Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Pro Day an important step on NFL journey for Herd players
3/10/2021 5:18:00 PM | Football, Word on the Herd
21 scouts visited Huntington for Wednesday morning's event
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Pro Day in 2021 featured five participants: Josh Ball, Tavante Beckett, Darius Hodge, Brenden Knox and Jaylon McClain-Sapp.
Knox, the 2019 Conference USA Most Valuable Player, and Ball, a first team Conference USA all-conference player on the offensive line, were each invited to the National Football League's annual Scouting Combine, although the coronavirus pandemic altered the format this year. Knox and Ball have been doing virtual team interviews leading up to Wednesday morning's Pro Day inside the Chris Clint Athletic Complex, and scouts from a whopping 21 NFL teams visited Huntington to watch the quintet perform an array of tests and drills.
NFL teams in attendance Wednesday morning: Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans and the Washington Football Team.
Marshall having a pair of Scouting Combine invitees obviously drew a crowd, but the others are no slouches. Beckett was the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year in 2020, and Hodge declared for the NFL Draft after being a C-USA all-conference first team selection at defensive end. McClain-Sapp showed up at Pro Day in the best shape of his life after a productive career for the Herd.
Knox said the approach to Pro Day is simple: Don't settle.
"It's definitely not content," he said. "Never content. You know it's here. Don't think too much on it. Something you've been doing for years now. You want to make an impression."
Knox said the past year has "never been done before; no one's ever been through that," and that helped prepare he and his teammates for Wednesday's Pro Day.
Knox finished his career with 2,852 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns. He ended his career ranked No. 6 on the school's career rushing list and tied for No. 13 in rushing touchdowns. He evolved from special teams player to consistent starter, and was a team captain 17 times in 24 career starts.
"It's been great to watch his journey from a guy who put his work in when he wasn't the starter here three years ago to what he did at that time during fall camp, during spring ball, during the offseason workout program, and it was the same time of effort and the same type of work ethic when he did become the No. 1 running back and he did become the Player of the Year in the conference," said Tim Cramsey, Marshall's offensive coordinator.
"Everywhere he goes he takes full advantage and attacks every day the way it's supposed to be and the way you want to be able to show young guys coming into the program the way to do things is the way Knox did it for three years with us."
Ball, Beckett, Hodge, Knox and McClain-Sapp put on an impressive display Wednesday morning. Their Pro Day results are below. The most spirited competition of the day was the bench press, where Ball recorded 28 repetitions with the encouragement of Hodge, who followed up with 26 reps. The pair hugged afterward, a clear sign of the closeness of a football team and a group of players on a journey together to a professional career. What's next, Cramsey said, is up to each player.
"Here's what I'll say about the next level: Once you get into a camp, you've got to prove yourself, and you've got to make that organization and to make that team," Cramsey said. "They need to find a home; they need to find a role on that team.
"Those guys with their character and their skill set, put them in the situation and their character and their skill set will take over and put them in the best situation to make a team."
Height: 6 feet, 7 3/8 inches
Weight: 308 pounds
Hand: 10 inches
Arm: 35 inches
Wingspan: 81 5/8 inches
40: 5.19/5.19 seconds
20: 3.02/2.97 seconds
10: 1.90/1.91 seconds
Vertical jump: 27 ½ inches
Broad jump: 8 feet, 10 inches
5-10-5: 4.67 seconds
3 Cone: 7.75 seconds
Bench Press: 28 repetitions
Height: 5 feet, 11 inches
Weight: 220 pounds
Hand: 10 2/4 inches
Arm: 33 6/8 inches
Wingspan: 75 1/8 inches
40: 4.73/4.76 seconds
20: 2.75/2.70 seconds
10: 1.70/1.70 seconds
Vertical jump: 31 inches
Broad jump: 8 feet, 10 inches
5-10-5: 4.59 seconds
3 Cone: 7.36 seconds
Bench press: 18 repetitions
Height: 6 feet, 6/8 inches
Weight: 248 pounds
Hand: 9 feet, 7/8 inches
Wingspan: 79 5/8 inches
40: 4.78/4.67 seconds
20: 2.69/2.63 seconds
10: 1.72/1.70 seconds
Vertical jump: 38 ½ inches
Broad jump: 10 feet, 7 inches
5-10-5: 4.70/4.63 seconds
3 Cone: 7.18 seconds
Bench press: 26 repetitions
Height: 5 feet, 10 6/8 inches
Weight: 215 pounds
Hand: 10 inches
Arm: 31 2/8 inches
Wingspan: 74 3/8 inches
40: 4.64/4.63 seconds
20: 2.70/2.72 seconds
10: 1.64/1.65 seconds
Vertical jump: 35 inches
Broad jump: 9 feet, 4 inches
5-10-5: 4.39 seconds
3 Cone: 7.19 seconds
Bench press: 23 repetitions
Height: 5 feet, 9 7/8 inches
Weight: 183 pounds
Hand: 8 7/8 inches
Arm: 31 5/8 inches
Wingspan: 75 3/8 inches
40: 4.45/4.51 seconds
20: 2.72/2.66 seconds
10: 1.62/1.64 seconds
Vertical jump: 41 inches
Broad jump: 10 feet, 8 inches
5-10-5: 4.45 seconds
3 Cone: 7.21 seconds
Bench press: 14 repetitions
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and a nine-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).
