The chance to showcase their skills in front of NFL scouts brought back many UNA standouts from the fall in hopes of raising the eyebrows of NFL teams.

There were a total of 19 former UNA players participating in drills in front of scouts from the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins. Players included Marcus Dowtin, DeAndre Morgan, Lee Chapple, Bryan Thomas, Wes Holland and more.

“We had the two scouts come out here, and one of them shows information to over 20 NFL teams, so even though we just had two scouts, three-fourths of the league sees the numbers,” said Recruiting Coordinator and running back coach Steadman Campbell.

One player who did not attend the pro-day was potential first-round draft pick Janoris Jenkins, who had already performed drills in the NFL combine in Indianapolis last week.

“We were under the impression that he was going to be here, but he must have felt that his performance in the combine was good enough and he didn’t want to hurt his numbers,” Campbell said.

The pro-day is one of the last chances for players to showcase their talents for NFL scouts before the NFL draft in April.

“The season is where the scouts get most of their information, and we usually send in about four or five game films to the NFL, and they disperse them out to the teams,” Campbell said. “After the season, they are done with us and the scouts focus more on the pro-days and the tapes.”

With Jenkins absent, the attention shifted over to Dowtin, who led the Lions in tackles this past season. Bobby Brown, Dowtin’s agent, said he expects Dowtin to possibly be selected in the middle part of the draft.

“I felt like I put up some good numbers, but I could have done better,” Dowtin said. “I still get another chance at it in Detroit, so I’m hoping for the best.”

Dowtin posted official numbers of 4.56 in the 40-yard dash, benched 18 reps, 38 in. vertical leap and a 10.2 broad jump.

Cornerback DeAndre Morgan also put up solid numbers running a 4.40 40-yard dash, 34.5 in. vertical and benched 12 reps.

“My goal was to showcase my speed because that’s the main focal point for a defensive back—because speed is everything,” Morgan said. “Training has been great so far for me, and I’m going to continue to try and get better.”

Ever since the season ended, players have been working to improve their skills to get ready for pro-day, and it’s something they have been waiting for.

“I think for the most part everybody was pleased with how they performed today, and it was something that these players have trained for for months, and today was their game day,” Steadman said. “Unfortunately, you don’t have your best game, and sometimes you do, but I think we had a good day and put up some solid numbers.”