TCU Pro Day was today and the Frogs had 14 players
participating. Over 25 NFL Scouts were on hand to see the likes of Paul Dawson,
Kevin White, Chris Hackett, and BJ Catalon work out. There were many questions
going into today for Dawson, Hackett, and White, who all had sub-par 40 yard
dash times at the NFL Combine last month in Indianapolis. BJ Catalon looked to
show had better hands and quickness than he had shown in Indy. While each of
these players had been invited to Indianapolis last month the other players
working out today may have been the most inpressive. Here are the winners from
today’s TCU Pro Day.
Chucky Hunter – Defensive Tackle
Few expected him to run a sub 5-second 40-yard dash, but he did. Chucky drew some smiles with his 4.90 40-yard dash time. He drew a crowd of scouts from the
Ravens, Lions, Cowboys, Eagles, Texans, Broncos, and Steelers during his
position drills. He was impressive and scouts took a definite notice to his
physicality as you could hear the thud of his hands driving the dummies out of his way.
David Porter III – Wide Receiver
David played mostly in the slot for the Frogs in 2014 and
had always shown good hands since arriving in 2011, but what nobody expected
today was for him to run a blazing 4.35 unofficial 40-yard dash. If there is
one thing scouts love it’s speed and David showed that he has better speed then
most expected. He then went out to catch every pass thrown in his direction
during receiving drills while running crisp routes. He definitely showed that he is worthy of a
late round draft pick next month.
Jonathan Anderson – Linebacker
Jonathan started his career at TCU as a 200 pound safety and
leaves as a chiseled 230 pound linebacker.
He showed that he was a physical freak by having the Pro Days highest
reps on the 225 pound bench press with 26 and a 10’2” Broad Jump. To cap it off
he ran an unofficial 4.55 40-yard dash. He very much looked the part of a NFL
linebacker today in drills. His special teams play had teams looking but after
today, he will be on an NFL roster this Fall.
Now, this doesn’t mean that the bigger names weren’t good.
All of the players involved today only improved their draft stock. Here are some notes from others involved
today.
BJ Catalon III – Running Back
The Paul Hornung Award finalist showed good speed by running
a 4.53 unofficial 40-yard dash. He improved on his 4.57 from the NFL Combine.
He displayed quick feet in his position drills and good hands running routes
out of the backfield and the slot. He can really help a team as a kick returner
and receiver. His NFL comparison is Darren Sproles.
Chris Hackett – Safety
Chris improved on his NFL combine time of 4.81 by running a
4.71 at Pro Day today. The tape shows his tackling ability and willingness to
do so. Today he showed good, fluid hips and great ball skills during
drills. The 49ers seemed VERY interested
in Chris after workouts ended. Looks to be a solid mid round pick.
Kevin White – Cornerback
Kevin had a lot of things he wanted to improve on after a
hamstring limited his participation in Indianapolis last month. He ended up
running a 4.63 40-yard dash and was limited in on-field drills. Today he was
healthy and showed what most of the Senior Bowl scouts had seen on tape. He ran
a 4.55 unofficial 40-yard dash and good acceleration on deep throws during
passing drills. According to Charean Williams, White has a private workout with
the Buccaneers on April 10th.
Paul Dawson – Linebacker
The player with the most to prove today was without a doubt
Paul Dawson. After running a slow 4.91 40-yard dash and performing poorly in
position drills at the Combine last month, Paul ran a 4.78 unofficial 40-yard
dash, a 9’8” Broad Jump, and 30” vertical today. Dawson bounced back and
solidified his status as the top linebacker in the draft after solid
performances in his position drills. Scouts from the Vikings, Cowboys, Saints,
and Rams were keeping an eye on Dawson. Both the rams and Saints had private meetings
with Dawson after the events wrapped up.
Todays TCU Pro Day looked to be a success for all of those
involved. Out of the fourteen players participating, there could be as many as
ten drafted in the upcoming draft. A few others may have earned themselves a
chance in the CFL.
Also on hand today were a handful of current NFL former
Frogs, notably Andy Dalton, David Hawthorne, Jerry Hughes, and Marcus Cannon.
Let’s see where these guys go in the NFL Draft on April 30 -
May 2.
Geoff Craig
