Okoye takes run at U of L Pro Day
Had better 40 time than at combine
By Brian Bennett
bbennett@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
Amobi Okoye didn't have a lot to prove to the representatives from all 32 NFL teams who were in town yesterday for the University of Louisville's annual Pro Day.
The 19-year-old defensive tackle is a consensus top-15 pick in the April 28 draft, someone whose stock didn't figure to rise much no matter what he did for the scouts at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. But Okoye said he wanted to prove something to himself.
"I'm a competitor, so I went out there," he said.
Okoye tweaked one of his hamstrings while running the 40-yard dash at last month's NFL combine, leading to a somewhat disappointing time of 5.07 seconds. He said his hamstring still wasn't 100 percent yesterday, but he ran the 40 again and did it in 4.85 seconds.
"I was trying to break 4.7, but I'll take it," said Okoye, who weighed in at 305 pounds.
The scouts and team officials leaned forward a little more when Okoye took the field to go through drills with defensive tackle Zach Anderson. The other 10 U of L seniors who worked out hoped to catch as many eyes as possible, too.
Running back Kolby Smith ran the 40 in 4.51 seconds, which he said was the same time he posted at the combine. He earned an invitation to the Senior Bowl after the season and is angling to become a mid- to late-round pick.
"I just want to show them that I can do everything that's asked of me," he said. "Show them you're coachable, that's the most important thing."
Linebacker Nate Harris said he thought his combine workout went a little better than yesterday's. The drills can be a little nerve-wracking, but he said the players are used to it.
"It's pretty comparable to a big-time game, and we played in a lot of big-time games," Harris said. "It was kind of a comfort zone being back at school. You've just got to come out here and perform well."
The open audition was even more important to those who didn't get invited to the combine or a postseason all-star game. Fullback Deriontae Taylor went around the field passing out envelopes containing DVDs of himself in action.
The crowd included some familiar faces, such as former U of L assistants Paul Petrino, Kevin Wolthausen and Mike Summers, all of whom joined ex-Cardinals coach Bobby Petrino with the Atlanta Falcons this year. Wolthausen conducted the drills with the defensive linemen he used to coach.
That included Okoye, who might be a millionaire in a month but still wanted to show his worth.
"It's just like they're trying to look through a microscope and look deeper," he said of the draft evaluation process. "I'm just out here giving them all of me. The last couple of months have been quite exciting, going out there and proving to yourself that you are what you are, that you're a high pick and somebody should take a chance on you."
Brian Bennett can be reached at (502) 582-7177.
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Louisville Pro Day
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