Alabama Football Hosts Annual Pro Day for NFL Personnel
3/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Alabama hosted its annual pro day Wednesday afternoon with 17 draft-eligible Crimson Tide athletes participating in front of attendees from all 32 NFL teams.
There were numerous general managers, assistant coaches and scouts in attendance at today's event. The list was highlighted by New York Giants General Manager Jerry Reese.
"We're happy to have all 32 clubs represented here, and that's because of the quality of players we have," said Alabama head coach Nick Saban. "Obviously, the coaches did a really good job of recruiting and developing the guys here today. We're hopeful that these guys will do a great job this morning so that they will have an opportunity to do something of significance to help their stock when it comes to draft day."
Draft-eligible players that participated in the day's events included: Leon Brown, Landon Collins, Amari Cooper, Trey Depriest, Xzavier Dickson, Jalston Fowler, Brandon Ivory, Christion Jones, Arie Kouandjio, Anthony Orr, Nick Perry, Austin Shepherd, Blake Sims, Brian Vogler, DeAndrew White, Jarrick Williams and T.J. Yeldon.
The day began at 11 a.m. with heights, weights and measurements in the weight room. The players then followed with vertical and broad jumps, along with bench press for those who chose to participate in the particular tests. The Crimson Tide athletes then moved to the indoor facility to test in the 40-yard dash, agility drills and position-specific drills for each respective player.
The 2015 NFL Draft will run from April 30 until May 2 of this year. It will take place in Chicago for the first time since 1964.
Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaFTBL on Twitter and Facebook and AlabamaFBL on Instagram. General athletic news can be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
ALABAMA PRO DAY QUOTES
Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban
On Jalston Fowler's role in the NFL:
"I think there's no question that there's a role for him in the NFL. Jalston Fowler can do so many things well. He's a really good receiver. He's a great blocker. He has great skills with the ball in his hands, so he actually could be a big back for somebody.
"There's still some situations where guys like Jalston Fowler have tremendous value. He's really a good matchup player on special teams. I think one of the things that people don't realize, is when you're building a roster in the NFL, you have to take special teams into consideration because you only have 46 guys active for the game. If you're not a star player, you've got to be a good special teams player. There are a lot of things Jalston Fowler does well where he can bring value to an NFL team."
On Amari Cooper:
"First of all, he's a very talented guy. He's worked very hard here to improve and maximize the God-given gifts that he has. He's got great quickness; great speed; really good size; very good hands; running ability after the catch, and I think if you're looking at critical factors at his position, that covers about everything that is important to the wide receiver position.
"The other thing is that Amari Cooper is a great person. He's going to be a really good teammate wherever he goes. He's very positive about the way he goes about his work. You give him a job to do, he's going to do it. He's very responsible and accountable, and I think that's what people are looking for."
On Blake Sims:
"I don't' spend a lot of time this time of year talking to NFL people. We're recruiting. We're getting ready for next year's recruiting. We're getting ready for spring practice and next year's program. I think that Blake's athleticism and his production this year are the things that people are going to have to take into account. There are more and more offenses that are going to utilize a guy like him. I do think Blake has a lot to offer a team, and I think he's going to get an opportunity with someone."
On Landon Collins:
"Landon is a very, very explosive, physical big-hitter. He's got really good ball skills. He can play man-to-man. He's very instinctive. There's not very many guys that have his size, speed and athleticism that play in the secondary, and those things can be very intimidating to a lot of receivers. I think Landon is going to be a fantastic NFL player."
On DeAndrew White:
"DeAndrew White is probably the guy who I think would be the most underappreciated by the NFL, because he has a lot more ability than what his production has been here - whether it's because of injuries or whatever else he has battled through. He's got great speed and great size. He's a great special teams player; he's been a great special teams player for us. If you're not a No. 1 or No. 2 wide receiver on an NFL team then you're going to have to play special teams. I think he's going to be a real value for somebody. They will get a guy with great ability that probably could develop into something special."
On T.J. Yeldon:
"I don't think there's any question that he can be a feature back in the NFL. He's got great size; he's very instinctive; a hard-worker; great person; can catch really well. He's big enough to block and protect, so I think he'll do just fine."
On if he's looking forward to Friday:
"I'm looking forward to Friday. We've had a really good offseason with this group. I don't like it that we have one practice and then have Spring Break, but when Easter falls in there we have to give the players a little bit of time and respect the holiday. I'm really excited about this team, they seem to have a great attitude. They've worked really hard. We've got a pretty good leadership group, and I'm excited about it.
