Blue White Illustrated

F O O T B A L L Wartman-White continues to pursue NFL dream Plagued by injuries throughout his tenure at Penn State, Nyeem Wartman- White could have applied for a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA and perhaps extended his college career. But he wasn't tempted. Wartman-White al- ready had his degree in telecommunica- tions, and with so many young linebackers on the roster, he decided it was time to pass the torch. "I signed up for a 9ve-year scholar- ship," he said. "I saw kids who were going to have bright futures in front of me. I just thought it wasn't worth it to stay. I want to see them shine. It's their time now. I'm old now. You have to move on at some point." Moving on is exactly what Wartman- White intends to do. But just because he's done at Penn State doesn't neces- sarily mean he's done playing football. He was one of 11 former Nittany Lion players who took part in pro day in March, checking in at 6-foot-1, 245 pounds. He's looking to make a pro ros- ter, whether this year or the next, and is pleased with the progress he's made since su:ering an ACL injury that forced him to miss the 9nal 11 games of the 2016 season. But a;er working out for the assem- bled scouts, Wartman-White acknowl- edged that his medical history – he missed a substantial portion of his ca- reer due to injuries to both of his knees – is going to give pause to his would-be employers in the NFL. The 9rst knee injury occurred on the opening kicko: of his second career game in September 2012, at Virginia, just weeks into his true freshman sea- son. His 2013 and 2014 seasons were mostly injury-free and productive, as he played in 24 of Penn State's 25 games, making 20 starts. In 2015, he moved into Mike Hull's vacated middle linebacker THE DRAFT AT A GLANCE WHERE Ben Franklin Parkway // Philadelphia WHEN April 27-29 // Day 1 Round 1 Day 2 Rounds 2 and 3 Day 3 Rounds 4 through 7 TV ESPN and the NFL Network BRANDON BELL The 6-foot-1, 229- pound linebacker said he thought the position work went particularly well. "I de9nitely accomplished what I wanted to and put all the work from the last three months into one day," he told Go- PSUSports.com. "It felt good." BRIAN GAIA Checking in at 6-3, 292 pounds, the veteran o:ensive lineman thought he could have done a little better in the bench press. He just missed the 33rd rep a;er having been in the mid-30s throughout his training sessions. But overall, he was satis9ed with his per- formance. "I think I did well," he said. "I did better in some things than what I thought I would and then right about where I thought I would in other things." CHRIS GODWIN On the heels of a strong showing at the NFL Combine in February, the 6-1, 208-pound wideout said pro day went "really well." He ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash, and accord- ing to the Allentown Morning Call has gotten requests from the Steelers and Eagles for private workouts. "I feel like I'm really building on my combine expe- rience and my combine numbers," he told GoPSUSports.com. "So I'm hoping that I can take this and keep rolling." MALIK GOLDEN The 6-1, 201-pound safety put up great numbers in the verti- cal leap (35 inches) and 40 (4.5 seconds). "I'm happy with the results," he told GoPSUSports.com. "You always feel like you can do better, but I'm proud of where I stand right now." WENDY LAURENT An experienced member of Penn State's o:ensive line, the 6-2, 288-pound Laurent was pleased with his 29-inch vertical leap. "I just came out here to give it my all, sell my- self a little bit and prove that I can play in the NFL," he said. IRVINE PAYE A 5-5, 169-pound run- ning back, Paye joined PSU as a walk-on last spring. He had a 36-inch vertical leap and ran a 4.59-second 40 at pro day. EVAN SCHWAN A veteran defensive end, the 6-5, 261-pound Schwan partic- ipated in both defensive line and line- backer drills to give teams a look at his OLB potential. "I'm your typical Penn State guy: blue collar, put your nose to the grindstone," he said. "I'm going to 9nd any way to get on the 9eld." GARRETT SICKELS The 6-4, 252- pound defensive end had not been satis- 9ed with his showing at the combine, but he felt better about how things went at pro day. He ran a 4.81-second 40 in Holuba Hall a;er turning in a 4.9 at In- dianapolis. "I just wanted to relax and just take advantage of today and hit my mark and hit my numbers," he said. JORDAN SMITH He had been slowed by a few nagging injuries, but the 5-10, 186-pound cornerback turned in a 35.5- inch vertical leap and a 4.4-second pro agility drill. "It was a little bit up and down, a little bit rocky," he said. "But I'm blessed. Just to come out here and do this is a dream come true, honestly." NYEEM WARTMAN-WHITE Listed at 6-1, 245 pounds, the versatile linebacker performed 17 reps in the bench press as he works his way back from season- ending knee surgery. TYLER YAZUJIAN A special teams standout, the 5-11, 237-pound Yazujian is looking to land a spot as a long snap- per. "I knew I could move a little bit for a snapper in terms of athletic stu:, so I was happy with my testing," he said. "And then obviously I was happy with how I snapped. That's obviously priority number one." – N.B. P R O D A Y C A P S U L E S

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