THE LOWE DOWN

Bama players display talent, enthusiasm at Pro Day

Matt Lowe

March 10, 2016 at 1:08 pm.

New Orleans defensive line coach Bill Johnson talks to Alabama defensive linemen Darren Lake (left), A'Shawn Robinson (facing), D.J. Pettway and Jarran Reed. (Matt Lowe)

New Orleans defensive line coach Bill Johnson talks to Alabama defensive linemen Darren Lake (left), A’Shawn Robinson (facing), D.J. Pettway (back turned) and Jarran Reed (right). (Matt Lowe)

Inside the Hank Crisp Indoor Practice Facility in Tuscaloosa, there are constant reminders of Alabama’s storied success… past and present.

The abbreviated years ’25, ’26, ’30, ’34, ’41, ’61, ’64, ’65, ’73, ’78, ’79, ’92, ’09, ’11, ’12, ’15, hang in crimson beyond the yellow goal posts on each end of the indoor complex like a silent, yet bold, trophy case sans the glass.

But trophy cases don’t get filled by silence. And they sure as hell don’t get filled by athletes that are lazy and selfish.

Trophy cases get filled by talented players that buy in to what their coaches teach them. Trophy cases get filled by hard work, dedication and commitment to the team’s goal — with no regard for individual accolades.

At Alabama’s Pro Day, I got a good feel as to why the Crimson Tide has been one of the best program’s in America during Nick Saban’s tenure.

From the vertical jump to the bench press to the standing broad jump to the 40-yard dash to the individual position drills, the 18 Crimson Tide participants were competing just like they were in a game. And most of their teammates were in attendance rooting them on — hard — station after station, drill after drill, in front of scouts from all 32 NFL teams, along with New England head coach Bill Belichick and Indianapolis head coach Chuck Pagano.

Time after time during Alabama’s 2015 national championship run, Nick Saban talked about how much he liked his team and the leadership its best players exuded. And that leadership and enthusiasm was very evident as the Crimson Tide players did their best to impress pro evaluators.

Enthusiasm oozed out of strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran as he watched, and encouraged — loudly — the players he tried to make better go through their drills in front of potential future employers.

As defensive back Cryus Jones attempted the vertical jump, Bama players could be heard saying, “Come on Cy. Come on Cy.”

Derrick Henry watches as a teammate participates in a drill at Alabama's Pro Day. (Matt Lowe)

Derrick Henry watches as a teammate participates in a drill at Alabama’s Pro Day. (Matt Lowe)

As defensive lineman Darren Lake was throwing up 225 pounds 25 times during the bench press session, Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry was right beside him rooting him on. In fact, Henry was the main cheerleader for every one of his teammates in just about every drill.

Now granted, the Bama players working out for the scouts weren’t in pads, but they were still competing. And competing at a high level. And by getting a glance of that up close and personal, it’s easy to see why Alabama has been so good for so many years now.

“It was very good,” said Henry when asked about how his experience was. “I got here and got to watch all my teammates out here compete; all of us out here competing and putting on a show for the scouts and all the teams. It was good.”

Takeaways:

*It was pretty obvious that the NFL scouts in attendance were impressed with Alabama’s top two defensive line prospects, A’Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed, but Denzel Devall, D.J. Pettway and Darren Lake seemed to help their stock.

*Devall, who projects as a tweener OLB/DL at the next level, moved well during drills.

*I clocked Pettway in the 40 at 4.86. NFL.com reported his time at 4.89. He ran a 4.99 at the Combine.

*As noted earlier, Lake bench pressed 225 pounds 25 times. He had trouble at times during some of the agility drills, but he flashed good hand strength while striking dummies set in a strategic manner.

*Robinson’s size and agility is impressive, but so is his physique. The dude is ripped for a man his size and it’s hard to fathom him not having a productive NFL career. Each time he ran a drill, you could tell scouts were just enamored with his every move. I expect him to be a hot commodity when April’s draft rolls around for teams searching for impact linemen.

*Reed isn’t built like Robinson, but he looked more fluid than his DL sidekick in drills. Reed also flashed a lot of hand power while going through pass rush drills under the guidance of New Orleans Saints defensive line coach Bill Johnson.

Robinson had this to say about Reed: “He came in going into my sophomore year, and we are pushing each other to be the best in the country. We came out here, and the coaches saw that we did everything. We showed explosive quickness off the ball, and we both gave great effort. I thought we did a great job out here.”

*Linebacker Dillon Lee has good quickness and speed for a guy his size (6-3, 240). I timed him at 4.78 in the 40. NFL.com had him at 4.83 and 4.77. Lee, who tallied 27 tackles, two interceptions and a sack his senior year, also threw up 225 20 times and had a vertical jump of 31 inches. He could be a solid nickel or dime linebacker/special teams player at the next level.

“Dillon did a really good job for us playing outside backer,” Saban said. “He’s got a lot of toughness, and he can run. He’s a smart player, especially a special teams player. So if you’re looking for a guy on your team to be a backup special teams player that you could develop into a potential starter one day, especially in regular, he could be a great candidate for that. He played a lot of roles here for us, and he did a great job.”

*Defensive back Geno Smith had the fastest 40 time by my count. I clocked him at 4.45.

*Linebacker Reggie Ragland didn’t run the 40, but he flashed good footwork while running drills supervised by Belichick. I saw reps from the Atlanta Falcons and Saints speaking with Ragland.

“It’s a great experience,” Ragland said about working out in front of the pro scouts. “Coming out here to live out my dream that I’ve had ever since I was a kid, I wanted this moment. Being able to talk to all those coaches…I’m just very thankful and blessed to have this opportunity.”

*If there’s one knock on Henry it’s been his lack of production in the passing game. But he may have helped himself — a lot — in that area after catching an array of passes from quarterback Jake Coker. The two connected on one heck of a deep pass late in the passing session that had to impress pro personnel.

*Halfback/fullback/special teams standout Michael Nysewander, a former walk-on, is a stout, powerful player who could find a home on an NFL team due to his ability to play multiple positions and block. His 40 time was 4.67 and he flashed solid hands while catching passes from Coker. Nysewander played an instrumental role in helping Henry rush for 2,219 yards (147.9 average) and 28 touchdowns on 395 carries after being used primarily as a blocker during the Crimson Tide’s championship campaign.

*I saw center Ryan Kelly shaking hands with several team representatives. He’s the top-rated center in the draft and could sneak into the first round if things go his way. Kelly was a limited participant Wednesday.

Official heights and weights:

Jake Coker: 6-5, 244

Denzel Devall: 6-1, 252

Kenyan Drake: 6-0, 209

TY Flourny-Smith: 6-3, 245

Derrick Henry: 6-2, 244

Dominick Jackson: 6-5, 310

Cyrus Jones: 5-10, 199

Ryan Kelly: 6-4, 313

Darren Lake: 6-2, 329

Dillon Lee: 6-3, 240

Geno Smith: 5-11, 193

Richard Mullaney: 6-2, 204

Michael Nysewander: 6-1, 238

D.J. Pettway: 6-2, 271

Reggie Ragland: 6-1, 248

Jarran Reed: 6-3, 310

A’Shawn Robinson: 6-3, 312

Bradley Sylve (tore his ACL training for the event)

Jabriel Washington: 5-10, 175

@MattLowe777

Order our NFL Draft Guide here: NFL Draft Guide

Draft Cover US 2016.indd