By Rick Kindhart (MSU Sports Information)
With a chance to put their skills on display in front of National Football League scouts, three Missouri State University senior football players capitalized on the chance to keep their professional dreams alive here Wednesday morning at MSU’s annual Pro Day at Robert W. Plaster Stadium.
Topping the list of MSU Pro Day performers was All-America linebacker Dylan Cole (Rogersville, Mo.) who recorded 32 reps on the 225-pound bench press and posted a 39-inch vertical during the indoor skills testing. Both of those metrics would have been tops among linebackers at the 2017 NFL Combine, which recently took place in Indianapolis.
“I did what I needed to do today to turn some heads and get noticed,” said Cole who led the nation in tackles as a senior with 12.91 per game. “I’m enjoying this. This is something I’ve wanted to do my entire life, and it’s something I want to do for a long time.”
A consensus FCS All-American in 2016, Cole also turned in a 10-foot, 5-inch broad jump and was clocked at 4.52 in the 40-yard dash. He was also tested in the shuttle drill, the 60-yard shuttle and the L drill, in addition to rigorous defensive drills.
Offensive lineman Riley Shantz (Springfield, Mo.) and wide receiver Zac Hoover (Grain Valley, Mo.) also performed for the NFL scouts in attendance.
Shantz logged 24 reps on the bench press with a 28-inch vertical. He also performed a number of drills specific to offensive linemen, including long and short-range snaps, foot work and blocking.
According to MSU assistant coach Sean Coughlin, who helps coordinate MSU’s pro day each year, representatives from 14 NFL teams were in attendance, which matches the club’s 2011 Pro Day as Missouri State’s highest-attended showcase. Scouts from the Raiders, Cardinals, Broncos, Colts, Rams, Chiefs, Falcons, Panthers, Redskins, Jaguars, Eagles, Dolphins, Lions and Seahawks made the trek to Plaster Stadium as part of the NFL Pro Day series.
The NFL Pro Day series puts NFL staffs on the road throughout the month of March to scout talent up close and personal on college campuses. The evaluative events give NFL Combine participants an opportunity to improve their times and marks, while providing a venue for under-the-radar players to demonstrate their skills and make a name for themselves prior to the Draft (April 27-29) and subsequent free agent signings.
The Bears held their inaugural Pro Day in 2010 when All-America tight end Clay Harbor improved on his NFL Combine time in the 40-yard dash and parlayed his on-campus performance into a fourth-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2011, offensive lineman David Arkin upped his stock at Pro Day and jumped to a fourth-round selection by the Dallas Cowboys on draft day. Other former Bears — Kolby Hurt (Saints), Jake Duron (Jets), Jermaine Saffold (Browns), Chris Douglas (Bills), Randy Richards (Chargers), Gannon Sinclair (Bears) and Anthony Grady (Jets) — all turned enough heads at Plaster Stadium over the last five years to garner NFL free agent contracts with their respective clubs.
