COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Maryland football hosted Pro Day before representatives from 27 different NFL franchises on Wednesday afternoon inside Maryland Stadium.
Nine members of the 2015 team – Brad Craddock, Sean Davis, A.J. Hendy, Quinton Jefferson, Yannick Ngakoue, Anthony Nixon, Brandon Ross, Avery Thompson and Andrew Zeller – participated in Pro Day. They were joined in workouts by former Terps Daniel Adams and Keith Bowers.
“This has always been a dream of mine and now it’s finally hitting me that in less than a month I’ll have the opportunity to be a professional football player,” said Davis. “I’m extremely blessed, I’m embracing everything that comes my way and I’m loving the process. I’m going to be happy wherever I land.”
Scouts, coaches and media were invited to watch the players participate in strength, speed, agility and skill drills both in the weight room and on the field.
“I like stepping up to the challenge, getting a little adversity and showing the scouts my toughness and my heart,” said Ngakoue. “I wanted to put the icing on the cake today and show my diversity dropping into pass coverage and also displaying my power in defensive line drills. It’s a blessing to be here – not everyone is fortunate enough to be in this position so I am very thankful.”
Earlier this year, Craddock, Davis, Jefferson and Ngakoue traveled to Indianapolis to participate in the NFL Combine. But for the other Terps, today was their first opportunity to perform in front of numerous NFL teams at the same time.
“I feel like my preparation really paid off today,” said Ross. “I felt good catching passes and going through all the drills, so it was a good day. I definitely wanted to show off my skills catching the ball out of the backfield and lining up in the slot.”
“I think a lot of scouts were surprised by some of my numbers so it makes me feel good about what I accomplished today,” said Zeller. “I have really worked on my technique and footwork, and just focused as much as I can on becoming smarter within the game.”
Players will now have the opportunity to attend team’s local Pro Days as well as meet with teams on an individual basis.
The 2016 NFL Draft will be held from April 28-30 in Chicago.
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