2022 Boston College Pro Day Recap
On Friday, several formal Boston College Eagles took the next step in the journey to the NFL by competing at the Boston College Pro Day. Eighteen players went through a series of drills along with position-specific workouts. The numbers have not been officially released from the school yet, but the broadcast on ACC Network Extra displayed some of them. Of the 18 players participating, two did not compete in the drills. Zion Johnson and Alec Lindstrom stood on their numbers from the Combine, which were excellent. They only performed in the positional drills for NFL coaches and personnel. Isaiah Graham-Mobley, who joined Johnson and Lindstrom at the NFL Scouting Combine last month, participated in some of the drills to try to improve upon his Combine numbers.
Three BC linemen who could hear their name called in the NFL Draft (photo courtesy of BCEagles.com)
The other 15 players featured graduating players, former Eagles, and even one cross-sport convert. Brandon Sebastian, Ben Petrula, and Trae Barry performed at postseason all-star events, such as the Hula Bowl, the NFLPA Bowl, and the East-West Shrine Bowl. But they, along with the other players, did not earn invitations to the Combine. Other participating players from the 2021 team include the following: Brandon Barlow, Grant Carlson, Dennis Grosel, Travis Levy, Mike Palmer, TJ Rayam, JT Thompson, and Tyler Vrabel.
Three former Eagles returned to Chestnut Hill to get in front of NFL, XFL, and CFL scouts. Max Roberts, who played on the 2020 team after transferring from Maine, performed again after spending last year’s training camp with the eventual Super Bowl Champions, the Los Angeles Rams. Bryce Morais and Isaiah Miranda also returned after transferring and trying their luck at other schools. Finally, Dante Baldelli, a Boston College baseball player and bother of the Minnesota Twins’ manager, Rocco, worked out as a wide receiver / tight end.
Brandon Sebastian competes drills at Pro Day (photo courtesy of BCEagles.com)
One note before we get into the results: as previously mentioned, the official results of the Pro Day have not been released yet. Therefore, some of the numbers are taken from Ric Serritella of NFL Draft Bible and his live report from the day.
Recapping the Results
In general, the results were somewhat disappointing for most of the participants at Boston College’s pro day. These could change if BC releases official numbers in the coming days, but as they currently stand, few players significantly helped themselves. But we’ll start with who helped improve their draft stock.
Isaiah Graham-Mobley: Vertical Jump - 36.5”; Broad Jump: 10’2”
IGM stood on his 40-yard dash time of 4.63 from the Combine but competed again in the drills. He improved his vertical jump by 2.5” from the Combine, while his broad jump fell by 2”. On the broadcast, Graham-Mobley discussed how teams indicated that he could be drafted early on Day 3 (Round 4-7). While I find this estimate somewhat rosy, he is a solid player with good athletic ability. IGM could be a core special teamer for a very long time, if nothing else. Given his injury history, I still do not believe he will hear his name called during the NFL Draft, but I would love to be wrong.
Workouts in the weight room
Travis Levy - 40-yard dash: 4.68; 3-cone drill: 7.42; Short Shuttle: 4.26; Vertical Jump: 33”; Broad Jump: 9’10”; Bench Press: 21 reps
Given that Travis Levy was never the lead running back for Boston College, I’d be very surprised if he got drafted. But for someone that I expect to be an undrafted free agent, Levy had an excellent pro day. He had one of the better days on the bench press, out-lifting nose tackle TJ Rayam; his jumps were also very solid. His speed and agility numbers were not that great. But Levy has been a team captain for multiple years, filled various roles, and displayed value on special teams. I would still be stunned if he was drafted, given that it is a very deep running back class. But it would not shock me one bit for Levy to latch onto a team as a special teams maven for multiple seasons.
Brandon Barlow - 40-yard dash: 4.84; 3-cone drill: 7.16; Short Shuttle: 4.20; Vertical Jump: 35”; Broad Jump: 9’7”; Bench Press: 23 reps
No Boston College player had a better pro day than Brandon Barlow. The graduate defensive end was among the best players in almost every drill. He earned a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 8.37, putting him 232nd out of 1430 defensive ends from 1987 through 2022. Granted, I expect this number to go down with Barlow’s official measurements. But this was an excellent performance for someone who needed to get on NFL teams’ radars. Given his lack of pass rush production, Barlow may struggle to find a role beyond special teams. But as far as Pro Days go, his was excellent.
Brandon Barlow RAS
Next, we’ll get into some players who have a good shot at getting drafted but did not significantly help themselves at BC’s pro day.
Brandon Sebastian - 40-yard dash: 4.59; 3-cone drill: 7.13; Short Shuttle: 4.38; Vertical Jump: 35”; Broad Jump: 10’4”; Bench Press: 10 reps.
