They have put their best foot forward – literally.
SMU players entering the NFL draft have run, jumped, weighed and been tested in every form on their athletic ability before the NFL scouts.
SMU’s Pro Day has come and gone, and player analytics are in supplementing their film.
They now continue to work as they await the much-anticipated Draft in late April.
This year, SMU had a unique spot in the Pro Day schedule – the last of all pro days before the upcoming draft.
Allowing SMU to attract attention to the players without having to compete with TCU down the road, A&M, Texas or any other team.
The NFL blogs and message boards following SMU’s Pro Day – Taylor Thompson – drawing the attention of NFL coaches and scouts.
Thompson played all four years as a defensive end for the Mustangs where he racked up noticeable numbers and was even named to First Team Conference USA following his senior year.
On Wednesday, Thompson weighed in at 259 pounds, with a height just a little over 6 feet and 6 inches and clocked a 4.58/4.55 on the 40 yard.
Recruited out of high school as a tight end, he went back to his roots in the All Star game following the season.
Following pretty respectable performance in his previous position, and gaining some looks from NFL scouts he decided to run with it.
Thompson following his performance at Pro Day summed up his thoughts on the day saying, “I was pleased. I’ve obviously ran a little better and jumped a little better, but everything all around was pretty good.”
Joining Thompson was fifteen additional former and current SMU players participating in the pro day.
Including Kelvin Beachum, Josh Leribeus, Chris Banjo, Richard Crawford, Justin Sorrell, Cole Beasley and former kicker/punter Matt Szymanski.
Two players, Beachum and Leribeus chose to sit out on a few events relying on their performance at the NFL Combine back in February.
SMU Head Coach June Jones took a different position Wednesday as he wasn’t the one calling the shots.
Although Head Coach Jones has been through a number of pro days he says, “every year it’s a little bit different. Every year I think it gets a little bit better cause your recruiting gets better.”
After perfecting their weight, Coach Jones went back to the root of it all saying, “Relax. You’re only going to do this one time. It doesn’t matter what you run out here – the film is what will get you to the camp.”
A comforting statement to wide receiver Beasley, who talked to the media following the drills but felt he did not exceed any of his expectations.
There was between 22 and 25 NFL scouts at the stadium for Pro Day, as well as the tight ends coach from Dallas.
