NFL hopefuls participate in USC Pro Day


By
 in ,

USC hosted their annual Pro Day Wednesday afternoon at Cromwell Field, and the entire NFL came to the party.  Representatives from all 32 NFL teams made an appearance to see how the former Trojans would stack up performing a variety of on-field drills and workouts.

Fifteen former Trojans worked out for the NFL scouts.  Major contributors from the 2014-2015 football season were on display from all three sides of the ball.  Offensive players included wide receivers Nelson Agholor and George Farmer,  and running back Javorius “Buck” Allen.

The defensive side of the ball was just as stacked, if not more so, with showing from defensive backs Gerald Bowman and Josh Shaw, linebacker Hayes Pullard, and defensive linemen J.R. Tavai and Leonard Williams.

Farmer was perhaps the most surprising participant of Pro Day.  Farmer, a junior, was faced with substantial criticism when he decided to forgo a senior season.  Farmer had an injury-plagued career in which he only caught 30 total passes.

“I’ve been through a lot of adversity, a lot of coaching changes here, so I just felt like the NFL was a great opportunity for me,” Farmer said. After not being invited to the NFL Combine, Farmer attended a regional combine where his numbers attracted some buzz, but not the serious looks he will be getting following Wednesday’s performance.  Farmer ran a blistering 4.35 in the 40-yard dash, which would have been good enough to tie for third fastest in the position at the combine.

“It took a bunch of weight off my shoulders,” Farmer said.

Another prominent Trojan Wednesday was defensive back Josh Shaw.  Shaw was part of a dramatic off-field season for the Trojans.  After lying about the source of two ankle injuries, Shaw missed nearly the entire season, and was suspended for 10 games.  Shaw’s actions have been of some concern for NFL scouts, but Shaw said that he is confident in his chances to be drafted.

“I look them in the eye and tell them the truth — tell them everything that happened,” Shaw said. “And let them know that the mistake I made was really out of character and, most importantly, that I’ve learned from it.”

Shaw’s performance Wednesday was strong — he ran a 4.44 40-yard-dash time and benched 225 pounds 26 times.

Leonard Williams, a fan favorite, is a projected top-5 pick in the draft.  Williams impressed all the scouts as he competed in various position drills.  He was even given a private workout by the Tennessee Titans, who sent their defensive line coach specifically to look at Williams.

Williams and the other top prospects from USC will now take part in private workouts that they have scheduled with various teams, and await their fortune in the NFL draft, which starts on April 30.