Temple Pro Day attracts NFL teams
Reps from 13 teams, including Eagles coach Chip Kelly, watch 19 players work out at Temple leading up to the NFL draft.
HOPING TO MAKE a final impression before May's NFL draft, 12 Temple seniors, four former Owls and three other players held a Pro Day for scouts yesterday afternoon.
Thirteen teams, including the Eagles, were represented, recording times, measurements and administering other physical tests.
Offensive lineman Cody Booth said he was excited by the presence of NFL personnel, which included Eagles coach Chip Kelly and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur.
"I had trouble sleeping last night just thinking about it," Booth said. "It felt like I was going to play a game the next day. Just seeing Chip Kelly out there just makes you realize it's real and all the NFL guys are here and they are here to look at you."
Along with the seniors, four former Owls had the chance to show off their talents and also reconnect with former teammates. After leading Temple with 1,054 rushing yards in 2012, running back Montel Harris earned his second chance to participate in Pro Day after a 2-week tryout with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a short stint in the CFL in 2013.
"It's been kind of hectic trying to stay on a team and coming back this year, I feel like I've improved on a lot of things and just showed a lot of teams what I can do this year," Harris said. "I am just making better decisions on and off the field and also, my 40 time got a little better.''
Like many Owls, tight end Chris Coyer was both excited and nervous for the day to come. In his first season transitioning from a quarterback to tight end with Temple, Coyer enjoyed a successful season, catching 20 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns.
"It's a little bit of everything kind of rolled into one,'' Coyer said of the Pro Day. "You have the nerves beforehand, but you are kind of excited, and I was just ready to get out there and perform the way that I have been preparing for the last couple of months. I've watched some of our Pro Days from the past and I knew it would be an exciting day, and it was fun.''
After concluding the 40- and 60-yard dashes, shuttle runs, broad jumps and position drills, the 19 participants can do nothing but be patient until May.
"I'm just going to keep training leading up to the draft,'' Booth said. "That's all you can really do is to keep training and keep preparing yourself."