"We have a lot of holes to fill on offense, but we also have a lot of veteran players who've played a lot of football that will get to take advantage of having a greater role on the team."
On how Cooper compares to Julio Jones:
"I don't really like to compare players. They're totally different guys: Julio Jones is a fantastic, big, strong, physical guy who has been very productive in the NFL, whereas Amari Cooper's style is just a little different in terms of the quickness that he plays with and the running ability that he has. Cooper has great hands, he's a smart player, but their styles are just a little bit different."
Landon Collins
On what he wanted to show today:
"I just wanted to show my fluidity in my hips and my bend. I wanted to come out of every break explosive and that's what I did."
On what teams are asking him about:
"They just want to see what I know. They're going over all the defensive calls with everybody's assignments. They start at the linebackers and then go to the corners and safeties, through the whole defense, to see what I know."
On if he feels prepared after playing at Alabama:
"I feel tremendously prepared. Playing under Coach Saban and Coach (Kirby) Smart, and playing with the great players that played here created a standard that I had to live up to. Practicing with and for them definitely made me a better player."
Amari Cooper
On if he signed at Alabama because of his chances to go to the NFL:
"My chances to play in the NFL were a good reason to sign here, but I also wanted to be a winner. Alabama was winning, and I really wanted to be a part of something great. Their success is why I came."
On if it means something to him to be the top receiver taken in the draft:
"It would be a great feeling to be taken first. When you do something, you want to be the best, so I want to be the first receiver taken. Then again, if I'm not, it won't affect the way I go in or play."
On if he cares where he goes in the draft:
"I don't really care who I play for, I just want to play ball. I respect every NFL team because playing in the league is a dream I've had since I was a kid. I don't mind who I play for."
Arie Kouandjio
On what question he gets asked most in his interviews:
"Most people ask me what I've learned from my brother. I tell them that I learned a lot because I got to go through the process with him. Watching him last year, getting to share his experiences and dealing with all that vicariously through him really helped me."
On what he's done to be prepared:
"I've been training with my brother and Chance Warmack in Arizona. I've been getting ready, getting stronger and focusing on being right. I'm getting ready to focus and play at a high level so that I can take what I want coming into the fall."
Nick Perry
On how he felt coming into today:
"I just wanted to do my best. I felt like when I get to the NFL, that's the elite football players in this world, and I wanted to show everybody that I am one of those elite guys. I feel like I definitely did that today."
On his reviews from scouts:
"I'm hearing positive reviews. A lot of guys weren't expecting me to run as fast as I did and move so fluently in the DB drills. I feel like my draft stock rose and a lot of these guys liked me."
On what his workout was like:
"It went a lot smoother. Everybody had some jitters coming in that the strength coaches would kill us, but it was easy-going and they did a good job of making us feel comfortable out there."
Austin Shepherd
On his pro day:
"I think I did pretty well. My whole point was to come in and improve on a few things from the combine, and I think I successfully did that. My 40 was a tenth faster, my 10 was faster, my L-cone drill was faster, so I think that was just being comfortable back here at home."
On if his results came because he felt so comfortable:
"I trained a lot, but it's definitely better to be back at your own home. It's good to be somewhere you spent five years at."
On if he was motivated leading up to Alabama Pro Day:
"I'm always motivated. It's a job interview every time you step on the field in front of these guys. If you're not motivated for this, then it's not for you."
Blake Sims
On his pro day:
"It went pretty well. I had a great opportunity to play catch with my teammates, and we all got the opportunity to show what we can do. I think all the scouts liked what we did today, and we did pretty well."
On what he wants to show scouts between now and the draft:
"I want to show them my accuracy - that I have the ability to hit any route that is called. Also, I wanted to show them my improved footwork."
On how he thinks he did:
"I think I did pretty well, but there's always areas you can improve in. I think there are a lot of things I can do to improve."
Brian Vogler
On his pro day:
"It went well. There's a couple of things I wish I could have had back, but it was a pretty good day."
On the feedback he's received:
"They were a lot more impressed than what they expected out of me. They said they make evaluations based on in-season and postseason, and what I did today really crushed their expectations of what they had for me."
DeAndrew White
On if he felt overlooked coming into today:
"I wouldn't say that. I just played my role and did the best I can. Whoever sees me, sees me, and those who don't will see me one day. I believe I opened some eyes today, hopefully they were the right eyes."
On what it was like to play with Amari Cooper:
"He's a great guy, a great competitor. There's nobody I'd rather have on the field opposite of me. Cooper goes out there every day and works hard, just like I do. When you got someone working hard next to you - as hard as you -you can't' complain."
