5 Cards Set to Compete at NFL Combine

Mark BlankenbakerFebruary 21, 2014

The University of Louisville football program will be well represented at the NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday, as five former Cardinals are set to compete. NFL executives, coaches, scouts and college football’s top pro prospects will gather today to officially kick off festivities at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Headlining the list of former Cardinals in Indianapolis are a pair of juniors in quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, safety Calvin Pryor, and senior defensive end Marcus Smith. Senior wide receiver Damian Copeland and linebacker Preston Brown are also scheduled to participate, giving the Cardinals a total of five prospects at the combine.

According to NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock, he loves the two UofL juniors. He has Bridgewater rated as the top quarterback and Pryor slotted as the top safety in May’s NFL Draft.

Bridgewater leaves Louisville as one of the top quarterbacks in school history closed the book on his career with 9,817 yards passing and 72 touchdowns. He put an exclamation point on his career last year when he passed for 3,970 yards and a school record 31 touchdown passes in guiding the Cardinals to a 12-1 record.

Pryor, who started 32 straight games at safety, was a first team All-American Athletic Conference performer after tallying 75 tackles and three interceptions.

Smith, who was named an All-American by a number of different outlets, was the AAC Defensive Player of the Year after registering 14.5 sacks, which were the fourth-most in school history.

Copeland finished as the team’s top wide receiver for the second-straight season, recording 58 receptions for 780 yards and five touchdowns. He ended his career catching a pass in 26 straight games and totaled 108 receptions over the last two years.

Brown earned second team all-conference accolades the last two seasons, but his 2013 campaign was his best. He led the Cardinals in tackles last season with 98 stops and was credited with 209 stops the last two years.