Former Oklahoma Stars Put Best Foot Forward at Wednesday's Pro Day
NORMAN — Representatives from 30 different NFL franchises huddled into the Everest Training Center in Norman on Wednesday morning for Oklahoma’s Pro Day.
All 11 Sooners who participated in last week’s NFL Combine were in attendance, as well as defensive lineman LaRon Stokes for another chance to impress scouts in person ahead of next month’s NFL Draft.
However, the quick turnaround from the Combine meant that most players were very selective in the drills they performed for the scouts.
One Sooner who was unbothered by the condensed schedule was Jeremiah Hall.
The tight end/H-back said he wasn’t pleased by his performance in Indianapolis last week at the combine, and he was itching to get back on the field and put his athleticism on display.
“I didn’t do as great as I wanted (at the Combine),” Hall said on Wednesday. “I felt like I did good at the Combine but I had it sitting over my head for a few days, and I felt like the faster I could get on the field and show what I could really do, the better. The time between things isn’t good for me but for some guys, it works.”
Hall didn’t leave his Pro Day with any extra regrets, as he was able to improve on multiple of his times in Indianapolis.
Another player who has greatly improved his draft stock since the season ended is defensive lineman Perrion Winfrey.
Winfrey dazzled both at the Senior Bowl and at the Combine, but he was unable to participate at Pro Day on Wednesday due to a hamstring injury.
Still, Winfrey said his conversations with scouts have been good, and that he may line up in a different spot on Sunday’s next year.
“(The scouts are) telling me that they want me to play mostly three technique and defensive end,” said Winfrey, “so obviously that's a big change from what I was doing here. I was playing mostly zeros and they were actually giving me a chance to show off my pass rush skills as well as be able to play that position that I'm truly supposed to play.
“… I played defensive end my whole high school career and I played 3 technique at my junior college. Coming here was the first time I actually played the nose tackle position 24/7.”
One player who wasn’t featured at the NFL Combine was defensive lineman LaRon Stokes.
With the large audience of scouts gathered, Stokes put his best foot forward on Wednesday.
Stokes ran a 4.90 second 40, posted a 4.68 second 20-yard shuttle, leapt 33 and 1/2 inches in the vertical jump and put up 23 reps on the bench press.
“He hit a lot of numbers that he wanted to hit,” Nik Bonitto said of Stokes. “He's a guy that, I knew when his time came to do the Pro Day or some sort of like that, he was going to crush it, and that's what he did today.
“A hardworking guy like that -- you saw it paid off today."
In addition to Stokes, Hall and Bonitto, Brian Asamoah, Gabe Brkic, Kennedy Brooks, Marquis Hayes, Tyrese Robinson, Isaiah Thomas, Delarrin Turner-Yell and Mike Woods all participated in select drills.
Mike Woods
Ryan Chapman / SI Sooners
Now, the former Sooners will hunker down and fully get into draft mode, as they’ll learn their fates over the three-day NFL Draft on April 28-30 in Las Vegas.
“It’s a big relief,” Thomas said. “… That anticipation of going to the Senior Bowl and going to the combine and going to Pro Day. You just want to put your best foot forward, your best film out there on the field during the drills.
“Now that it’s finally over, a big sigh of relief. Now you’ve just gotta to do interviews and all the workouts that coaches come and do with you. Now it’s just playing football and that’s what I do best.”
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