Captains Jamil Douglas, Taylor Kelly, Jaelen Strong, Damarious Randall and Mike Bercovici walk before the Sun Bowl against Duke, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2014 at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso. ASU went into the half up 20-17. (Ben Moffat/The State Press)Former ASU wide receiver Jaelen Strong, defensive back Damarious Randall, defensive lineman Marcus Hardison, offensive lineman Jamil Douglas and quarterback Taylor Kelly headlined a group of former Sun Devil football players was in action today at ASU's Pro Day.
The day began inside with weigh-ins and measurements, and then progressed to workouts and drills starting with broad jump and vertical.
The indoor workout concluded with bench press, which offensive lineman Tyler Sulka led with a solid 18 reps.
Afterward, the session moved from the weight room into the Verde Dickey Dome where on-field drills took place.
The drills began with 40-yard dashes. Former running back Kyle Middlebrooks turned in the most impressive times at 4.47 and 4.37, unofficially. Kelly also turned in notable times running 4.57 and 4.60 unofficial times.
Following the sprints, the players took part in shuttle drills as well as the 3-cone drill. Strong participated in his first drill of the day during the shuttle.
The players then split off to their respective position groupings, participating in drills directed by scouts before concluding the day.
Of the most prominent names, Marcus Hardison helped further his case for ascension in the draft with a strong performance, clocking each of his 40-yard times within the 4.8 second range and showing great agility in the shuttle and 3-cone drill despite hauling over 300 pounds in body weight.
Since intriguing scouts with his play at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, Hardison has continued to garner high regard in terms of draft status, and noted his versatility along the defensive line as a reason for such. However, he said that he sees himself as playing the three-technique position in a 4-3 defense at the pro level.
“I’m ready to get back to work,” he said. “Just keep working — keep working hard.”
Former teammate Jaelen Strong shared a similar sentiment.
“Today I just wanted to get in and out of my routes and dominate all over the field,” Strong said.
He continued, saying that he is beginning to conceptualize his dreams become a reality by the end of next month.
“I remember when I was just a kid watching Vince Young, watching Reggie Bush. It’s a big thing for me to actually hear my name called, to see it pop up on the screen, I might even shed a tear.
“It’s just a blessing to get drafted. There are people out there still fighting to get into the NFL so to get drafted period is a blessing.”
The NFL Draft is scheduled to take place on April 30 in Chicago.
Additional Notes:
- Scouts from at least 28 teams were represented today, including the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Giants, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, as well as Washington.
- Former quarterback Taylor Kelly said he has a meeting scheduled with the Arizona Cardinals.
Reach the reporter at kajone31@asu.edu or follow @kaelenjones on Twitter.
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