WR Daniel Arias III dodges blockers on his way up the field. Nov. 20, 2021. (Alec Levy-O’Brien / CU Independent)
The University of Colorado Boulder hosted their 31st annual Pro Day on Wednesday, March 15, giving several Buffs football players the opportunity to showcase their skills to NFL scouts for this year’s draft.
For the event, nine players participated in different drills that tested their skills and athleticism. The group of NFL hopefuls includes wide receiver Daniel Arias; tight end Brady Russell; edge rushers Guy Thomas and Jamar Montgomery; defensive back Isaiah Lewis; defensive lineman Terrance Lang; and linebackers Robert Barnes, Quinn Perry and Josh Chandler Semedo.
The three-hour event began with warms ups, as well as measurements of each player’s height, weight, hand size and wingspan. Then, the players recorded their bench press statistics in the weight room, before moving to the practice field for drills.
For the bench press, Russell completed 21 reps, which will tie him for the second most reps in the NFL 2023 Combine amongst tight ends. Following this, Russell said he felt optimistic about his prospects for the NFL Draft going into the next few weeks.
“The thing with versatility is that I can do it all, and I can do it all at a high level,” Russell said. “I want to go in with no expectations. I’m trying to take it step by step, let the dice roll and see what happens.”
Later, on the practice field, the group of football players performed vertical and broad jumps. Arias showed the scouts his athleticism by recording a vertical jump of 38 inches and a broad jump of 10 feet and seven inches. Both of those measurements will place Arias in the top half of this year’s wide receiver draft class. Thomas was the only other participant who exceeded nine feet and 11 inches with a broad jump of 10 feet.
All athletes then moved to the field to complete agility and speed drills, including the 40-yard dash and shuttle and three cone drills. Arias led the 40-yard dash with a recorded time of 4.50 seconds. Lewis, who recently recovered from a torn labrum, had the fastest shuttle time of 4.12 seconds, as well as a 7.07 second record for the three cone drill. Lewis’ shuttle time puts him in the top five of this year’s NFL Combine player participants.
The energy from CU’s draft prospects, as well as the support from their teammates, families and other attendees, helped to create a positive environment for the event, as all participants tried to improve their draft stock and impress the NFL scouts.
The 2023 NFL Draft will take place April 27-29 at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo., where all nine CU players will hope to hear their names called.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Avery Hirsch at avery.hirsch@colorado.edu.
