The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Longhorns put on show for Pros
03.20.2002 | Football
AUSTIN, Texas -- With the eyes of more than 50 National Football League general managers, coaches and scouts upon them, The University of Texas football team held its annual Pro Timing Day on Wednesday afternoon at the Moncrief-Neuhaus Athletics Complex. Fifteen former Longhorns were put through a series of tests and drills that covered nearly four hours.
The list of Longhorns who participated in most of the tests on Wednesday was impressive. Jermain Anderson, Matthew Anderson, Major Applewhite, Ahmad Brooks, Maurice Gordon, Ervis Hill, Quentin Jammer, Mike Jones, Tyrone Jones, Antwan Kirk-Hughes, D.D. Lewis, Everick Rawls, Marcus Wilkins and Mike Williams performed in drills that ranged from the 40-yard dash, a series of shuttle and cone runs, vertical and standing broad jumps and 225-pound maximum bench press reps. The coaches and scouts in attendance also worked out some of the players individually in their respective position drills.
There was another familiar face at Wednesday's festivities, as former UT running back Hodges Mitchell, the two-time All-Big 12 selection who was unable to work out last spring because of knee surgery, returned for testing along with the 2001 seniors.
"We were really proud that today's Pro Timing Day was such a success," UT head coach Mack Brown said. "This senior class has meant so much to The University of Texas and they have helped put this program back on the map with four great years.
"The NFL Scouting Combine only invites a few players every year and we don't have any control over who they choose, so this day gives us an opportunity to show the NFL general managers, coaches and scouts our seniors. They have the chance to work out, interview and get to know those players. On day's like today, we are really proud of all the comments that come from the pro people as they leave the building."
Several Longhorns turned heads and helped their cause by posting tremendous performances.
Jammer, a 2001 consensus first-team All-American and UT's first-ever Thorpe Award finalist (nation's top defensive back), weighed in at a lean 195 pounds and was timed anywhere from 4.38 to 4.42 seconds in the 40-yard dash and improved on his bests in the vertical (37-1/2 inches) and standing broad jumps (11 feet). Lewis, who was coming off of a tremendous performance at the NFL Combine, was clocked as fast as 4.51 seconds in the 40. Meanwhile, Williams, a first-team All-America selection last season, tallied a stunning 32-inch vertical jump for a 6-foot-5, 374-pound athlete and was clocked in the 5.1-second range in the 40. However, Wilkins who played both linebacker and defensive end and was a special teams standout at Texas during his career, turned in the most eye-popping performances. He posted a 42-1/2-inch vertical jump and an 11-1/2-foot broad jump.
"This was a big day for all of us, but the important thing was to come out here and have some fun," said Lewis, a 2001 All-American and UT's first-ever Butkus Award semifinalist (nation's top linebacker). "I think everyone did a great job and I'm glad we were all here to pull for each other. We all had a great time and all really appreciate all of the scouts that came to see our workout.
"Personally, I was really pleased with my workout, but I know you can always do better. All I'm looking for is to get a foot in the door and to have the chance to prove to someone that I can play in the league. Hopefully, I helped myself in that regard today."
Among the general managers and coaches in attendance were San Diego Chargers head coach Marty Shottenheimer and General Manager John Butler, Buffalo Bills General Manager Tom Donahoe and Kansas City Chiefs Vice President for Football Operations/Player Personnel Lynn Stiles. Former UT tight ends coach Tim Brewster, who accepted a job with the San Diego Chargers last month, also returned to his former stomping grounds to evaluate the players he helped coach from 1998-2001.
Shottenheimer, one of several representatives from the Chargers in attendance, walked away from his first on-campus pro timing day of the 2002 season impressed not only with the UT players but also with the facilities in which they train.
"Coach Brown got the program at North Carolina going and and his time at Texas is reminiscent of the years of the past when they had great tradition,' he said. "The facilities at Texas are probably the best in America. This is the first time I've been here in a number of years and it's quite amazing to see the facilities that are available to the players. I would say it is a preeminent facility in all of college football."
Stiles, a native Texan, said he was impressed by the attitude of the players who worked out and that it is a direct result of the coaching done by Brown and his staff.
"I salute Coach Brown and The University of Texas for having such great representatives and fine young men," he said. "There's no question that there's a lot of talent here and a lot of young men are going to go on and have very prosperous careers in professional football. I'd have no reservations about sending a son to The University of Texas because I've seen how classy the players are. That is a result of the job Coach Brown and his staff have done in coaching them."
Gil Brandt, the former director of player personnel for the Dallas Cowboys, filed a story about today's event at the NFL's official Web site (click here for his report). He said Texas' Pro Timing Day, one of 63 nationally this spring, ranks as one of the top in the country.
"I never cease to be amazed how well everything is done at The University of Texas," Brandt said. "The staff gave carte blanche treatment to the 50-plus people who were here today. They make it feel like it's your day. People enjoy coming to this type of atmosphere and I think the type of people that Coach Brown recruits at Texas is one of the reasons why they're so successful."
The two-day NFL Draft is scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 20, in New York. Jammer and Williams both confirmed they plan to be in New York for the draft day festivities.
