Tennessee Pro Day 2016: Recap and Results for Vols Players

This isn't supposed to be a particularly strong year for Tennessee's football program in the NFL draft, but Wednesday's pro day at UT may wind up making several former Volunteers some money.

Seventeen former Vols participated in front of personnel from 27 NFL and two Canadian Football League teams, according to UT's official athletic site. A few of those guys stood out, and two of them weren't players who were expected to be selected in April's draft.

The biggest winners of the day were safety Brian Randolph and defensive tackle Owen Williams, who both posted some eye-popping numbers. Knoxville News Sentinel reporter Grant Ramey captured some footage of Randolph's memorable day:

Receiver Marquez North, who elected to forego his senior season to turn pro, also had a strong day, especially when it came to tearing up the turf.

Randolph showed out in the weight room and in the 40-yard dash, bench-pressing 225 pounds 31 times, which is ridiculous for a defensive back. That bench number would have put him tied for seventh overall in this year's NFL Scouting Combine, regardless of position, per NFL.com.

He also posted a 4.47 and 4.42 40-yard dash in his two runs. UT's official site had that second time at a 4.4 flat. The four-year starter at UT told the media afterward that he called his shot that he'd stand out, per VolQuest's Rob Lewis and Brent Hubbs: 

"

I told you all I was going to get that 4.4 and do 30 reps and that's what happened. I have never lacked speed or strength. I have just lacked hype. I don't like to talk too much till it's time. I gave you a little preview yesterday and had to back it up today. They want to see speed. I tried to tell them.

I don't know where they were getting numbers from. It's nonsense. I was hearing stuff like 4.7. Golly, I didn't run a 4.7 in fifth grade. I don't know how I'm going to do it now. I'm glad I got to prove that wrong. I was having fun today. I didn't feel any pressure. I was suppose to run a 4.7. I don't think could get much worse than that. I probably could have backpedaled 4.7. There was no pressure. It was just fun.

"

With those gaudy numbers, Randolph definitely helped himself. He could slide onto somebody's big board now, despite getting spurned from the combine. Unlike a few of the Vols eligible for this draft, he has the on-field resume to prove his potential.

Randolph always has been a quality player, but he joked to GoVols247's Wes Rucker that he has an unexpected strength source:

For Williams, the story has always been about strength. He arrived in Knoxville two years ago and was the strongest person in Tennessee's weight room the first day he stepped in there.

At 6'2", 295 pounds, he isn't an NFL defensive tackle's prototypical size, but after a difficult first year in Knoxville, he performed well as a senior in '15, finishing with 35 tackles, including 6.5 for a loss, a sack and five quarterback hurries.

The workout numbers Wednesday may have commanded some attention. Williams bench-pressed 225 pounds 42 times. To put that into perspective, nobody did more than 34 at the combine. Ramey caught the bench-press phenom on video:

Considering Williams hasn't been on many big boards at all, he'd be an out-of-nowhere pick, but showing out in front of a slew of NFL representatives certainly won't hurt. Williams also broke five seconds with a 4.95 40, which isn't a bad time for a DT.

As for somebody who absolutely should get picked, North shone. He received a combine invitation and ran a very respectable 4.48 40-yard dash in Indianapolis. With his athleticism and huge frame, North has the measureables to be an NFL starter. 

Considering his injury-riddled career in Knoxville, there's still a question that will haunt him and likely keep him from being a first-day pick, but there's no doubt about his physical ability. On Wednesday, North unofficially ran a 4.42 40, which would have placed him third among receivers at the combine.

He told Rucker he was pleased with the 40 time and was glad to show scouts what he could do when healthy. He also mentioned his performance at the combine led to several individual workouts, including one with Dallas, where former UT coach Derek Dooley heads receivers.

"I'm hearing some good things about a lot of intangibles," North told Rucker. "But, I mean, I've been hurt some, too, so that's gonna be a factor. I’m just gonna have to show 'em I’m healthy again. Tennessee is a prestigious and traditional program. It would be great to see a couple of us get drafted—or all of us get drafted, actually."

Those unofficial numbers for UT's pro day fluctuate depending on which article you read, but regardless of what will wind up official, the numbers for Randolph, Williams and North are impressive. They made UT strength and conditioning coach Dave Lawson post a pretty funny tweet when he heard:

An under-the-radar possibility who could make an NFL roster is former UT left tackle Kyler Kerbyson who quietly posted some strong numbers Wednesday.

The Knoxville native wound up with 32 reps in the 225-pound bench press—a mark that would have tied for third among offensive linemen and tied for fourth among all players at the NFL Scouting Combine.

According to the Knoxville News-Sentinel's Dustin Dopirak, tight end Alex Ellis had the best broad jump at 101 and the best three-cone time at 6.77. His unofficial 4.58 40 would have placed him first among NFL tight end prospects at the combine, according to UT.

While Ellis knows he likely won't get drafted, the former walk-on hopes he turned some heads that ultimately will give him a shot.

"I can do anything," he told VolQuest. "I can go in the backfield and do H-back, I can do back-side tight end, front-side tight end, I can run routes and catch the ball. Whatever you need me to do that's what I can bring to the table. I can do anything. Free agency is where I'm looking. All I need is a chance so that's all I'm looking for."

Curt Maggitt—UT's hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker who is a fringe draft prospect—didn't fully participate due to still trying to recover from a hip injury that kept him out most of the season. He only did the bench press (22 reps) and some positional drills.

A couple of the former players who didn't post such great numbers were ousted receiver Alton "Pig" Howard, whose 4.62 won't get him anywhere with his size and history of off-field issues. Also, Von Pearson really struggled as well running and in the weight room. Ramey caught his seven reps on the bench:

But Wednesday was about those who excelled. Tennessee went without a player selected in the draft for the first time since 1963 a season ago, and there aren't any locks this year. While North should be picked, it's possible he could slip through the cracks.

Somebody like Williams, for instance, could carve a nice niche in the NFL. But is he draftable? We'll have to wait and see.

Randolph hopes NFL teams will learn their lessons from last year when close friend Justin Coleman went undrafted, was picked up by the New England Patriots and wound up having a solid rookie campaign with 21 tackles and five defended passes in 10 games with two starts.

"I've been training with him for four years, and I already knew how good he was," Randolph told UTSports. "So hopefully he opened some eyes and (NFL teams) won't let another athlete from Tennessee fall through the cracks like he did."

Tennessee was once known as a football factory that churned out future NFL stars every single year. That's expected to become the trend when coach Butch Jones' first talented class comes up for cycling out next season.

But Wednesday proved there are several talented Vols who are on the cusp of getting a chance.

They'll have to wait until next month to see if their intriguing performances Wednesday were enough to get them a draft payday.

All quotes and information gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information gathered from 247Sports unless otherwise noted. All stats gathered at UTSports.com unless otherwise noted.

Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee lead writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.