Mar 4, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Youngstown defensive end Derek Rivers speaks to the media during the 2017 combine at Indiana Convention Center. Photo Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Report from Tuesday action:
Youngstown State
Arguably the top pass rushing duo in all of college football (at any level), Derek Rivers and Avery Moss were the main attractions at Youngstown State’s pro day, which attracted 25 NFL teams. Several positional coaches were in attendance, including Kevin Greene (New York Jets) and Joey Porter (Pittsburgh Steelers).
Rivers, who is projected as a day two draft pick, stood on most of his numbers from the Combine, only performing the short shuttle at the pro day. All eyes were on him during positional drills as Greene put him through various workouts that showed off his quickness, bend and power at 6 feet 4 and 248 pounds.
At the Combine, Rivers posted a 4.61 40-yard dash, 1.60 10-yard split, 35-inch vertical, 6.94 three-cone drill and 10-foot-3 broad jump — numbers that ranked among the best at his position. According to several scouts, he has only cemented his status as a top-75 draft pick with his performance in Indianapolis and the pro day.
Speaking to a scout in attendance, he glowing spoke about the YSU pass rusher: “My pitch for Derek to my boss won’t be hard: We need this guy on our team — not want — need.”
Moss is the Penguins’ “other” pass rusher, but he is a draftable talent himself. The Nebraska transfer also stood on most of his Combine results and held his own during positional drills. Moss is considered a mid-round draft pick.
Kansas State
One of the true “winners” from the Scouting Combine, Wildcats pass rusher Jordan Willis continued his positive momentum at Tuesday’s pro day in Manhattan.
Willis wisely stood on his numbers from Indianapolis and focused strictly on defensive line and linebacker drills. Several teams sent their defensive line coaches and Willis met specifically with the Eagles and Buccaneers coaches after his workout.
At 6-4 and 255 pounds, Willis had the best 10-yard split (1.53) and three-cone time (6.85) among the defensive linemen at the Combine. His 4.53 40-yard dash, 39-inch vertical and 4.28 short shuttle also ranked among the best at his position, beating most linebackers as well.
Willis has five private workouts scheduled in the next 10 days. With the buzz he created as a senior and throughout the draft process, he will be a well-traveled prospect over the next month.
–Brugler is a senior analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange
