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Top USC prospects draw heavy interest at Pro Day
Though Southern Cal boasts one of the elite prospects in the 2015 NFL Draft in defensive lineman Leonard Williams and a couple of intriguing skill position talents in wide receiver Nelson Agholor and running back Buck Allen, one high-ranking scout on hand for the workout characterized the Pro Day to NFLDraftScout.com as “average.”
Why?
The four top prospects – Williams, Agholor, Allen and defensive back Josh Shaw – elected to sit on the 40-yard dash times they produced in Indianapolis, instead electing to focus on positional drills despite scouts and coaches from all 32 teams being on hand for the workout.
Williams, who measured in at 6-feet-4 7/8 and 304 pounds, fared well in these drills, which were conducted by Tennessee Titans defensive line coach Giff Smith.
“I don’t know how he gets out of the top three,” the scout said.
Williams is NFLDraftScout.com’s top-rated prospect, ahead of Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston.
Following the workout, Williams joked with the media about the decision facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Titans and other clubs picking early in the first round on April 30.
“If you pick a QB before me, I’m going to hurt them,” Williams said.
Agholor perhaps had the most riding on the workout as he dislocated a finger during receiving drills at the Combine. Though he had shown reliable hands in catching 179 passes for 2,571 yards and 20 touchdowns during his three seasons with the Trojans, the throng of NFL coaches on hand for Wednesday’s workout were eager to see how he would perform after suffering the injury roughly three weeks ago.
The 6-foot, 194-pound wideout and returner caught the ball cleanly and performed well in other drills, registering a 36.5-inch vertical and a 10’5″ broad jump. Agholor is currently projected by NFLDraftScout.com as a second round value.
Among other news from the Southern Cal Pro Day:
–Though Agholor was the most impressive of USC’s pass-catchers on Wednesday, redshirt junior George Farmer certainly helped build a name for himself. He measured in at a shade under 6-1 and 213 pounds and blazed his way to a 4.35 second 40-yard dash. He also showed surprising strength in the bench press, lifting the 225-poound bar 19 times.
Unfortunately, while the raw athleticism is certainly there to develop, Farmer dropped several passes in the position drills, according to the scout. Still, the workout is enough to get Farmer some interest as he was not invited to the Combine after making the surprising decision to give up his remaining year of eligibility following an injury-plagued career at USC that was highlighted by the 25 receptions for 315 yards and four touchdowns he caught in 2014.
–Linebacker Hayes Pullard (6-foot 1/4, 235 pounds) was clocked at 4.75 seconds in the 40-yard dash. He didn’t fare much better in the jumping drills, coming in at 30.5 inches in the vertical and 8’10” in the broad jump. Pullard was timed at 4.35 seconds in the short shuttle but struggled in the 3-cone and ultimately walked away from the drill without recording an official time, the scout said.
–Rob Rang is a Senior Analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, a property of The Sports Xchange distributed in partnership with CBSSports.com.
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