Brandon Sebastian had an outstanding performance at the East-West Shrine Game in February. He needed a good Pro Day to ensure that he would be drafted at the end of April. While he didn’t wholly tank his draft stock, I struggle to think he improved it. Sebastian’s jumps were solid, scoring in the upper half for his position. However, his speed and agility numbers were not very good. His 40-yard dash was barely passing at just under 4.60, and his agility numbers were in the bottom third for his position. Sebastian earned a RAS of 3.17, ranking 1286 out of 1884 cornerbacks. This indicates that Sebastian will most likely need to stay in a zone-style defense, as he lacks the speed and agility to consistently cover NFL wide receivers in Man. He could still be drafted, but it would be pretty surprising after this disappointing Pro Day.
Trae Barry - 40-yard dash: 4.90; Short Shuttle: 4.44; Vertical Jump: 25.5”; Broad Jump: 9’0”; Bench Press: 13 reps
Trae Barry has been on quite the rollercoaster for the last few years. After playing in the FCS spring season in 2021, he transferred to Boston College and performed well in a few games before suffering an injury. He returned to the lineup towards the end of the year but was not 100% healthy. Barry earned an invitation to the NFLPA Bowl in Los Angeles but did not earn any targets during the game. Then he received an emergency call-up to the Senior Bowl in Mobile as an injury replacement. He failed to earn a Combine invite and thus was reliant on his pro to help his draft stock. However, his numbers in the drills were not especially helpful. For a taller, longer tight end, Barry performed quite poorly in the jumps, and his 40-yard dash time was not very good. He looked smooth in the positional drills, and his physical dimensions will make him a desirable candidate. But these numbers will not ensure that he is drafted.
Ben Petrula - 40-yard dash: 5.29; Vertical Jump: 31; Bench Press: 23 reps
Tyler Vrabel - Short Shuttle: 4.59; Vertical Jump: 28.5”; Broad Jump: 9’2”; Bench Press: 25 reps
The “other” offensive linemen, Ben Petrula and Tyler Vrabel, did not compete in as many of the drills, as they are not as important to linemen. While these numbers are all decent, they are not overly impressive for two linemen that are on the fringe of being drafted. Petrula is the more likely candidate, in my opinion, given that he is highly experienced across multiple positions and is very durable. Vrabel, on the other hand, is younger, more athletic, and has a great pedigree, but he has struggled with injuries and doesn’t have the best tape. I don’t think either lineman did enough at the Pro Day to guarantee that they will hear their name called during the NFL Draft.
We’ll wrap up with the players that I do not expect to be drafted and will likely end up in other football leagues. At the end of the day, these players did not display the necessary physical ability and athletic talent to earn a spot on an NFL roster.
Mike Palmer - 40-yard dash: 4.69; 3-cone drill: 7.06; Vertical Jump: 33”; Broad Jump: 9’7”
JT Thompson - 40-yard dash: 4.72; Short Shuttle: 4.34; Vertical Jump: 35”; Broad Jump: 10’11”;
TJ Rayam - 40-yard dash: 5.05; Short Shuttle: 4.75; Vertical Jump: 24.5”; Broad Jump: 8’2”; Bench Press: 19 reps
Grant Carlson - 40-yard dash: 4.95; Vertical Jump: 27.5”; Broad Jump: 9’10”; 3-cone drill: 7.11; Short Shuttle: 4.36
Dennis Grosel - 40-yard dash: 4.83; Short Shuttle: 4.38; Vertical Jump: 33”; Broad Jump: 9’5”; Short Shuttle: 4.38; 3-cone drill: 7.20
Travis Levy will look to have his name called during the draft.
Mike Palmer had a pretty decent day but needed an excellent day to stick in the mind of NFL evaluators. He could catch on in the CFL, XFL, or USFL as he has very good ball skills, but his tackling is still an issue. JT Thompson had excellent jumps, but his 40-yard dash time was a death sentence for someone trying to make the NFL as a defensive back. TJ Rayam got outbenched by Travis Levy and performed quite poorly in most of the drills, even for an undersized nose tackle. Even though Grant Carlson and Dennis Grosel had pretty good days, their performances on tape matter much more for their positions, and their lack of consistency will most likely prevent them from being drafted, perhaps even playing professionally.
For the players returning from other teams, none of them made a significant impression. Max Roberts recorded a 4.83 40-yard dash and a 33” vertical jump and could get another camp tryout with an NFL team. Bryce Morais, who finished his college career at North Alabama, ran the 40-yard dash in 5.05 seconds, the short shuttle in 4.99 seconds, jumped 21.5” in the vertical, and put up 13 reps in the bench press. Isaiah Miranda, a fullback / defensive end that finished his career at West Georgia, ran the 40 in 5.14 seconds, jumped 29” in the vertical and 9’4” in the broad, put up 17 reps in the bench press, and completed the short shuttle in 4.47 seconds.
Lastly, Dante Baldelli had a decent day for someone who hasn’t played football in several years. At 6’3 ⅝” and 212 pounds, Baldelli ran the 40-yard dash in 4.72 seconds. He added on a 29” vertical jump, a 9’9” broad jump, and a 4.19 short shuttle. Given his 40, he will most likely need to continue to put on weight in the hopes of converting to tight end. I would be shocked if Baldelli ended up getting a shot with an NFL team, but he could turn into a solid USFL/XFL player if he spends a few years developing at a lower league.
