NFL teams impressed with his ‘pro day’ video, Feaster says
Former South Carolina running back Tavien Feaster was disappointed when he learned that he didn’t receive an invitation to the NFL Draft Combine. He was also determined to showcase at USC’s pro day why he should have been invited to Indianapolis.
Unfortunately for Feaster, and for many college football players around the country, most pro days, including USC’s, did not take place because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Instead, Feaster had to get creative and recently filmed his own “pro day” at TNT Sports @ 85 Fitness in the Upstate where he has been training. He then sent the video out to NFL teams.
The video shows the 6-foot, 221-pound Feaster going through several drills, including the 40-yard dash, vertical jump and 20-yard shuttle. It also showcases Feaster’s ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, something he was known for throughout his time with the Gamecocks and in the first three years of his college career at Clemson.
“Really what went into it is, I have been working like everybody else, and I couldn’t just waste an opportunity and say, ‘Well I’ve been working but they’re not going to have a pro day.’ I definitely wanted to do everything and show everything I’ve been working on,” Feaster said. “I obviously had to run the 40, do the bench and the shuttles and jumps and things, but I also definitely wanted to show me going through bags, catching the ball, just to show them what I can do being my size, just being a factor.”
Stats provided in Feaster’s video include: a 40-yard dash time between 4.37 and 4.46 seconds, a 20-yard shuttle time between 4.28 and 4.37, a three-cone drill time between 7.09 and 7.12, a broad jump of 120 inches, a vertical jump of 35 and 36 inches and 17 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press.
“I had a lot of teams that reached out and said they watched my tape, they liked it,” Feaster said. “It definitely helped. I can definitely see it paying off right now.”
Feaster led the Gamecocks in rushing during his senior season, finishing with 672 yards and a team-high five touchdowns. He also caught a career-high 17 passes.
Before coming to USC, Feaster spent three seasons at Clemson, contributing to national title seasons for the Tigers in 2016 and 2018. He finished his college career with 2,002 rushing yards while averaging an impressive 5.8 yards per carry.
Feaster is expected to be a late-round pick at best in the draft that starts Thursday. If he ends up signing as an undrafted free agent, he believes he can help a franchise in several different ways.
“I’m bringing a guy who can play at all phases of the game — special teams, on offense, so definitely a guy who can do that. My speed definitely, my hands as a running back,” Feaster said. “I would say my vision and the way that I trust the scheme that it’s going to work out. I believe I’m a guy who is multidimensional. I’m going to be very valuable when I get on a team. All I’ve got to do is keep my head down and keep working.”
This story was originally published April 18, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
