Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/499410
BY ANDREW IVINS I n years past, Notre Dame's Pro Day has often been referred to as a one-stop shop for NFL scouts. With the Irish having produced 23 NFL draft picks since 2010, there has been a little bit of everything on display in South Bend. This year's Pro Day didn't have the same type of buzz. With only a hand- ful of draft-eligible prospects partici- pating in the March 31 event, and no potential first-round draft picks to be found, the number of NFL execu- tives on hand was down. That doesn't mean, however, that the 11 players who worked out on the turf inside the Guglielmino Athletics Complex weren't being evaluated by the eyes of the NFL. It actually means the opposite. The theme of Notre Dame's 2015 pro day was versatility. With tight end Ben Koyack the lone clear-cut favor- ite to hear his name called at some point during the upcoming NFL Draft, which runs from April 30-May 2, ev- eryone else participating in the event was trying to do whatever he could to show he deserves a shot at the next level. Cam McDaniel — Notre Dame's leading rusher in 2013 — ran routes and worked out as a wide receiver. Placekicker Kyle Brindza ditched the cleats and bench pressed 225 pounds an impressive 21 times to show his sheer strength. And then there was cornerback Cody Riggs, who used his track background to clock a blazing 4.45 in the 40-yard dash before injur- ing his hamstring. "This was a little calm before the storm when you look at the class they will have coming next year, but I think there are still lots of good players," said Scott Wright of DraftCountdown. com. "There might not be the flash there has always been with a prospect like Ronnie Stanley or KeiVarae Rus- sell, but there are certainly some guys that warrant some late-round looks based on what they can do." McDaniel, Brindza and Riggs would all fall into that category of prospects that are trying to work their way into the fifth, sixth or seventh round, and NOTRE DAME PRO DAY RESULTS Player, Pos. Ht./Wt. 40 VJ BJ 20 60 3-C Bench Kyle Brindza, K/P 6-1/234 — 31 — — — — 21 DaVaris Daniels, WR 6-2/195 4.57 39.5 11-1 4.32 11.28 6.81 — Ben Koyack, TE 6-5/257 4.72 30 9-8 4.56 12.26 7.33 16 Cam McDaniel, RB 5-9/185 4.59 35 9-10 4.21 11.52 6.78 17 Kendall Moore, LB 6-1/237 4.63 32.5 9-7 4.63 12.65 6.94 24 Cody Riggs, CB 5-9/187 4.45 33 9-7 —- — — 13 Justin Utupo, DL 6-1/257 5.07 30 9-1 4.69 12.83 7.64 22 Ethan Johnson, DL 6-4/265 5.13 30 8-10 4.57 — 7.51 19 Key: 40 — 40-yard dash; VJ — vertical jump; BJ — broad jump; 20 — 20-yard shuttle; 60 — 60-yard shuttle, 3-C — three-cone drill; Bench — reps at 225 pounds