NFL Pro Days: The 10 Programs With the Most Hyped Pro Days
A favorite part of the NFL Draft season are the college pro days. Colleges host NFL scouts, coaches and general managers on their campus to weigh, measure, test and workout all of the program's draft eligible prospects. Interviews are conducted and teams get a chance to see players up close again and re-rank their draft boards.
When I worked in the NFL, there were obviously pro days to scouts that were "must see" pro days, while others were not highly attended. On this list, I have the 10 programs that routinely—emphasis on routinely—have the most hyped pro days that draw a huge number of NFL talent evaluators.
I need to work you out, the first test is reading this...
10. North Carolina
1 of 10
Now this might shock you a bit, as no, this is not a college basketball list. But the Tar Heels' football program is run like a NFL franchise and Butch Davis is a NFL style coach.
Davis and his assistants evaluate recruits very, very well and employ defensive and offensive schemes comparable to NFL schemes. Scouts always talk about how well Davis prepares his players for the league, and how his players seem prepared to do well at Carolina Pro Days.
When I was with the Giants, we took UNC receiver Hakeem Nicks at No. 29 in the first round in 2008 behind Darius Heyward-Bey and Jeremy Maclin. Today, Nicks is considered the best receiver out of the group by far.
9. Georgia
2 of 10
The Bulldogs are no strangers to putting out NFL prospects, as they lay in the midst of a talent rich state and play in the SEC, which is basically Triple-A ball for the NFL.
Scouts always flock to Athens in the spring, and recently the Bulldogs have had top prospects like Matt Stafford, Knowshon Moreno and Thomas Davis a few years back.
Now comes A.J. Green, a 6'4", 200 pound receiver who will be among the top five draft picks come this April. Seeing Green in person, watching his natural receiving skills and finally getting 40-yard dash time on him will be one of the big draws for NFL scouts.
8. Oklahoma
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Norman is a big stop for scouts, as the Sooners are known to both recruit well and host a slew of prospects every year. Bob Stoops and his staff do a good job of evaluating high school talent, but also a solid job of developing players.
Development is a crucial part of coaching that gets lost to the Xs and Os and scheming part of football. Oklahoma develops players pretty well, which always is attractive for scouts.
At this point next year, I expect the Sooner pro day to be a big event again, as Landry Jones should be one of the top QBs entering the 2012 NFL Draft. Recent top prospects for the Sooners have included Sam Bradford, Trent Williams, Jermain Gresham and Gerald McCoy.
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7. Florida State
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The Seminoles are always high in order and a school of importance for NFL talent evaluators. Teams usually send four to five scouts to Tallahassee to evaluate the Seminole players. FSU never lacks athletes and talent, and NFL teams know this fully and well.
In the 90s, FSU was THE pro day, as the 'Noles put out first rounder after first rounder. Today, they are just starting to get back to being a big juggernaut on the recruiting force, but still have a slew of good NFL prospects.
Christian Ponder will throw for scouts in Tallahassee on March 16. Look for FSU's pro day to return to glory in a year or two, as the Seminoles have recruited extremely well each of the past two years.
6. LSU
5 of 10
Les Miles knows that to win in the SEC, you need to recruit talent and gobble up as much of it as you possibly can. NFL scouts know that Miles knows this, which is why they are always sniffing around Baton Rouge.
Scouts flock to schools that are loaded with talent, and LSU is one of the prime schools that puts out NFL caliber talent year after year. This year is no different, as the Tigers' pro day will feature Patrick Peterson, who may be the best player in the draft this year.
Recent top prospects have included La'Ron Landry, Glen Dorsey and Dwayne Bowe.
5. Alabama
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You play high school football? You want to go the NFL? You want to go play for a coach who's been in the NFL? You want to go play for a coach who runs his program like the NFL? Head to Tuscaloosa, young man.
Nick Saban runs the Tide program like a NFL team and uses a complex 3-4 scheme to really prepare players for the complexity of NFL schemes, especially on that side of the ball. Saban recruits talent well and talent seems to flock to Saban.
Saban also has a plethora of NFL connections and he is relied on by scouts, general managers and NFL coaches for his evaluations on Alabama prospects. Saban is the main reason why Alabama's pro day is a top draw on the scouting trail.
4. Texas
7 of 10
The Texas pro day is a spectacle in itself. Mack Brown does an outstanding job of supplying information to the scouts, he holds a meeting before the workout starts in a Longhorn meeting room and runs down the list of each player working out.
Brown excels at giving background information, skill evaluation information, character history, academic history and family information.
The Texas facilities are flat out top notch and scouts marvel at how the Longhorns football operation is based out of facilities that rival NFL teams. The workout is well organized, Brown is always available for any questions and then Texas serves top notch barbecue for the scouts for lunch.
Football, Barbecue, Mack Brown helping you out. What more does a scout want?
3. Miami
8 of 10
They don't call your program "NFL U" for nothing. The Miami players are a close knit fraternity with many of the current NFL players choosing to workout back at Miami in the offseason. NFL scouts can get a flier on Miami players by asking current Hurricanes that are on their roster, as the former players are like big brothers to the current Canes.
Coral Gables is huge deal of importance on the scouting trail and the Miami pro day is one the biggest events on the circuit. In its hey day, it was no shock to see The U put out four, five or six first-round picks in any given year.
The U has been down in recent times, but the talent is not lacking in the 305 area. This event is still one of the big draws among NFL scouts looking for talent.
2. Florida
9 of 10
Florida has a huge pro day event, as the NFL all flocks to Gainesvlle during the spring to watch the newest Gators to enter the NFL. Always a hotbed school for talent, scouts like to get to The Swamp themselves because under the Urban Meyer regime, the talent at Florida was extreme, but they were not asked to do NFL type things on the field.
So seeing Florida players up close and personal became the norm. Combine that with knowing you, as a scout, would get to see elite athletic talent, and you find yourself circling Gainesville in the spring on your itinerary.
Now comes Will Muschamp, who will run the program more like a NFL style operation. Muschamp hired Charlie Weis and Dan Quinn as his offensive and defensive coordinators respectively, and both men are bread and butter NFL style coaches. Look for Florida's pro day to continue to be a staple among scouts for years to come.
1. USC
10 of 10
The Trojans take the top spot, but I will add that ANY of these teams could have made this notch. Yet USC always hosts a slew of NFL suits and many general managers personally come to Los Angeles to evaluate their draft prospects.
The pro day for Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart was basically a circus, as teams pretty much flew in their entire scouting staffs to look at the two Heisman award winners, plus the several other elite prospects that year. A few years ago, Mark Sanchez was the big draw and Hollywood hosted more NFL types than it did when the Rams and Raiders were tenants.
Whenever Matt Barkley comes out, he will also command a big draw, but USC always has a depth o talent that makes the NFL come calling to their pro day.
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