 2019, our program wasn’t as strong. The fact that 51 scouts have now emerged here indicates that the program is headed in the correct path.
Since wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling and defensive tackle Deadrin Senat were picked in the 2018 NFL Draft, no USF player has been drafted.
Evans and Jennings are taken in later rounds of certain mock selections. According to other analytics, they won’t be drafted.
The two possibilities will bide their time until they potentially hear their names called in the NFL Draft next month, along with seven other graduating USF seniors. The dates of the draft are April 25–27.
