Virginia Tech Football: Three Hokies Who Could Raise Their Draft Stock With A Strong Pro Day
The Hokies have 17 players pursuing the NFL in this year's draft. Six of these prospects received invites to the NFL's Scouting Combine.
Bhayshul Tuten, Aeneas Peebles, and Jaylin Lane represented Blacksburg well. Tuten ran the fourth-fastest 40-yard dash in combine history, a blazing 4.32. Peebles finished the combine with a relative athletic score of 7.16 out of 10, gauging a prospect's physicality, height, and size. Peebles's testing was some of the best in his position group. His size grade was low, but his physical and field testing made that a non-factor. Jaylin Lane also tested at the top of his position group by finishing third in the 40-yard dash, 10-yard split, vertical jump, and broad jump.
But, there's still some noise the Hokies can make amongst the 2025 class. Here are the players poised to light up their Pro Day and raise their draft stock.
Ali Jennings
Jennings was expected to take over Virginia Tech's offense when he transferred from Old Dominion. Unfortunately, Jennings struggled to stay healthy. When he was on the field he was a big play waiting to happen. He had the most receiving yards in a game for the Hokies this past season with 158 against the Blue Devils.
Hit 'em with that 1,2 step 😏#ThisIsHome | 📺 on @accnetwork | @RJXIII pic.twitter.com/GgX9tDH8Ub
— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) November 24, 2024
In the games he was active he still saw inconsistent snap counts, with the assumption he was still rehabbing an injury that remained undisclosed. With two disappointing campaigns behind him, he still has a chance to show off.
Physicals are going to be a point of emphasis. He'll likely have great field testing, but scouts are still unsure if his injury history will be a point of concern or a thing of the past.
Da'Quan Felton
Felton led the Hokies in receiving yards in 2023. The connection between him and Drones was expected to expand in 2024, but something was thrown off.
There were plenty of big play opportunities they just couldn't connect on. After their game against Stanford, we started to see Felton get more consistent usage. It ended up being a little too late as Felton dropped to fourth on the team in receiving.
Jon Gruden on former Virginia Tech WR and NFL Draft prospect Da’Quan Felton pic.twitter.com/OSjLlOwQgR
— Kolby Crawford (@kolby_crawford) January 21, 2025
Felton received a combine invite and performed above average. He has elite size for the position, but his physical and field testing left more on the table then he needed to. A 4.50 40-yard dash is good for his size, but his tape suggests he can raise that. He left the combine with an 8.22 RAS, a score that could've been higher if it wasn't weighed down by his verticle and agility testing.
Felton should look to come in faster and more explosive when NFL scouts visit Blacksburg this week.
Dorian Strong
Virginia Tech had one of the more exciting secondaries headed into the 2024 season, headlined by Dorian Strong.
The Maryland native had two strong, no pun intended, seasons to end his career as a Hokie. In 2023, he led all FBS corners in completion rate allowed and yards allowed per coverage snap per PFF. His production to a slight dip in 2024 but he remained one of the best corners in his conference as a member of the All-ACC Third Team.
Virginia Tech DB Dorian Strong deserves some more love.
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) January 22, 2025
Quick, fluid, instinctive corner that can really run who is also competitive as a run defender. I think he shows that in Mobile next week. pic.twitter.com/uzrtB1qfSj
His combine however, was a disservice to his tape. Strong was touted for his instincts in zone coverage and ability to close in on receivers downfield. So when he came out of Indianapolis with a 4.50 40-yard dash, scouts were reasonably left disappointed. Strong's height is elite for the position but is noticeably undersized. Smaller corners are typically unreliable tacklers, but Strong made strides this past season. His production has day-two pick written all over it, but his testing at the combine hurt his stock.
A 6.97 RAS is something Strong hopes to leave behind as he and his fellow Hokies gear up for their Pro Day on March 26th at Beamer Lawson Indoor Practice Facility.
Related Links
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NFL Draft Projections for Da'Quan Felton
Brett Holmes has been covering the Hokies as a Sports Media & Analytics student at the school for the past two years. Alongside writing, he works behind the scenes as a production assistant for Virginia Tech's athletic production organization Hokie Vision. In his free time, he produces his own podcast, Holmes Field Advantage, on his YouTube. You can find him on X @_BrettHolmes