March 10, 2015
Howell’s Photos | 
Sights and Sounds
On campus in Nashville – Former Commodore defensive tackle Vince Taylor seemed to be the only person disappointed with his bench press performance at Vanderbilt’s Pro Day Tuesday.
Taylor’s 36 repetitions of the 225-pound bench press was the most by a Vanderbilt student-athlete in a decade and arguably the most impressive individual performance from five former Commodores demonstrating their talents in front of National Football League scouts, coaches and front office personnel. But the two-year starter from Hattiesburg, Miss. expected to post a higher total.
“Honestly, I was looking for 40 plus,’ Taylor said. “But I felt something (during the test) and stopped at 36. It was good, but I actually thought I’d do more.”
Taylor and four other seniors from the 2014 squad worked out for 90 minutes in front of nearly 30 NFL scouts in the program’s Indoor Practice Facility.
Other former Commodores joining Taylor were defensive tackle Barron Dixon, snapper Andrew East, offensive lineman Joe Townsend and outside linebacker Kyle Woestmann.
The list of activities included muchmore than the 225-pound bench press. Each of the five participantswere measured for official height and weight, ran the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle and L-Drill, registered standing long jump and vertical jump highs, and performed position-specific drills.
Taylor’s 36-repetition effort in the bench press was the most repetitions by a Commodore at Pro Day since former All-SEC offensive lineman Justin Geisinger totaled 43 reps in 2005.
Besides missing his goal on the bench press, Taylor turned some heads with his overall performance. “I had higher expectations, but overall I’m okay with everything. I’ve been assured by several scouts that I did a good job.”
Townsend entered the day looking to enjoy the experience and have scouts leave campus with a favorable impression. He was pleased with his performances in the shuttle, L-Drill and bench press.
“It was all fun, just good to get out there and compete a little,” Townsend said. “I did pretty well, so we’ll see what happens down the road.
“My goal was to maximize the opportunity and try to have fun with. Even though there’s 32 (NFL) teams, you’re hoping to create a favorable impression with a few teams here. I hope I accomplished that,” Townsend added.
This marked the smallest number of draft-eligible Commodores to participate in the team’s annual Pro Day activity since the early 1990s. In 2013, 13 seniors led by current NFL players Jordan Matthews, Andre Hal, Kenny Ladler, Wesley Johnson and Jonathan Krause worked out for scouts.
