March 27, 2013
March 27, 2013
| T.J. Johnson | ||||||||
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Eighteen former Gamecock football players showcased their skills for NFL scouts on Wednesday at the University of South Carolina’s annual Pro Timing Day.
Thirty-one of the 32 NFL teams were represented on Wednesday, as they measured, watched and critiqued the Gamecocks as they went through a bevy of activities.
The event began in the weight room, where the players were measured for height, weight, hand width, arm length and wing span. The players then took turns at the standing broad jump and the vertical jump before finishing with reps on the bench press at 225 pounds.
Once that was completed, Marcus Lattimore went through a series of drills to show the progress his injured right knee has made over the past several months.
The event then moved to the field at Williams-Brice Stadium, where the players were timed in the 40-yard dash, the three-cone drill and the shuttle run before wrapping up the day with individual position drills.
PLAYER QUOTES:
On his performance today:
I think I did pretty well. Not, what I wanted to run in the 40 though I don’t know exactly what I ran. I wanted to run a 4.4. They didn’t tell me my time yet but I don’t think I ran a 4.4.
On Marcus Lattimore:
Marcus has shown great improvement and I’m really happy for him. I love that he’s been fighting, going through everything he’s had to go through, he’s still here and standing tall and I’m proud of him.
On not attending to the combine
I was very disappointed I didn’t get to go to the combine but I guess not playing in many games my senior year probably hurt me. But at the same time its probably a blessing in disguise, we’ll see what happens from here.
On his performance today:
I think I did well. I think I did well in my position work, I don’t know how I did on my 40 yet, but I think my position work went really well.
On the weather conditions today:
It’s a little windy and the field was a little slippery. But we’re professionals now and we need to perform any time under any circumstances.
On what he feels he needed to show today:
I think I needed to run a 4.5, I don’t know if I did or not. I just needed to look smooth in my position work as well.
On what he did in the weight room today
I did the ladder drill and I did different patterns during the ladder drill. Pretty much just quick feet going through boxes. I did box jumps, I did 18 inches for five reps and 24 inches for five reps. I also did step-ups onto the box, just driving up with one foot then both legs. I did some lunges, just lunging out on one leg to check stability. I did reverse lunges and at the end I did RDL’s for balance and stability. A RDL is balancing on one leg and going down as far as you can.
On how his knee is right now:
My knee is good. I could be out there doing something but it’s just not smart to be doing that at this time. I’m doing great and I’ll be ready to go. I wanted to be out there really bad, just go out there and run some routes because I love football.
On choosing to run the 40 again:
I was happy with my time at the combine but I just thought I could do a little bit better. I still don’t know what I ran today, I’m just hoping it was better than what I did at the combine.
On what this process has been like:
It’s been great. Its stressful but to know in the end that you might be playing in the NFL it just great, it pushes you through a lot of things that you thought you couldn’t make it through.
On how important this day is since he didn’t go to the combine:
It’s very important. There’s a lot of people out here watching you so if you didn’t get a chance to go to an all-star game or the combine its definitely a chance to get seen. They see you on the film but they want to see how you work out and how you run in person.
On what kind of feedback he got from scouts:
I haven’t talked to any [scouts] but my goal was to come out here and do everything to the best of my ability which I felt like I did.
On how much pressure there is:
It’s a little stressful but you’ve been training your whole life for an opportunity like this. Its great moment to come out here and show what you’ve got for the last time and work out it front of some NFL scouts. The rehab and training process leading up to this day is strenuous but once you get out here its enjoyable.
On what his goals were today:
I needed to improve my 40 time and I think I did that today. I just wanted to show them that I can catch with my hands because I heard that I use my body a lot.
On how this process has been:
It’s been rough but fun at the same time. Bouncing from place to place, its fun.
| Name | Ht. | Wt. | 40-yd. Dash | Vert. (In.) | Broad (Ft.-In.) | Bench (Reps of 225 lb.) |
| Akeem Auguste | 5-10 | 186 | 4.67 | 37 | 9-2 | 18 |
| Reginald Bowens | 6-1 7/8 | 244 | – | – | – | 21 |
| Justice Cunningham | 6-3 1/8 | 251 | 4.81 | 35.5 | – | 17 |
| Aldrick Fordham | 6-3 3/8 | 273 | 5.01 | 33.5 | 9-1 | 24 |
| Qua Gilchrist | 6-0 3/4 | 237 | 4.82 | 33 | 9-1 | 17 |
| DeVonte Holloman | 6-1 7/8 | 240 | 4.79 | 34.5 | – | – |
| Damario Jeffery | 6-3 1/2 | 241 | 4.73 | 37.5 | 10-9 | 16 |
| Byron Jerideau | 6-0 7/8 | 334 | 5.12 | 25 | 7-9 | 37 |
| T.J. Johnson | 6-4 1/2 | 309 | 5.24 | – | – | – |
| Marcus Lattimore | 5-11 7/8 | 219 | – | – | – | – |
| Kenny Miles | 5-8 1/2 | 192 | 4.50 | 36.5 | 10-0 | – |
| D.L. Moore | 6-3 7/8 | 201 | 4.61 | 32 | 9-9 | 6 |
| Ace Sanders | 5-7 1/8 | 175 | 4.56 | – | 9-6 | – |
| Quin Smith | 6-0 3/8 | 245 | 4.96 | 31.5 | 9-2 | 17 |
| D.J. Swearinger | 5-10 5/8 | 205 | 4.63 | – | – | – |
| Devin Taylor | 6-7 1/4 | 273 | 4.88 | – | – | 16 |
| Shaq Wilson | 5-10 3/8 | 239 | 5.02 | 28.5 | 8-9 | 22 |
| Adam Yates | 6-0 1/4 | 193 | – | – | – | – |
