Pro Day – a very short take

DrewMarch 18, 2014

Louisville football welcomed 29 NFL scouts and 5 Head Coaches at the recently held Pro Day. According to certain analysts with the NFL network and other media outlets, it wasn’t a stellar day for Teddy Bridgewater. What’s curious to most of the people in attendance however is that the feeling inside the Trager Center was not one of disappointment. As a matter of fact, while standing next to one of the scouts, the man turned to me and said “wow” after Bridgewater completed a laser of a pass to Damien Copeland inside of the Red Zone. Teddy started his throwing evaluation with some short routes and simulated bootlegs and worked his way up to throwing some longer distances. All but about 6 or 7 balls were on target and caught. There was only 1 notable pass that was thrown that appeared to be uncatchable. There were a couple of low passes and a few wobbly balls, but the overwhelming majority of the display was quite impressive. After throwing longer distances, Bridgewater then took snaps from the 5 yard line and put on an extremely impressive demonstration of accuracy and mobility. In total there were around 70 passes thrown.
I was anxious to hear what the experts thought about the day and to be honest, a bit surprised at the review that was prepared. I’m obviously not a scout, but it was very clear that the things being said in the building were different than the reports making it out. There were questions from TV analysts about the lack of throwing with gloves, questions about a lighter weight, and questions about throwing motion. I’m of the opinion that if any of those experts really invested the time to actually watch Bridgewater play during his career at Louisville, they would see for themselves the answers to their questions using a much broader sample of data. I think Teddy did a pretty good job. It wasn’t outstanding, but it also wasn’t poor. It was good.
I’ll tell you who was absolutely fantastic at Pro Day………… Damien Copeland. He’s at the very top of his game. The guy is everywhere and he gets there fast. Copeland makes a quarterback look good. I’m sure there’s no coincidence why Bridgewater wanted to throw to him for most of the reps. Some will say that Copeland is a bit undersized and will make for a great slot receiver and I agree. One thing is certain, Copeland will be successful in the NFL and whatever team picks him up is getting the best kept secret among the receivers.
In total, there were 15 Louisville players showcasing some skills to the NFL scouts. There’s no way that a complete picture can be drawn in one day about each. Obviously, Teddy was the main attraction, but others will benefit greatly from the day as a whole. I would caution you not to jump on the bandwagon of folks that conclude any of them did poorly. It was a productive Pro Day and it’s just one part of the overall process of the NFL draft. We’ll all be anxious to see where exactly the Louisville NFL bound athletes end up and where the professionals assess their abilities.
And just like that, it’s time for Spring Football. See you at practice and the Spring Game.