March 31, 2010

Spurs Up Blog: The Scouting Process

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COLUMBIA, S.C. – The University of South Carolina held its annual Pro Timing Day at Williams-Brice Stadium on Wednesday morning. Eight former Gamecock players worked out for the scouts, who represented 28 of the 32 NFL organizations.

Garrett Anderson, Moe Brown, Clifton Geathers, Lemuel Jeanpierre, Eric Norwood, Gerrod Sinclair, Marvin Sapp and Darian Stewart all showcased their talents for the scouts on Wednesday. The players began the day in the weight room where they were first measured, then participated in the standing broad jump and the vertical jump, before finishing with the bench press. The octet then went to the Williams-Brice Stadium playing field, where they were timed in the 40-yard dash, the three-cone drill and the shuttle run before wrapping up with individual position drills.

“I think things went well for the whole group,” said linebacker Eric Norwood, who weighed in at a svelte 241 pounds. “All I did (today) was position drills – I didn’t do a full workout. I didn’t hurt myself at all (with today’s performance).” Norwood said he felt more relaxed today than he did at the NFL Combine. “I feel comfortable, I feel at home,” back in the confines of Williams-Brice Stadium. Norwood, who is expected to be the first Gamecock selected in this year’s draft, admitted that he is getting anxious for the draft, scheduled for late April. “I’m just ready for it, ready for it to all be over with and find out where I’m going and start playing football.”

“I felt great,” said defensive end Clifton Geathers, the only Carolina underclassmen to declare for the draft. “I thought I could do better on some drills, but it’s over with. (The process) has been what I thought it would be. I went from hopefully being a late round pick to being a third-round pick maybe. I’ve been trying my best, doing what the coaches ask me to do and being myself. (The Combine) was a great experience – the experience of a lifetime.”

“I think I had a pretty good workout,” echoed safety Darian Stewart. “I felt comfortable with it.” Stewart, who along with Norwood and Geathers, participated at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, thought that opportunity helped his draft status. “Most definitely. I feel like you’re competing with the best. You’re out there showing what you can do and I feel like I did that at the Combine. I think one of the things the NFL looks for is a versatile safety and I feel that I fit that.”

“Definitely a great experience,” said wide receiver Moe Brown of today’s Pro Timing Day. “A chance to come out here and perform in front of these NFL scouts and a chance to fulfill my dreams is definitely a great experience, a life experience, that I’ll cherish the rest of my life. I feel like I did pretty well today and helped myself out. I believe I possess the tools they are looking for, and if you throw in my intangibles like character and leadership ability, I think someone will give me a chance.”

Here are some of the marks posted by the Gamecocks today: