March 21, 2008
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| Bringing back memories of the 2005 season, former Vanderbilt quarterback and current Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler threw passes to Earl Bennett at Friday’s workout. |
View John Russell’s NFL Pro Day Photo Gallery
Nashville, Tenn. – For many Vanderbilt players with hopes of continuing their playing careers in the NFL, the coming weeks will be the only opportunity they will have to workout in front of NFL scouts, coaches and executives before the NFL Draft in April.
The first opportunity for many of those players came on Friday morning when the Commodores hosted their annual Pro Day. With more than 50 scouts and executives representing all 32 NFL franchises, the former player worked to improve their stock through a series of tests, including the vertical leap, broad jump, 225-pound bench press repetition, 40-yard dash, multiple agility drills and individual position drills.
Participating in Pro Day were WR Earl Bennett, LB Marcus Buggs, OG Josh Eames, LB/DE Curtis Gatewood, DT Gabe Hall, C Hamilton Holliday, DT Theo Horrocks, RB Cassen Jackson-Garrison, QB Richard Kovalcheck, OT Brian Stamper and OT Chris Williams.
Buggs, Stamper Happy With Performances
While Bennett, Williams, Goff and Gatewood received much of the attention at the NFL Personnel Combine last month, Friday’s activities may have been even more crucial to the eight Commodores not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine.
Among those were linebacker Marcus Buggs and offensive tackle Brian Stamper. With both players considered to be on the draft bubble, Friday’s workout couldn’t have been more important.
“They say it is the biggest job interview of your life,” Buggs said. “I felt a little pressure, but I had my family and friends around to help calm me down.”
Despite the added pressure of the situation, Buggs and Stamper were each happy with the way they performed on Friday.
“Overall, I’d have to say that I’m pleased with my day,” Buggs said. “I did well in my agility drills and my position drills were good, so I am feeling positive about it.”
Stamper added: “I think it went pretty well. There were a couple of things I could have done a little better, but I felt like I was smooth and I felt good doing everything. It is such a great experience to be out here with all these guys and to go through something like this.”
An area where Buggs really felt he stood out was during the individual position drills. “I went out and I looked fluid through my hips,” the Madison, Tenn., native said. “I moved around pretty well and I caught the ball well. I came out here trying to impress a few people today and hopefully I did.”
Like Buggs, Stamper was pleased with the way he performed in his individual position drills.
“The coaches were saying I looked smooth out there doing my position drills, so I was pretty satisfied with that,” he said. “The other tests are measurable and position drills are the most applicable, so I think those things are good to excel in.”
Another area where Stamper was very successful came on the final test of the day – the bench press. Despite having a hamstring cramp halfway through, Stamper was still able to put up 38 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press. His 38 reps were just two behind the day’s top mark of 40 put up by Gabe Hall.
“I didn’t get what I wanted to,” Stamper said. “I was trying to get between 40 and 45, but my hamstring started cramping around 20 so I finished half of them with my leg straight up.”
With an uncertain future ahead for most of the players at Pro Day, players such as Stamper know how far Friday’s activities could go toward the livelihood of their football careers.
“You have to give it your best shot every chance you get because being out here, you can’t do it over again,” Stamper said. “You have to make the most of it and not doubt yourself.”
Cutler Connects With Bennett
Bringing back memories of the 2005 season, former Vanderbilt quarterback and current Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler threw passes to Bennett at Friday’s workout.
As he did at the NFL Scouting Combine, Bennett continued to excel and impress scouts on Friday by catching every ball thrown by Cutler.
“Anytime you play with a pro quarterback like Cutler it is great,” Bennett said. “He throws great balls and once you get your timing down, everything is cool. I’m thankful that he came out here.
“Coming into this workout, I definitely wanted to show the scouts that I could run and catch the ball and accelerate. Hopefully I did that and I’m just enjoying this process.”
Although all the pressure should have been on Bennett, Cutler said he felt a little pressure throwing the ball to Bennett.
“I was a little nervous today,” Cutler said. “I think he was more relaxed than I was because I had a lot of responsibility on my shoulders to give him good balls. He made some catches for me and it turned out really well.”
Leading up to Pro Day, Cutler and Bennett had been working out together in Atlanta for the past three weeks.
“(Bennett) called me first and asked if I’d throw to him and I was happy to,” Cutler said. “He is such a great kid, had a great career here and I’m excited for him going to the next level.
“He is a pro. In Denver we talk about being a pro and doing things the right way, and Earl does it on and off the field,” Cutler added.
Chris Williams Draws A Crowd
The largest player at Vanderbilt’s Pro Day also drew the largest crowd on Friday. Williams, being projected as a first round selection, had the attention of numerous scouts throughout the day.
Already happy with the times and marks he received at the NFL Scouting Combine, Williams only participated in individual position drills.
While the atmosphere at Pro Day was a new one for the majority of the players participating, it has become the norm for Williams, who had similar experiences at the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine.
“I went to the Senior Bowl and the Combine and it was a little toned down from that,” Williams said. “There was a lot less poking and prodding here. It was good to see such a good turnout from the NFL.”