What’s lost, not lost without NFL pro day at South Carolina
This week, Donell Stanley and a number of South Carolina teammates were supposed to be showcasing their skills in front of NFL scouts and decision-makers.
Instead, Stanley was back on his way to Georgia to continue to train for the NFL Draft. The Gamecocks’ pro day, like the rest of activities on USC’s campus, was canceled because of the coroavirus/COVID-19 outbreak.
“I’ve been training for pro day since January,” Stanley told The State this week. “’I’m just staying in shape during this time with the virus and waiting to see how everything turns out.”
After USC’s season ended in November, Stanley worked out in Florida and then participated in the NFLPA All-Star game in California. Now he’s going to Georgia and will work out with USC teammate D.J. Wonnum, who participated in the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine in the last few months.
Stanley called the NFLPA All-Star game a great opportunity and says he’s been in contact with several different teams.
But for guys like Stanley, the on-campus pro day was one more opportunity to showcase their skills — especially for those who didn’t go to the NFL Combine.
Something is lost on the NFL side, but not a huge amount. Often, a pro day is just a chance to double-check some minimum numbers, make sure what a team saw on tape is reflected on the field.
College teams such as South Carolina have databases of more than 2,500 prospects, so it’s likely pro teams have a file on most everyone. With where things stood after the Senior Bowl, it’s unlikely Javon Kinlaw would have done more than some position workouts on campus, and Bryan Edwards was unlikely to be full go less than two months after breaking his foot.
That means the two highest-profile draft prospects wouldn’t go through the full battery of tests, but likely would at least be conversing with NFL folks.
That said, pro days are imbued with a certain spirit of “anything can happen” and that has been lost.
A few years ago, Limestone College receiver Vyncint Smith came to South Carolina’s pro day, ran a blistering 40-yard dash and got enough attention for a training camp invite. He had 225 yards for the New York Jets last year.
It wouldn’t be quite so dramatic for some of the South Carolina seniors, but there was a large group across the spectrum of NFL potential. D.J. Wonnum and Rico Dowdle at least got to go through the NFL Combine workouts and interviews, but perhaps players such as linebacker T.J. Brunson and running back Tavien Feaster could have caught some eyes.
The pro day is also in some ways a bit of closure for many careers. Players who have been training daily for months work alongside teammates who have been working out on their own or sometimes are just there to see what happens.
A little bit of the spark has been lost after schools and scouts stopped publishing full results of testing, forcing things like Keisean Nixon’s blazing 40 time (he tweeted a 4.32) to leak out unconfirmed.
But that time might have helped him secure a spot with the NFL’s Raiders, who ultimately signed him this past season, in part to help as a special teams gunner.
Individual workouts are still possible, but they’re harder to secure for lower-profile players
All told, 19 Gamecocks were supposed to take the turf in the Jerri and Steve Spurrier Indoor facility. Some, like Kinlaw and Edwards, should be secure without the event. Other players, like Kyle Markway, Feaster or Kobe Smith, had a lot riding on this. Some, like Chavis Dawkins or Caleb Kinlaw, had this as a rare chance to take their shot and maybe, just maybe, catch an eye.
Even if if came to nothing for many of the players, it’s still something lost.
Gamecocks who were set to attend NFL pro day
Linebacker T.J Brunson
Punter Joseph Charlton
Wide receiver Chavis Dawkins
Running back Mon Denson
Running back Rico Dowdle
Wide receiver Bryan Edwards (injured)
Running back Tavien Feaster
Linebacker Daniel Fennell
Safety J.T Ibe
Running back Caleb Kinlaw
Defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw
Tight end Kyle Markway
Long snapper Matt Oliveira
Defensive tackle Kobe Smith
Offensive lineman Donell Stanley
Linebacker Eldridge Thompson
Kicker Will Tommie
Running back A.J. Turner
Defensive lineman D.J. Wonnum
This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 3:27 PM.
