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What We Learned From 2016 College Pro Days

Schools like Alabama, Cal, Florida, Ohio St and others hosted pro days to give players more exposure to NFL personnel ahead of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Although the NFL Scouting Combine garners most of the attention, college pro days are also a vital part of the pre-draft process. Each program holds a workout to showcase their prospects to NFL decision-makers in a familiar environment.

There are many different storylines going into these pro days. For some players, it's a chance to improve on what they showed at the combine. Prospects are afforded the opportunity to partake in the same measurable drills (40-yard dash, broad jump, etc.) that are used in Indianapolis. For other prospects, those who weren't invited to the combine, pro days serve as their only chance to perform in front of professional scouts.

Lastly, and most importantly for quarterbacks, is the opportunity to get a full workout in with the teammates they've played with for an entire season. That's a huge difference from the combine, where signal-callers work with a new receiver every few throws. The conditions at pro days are much more prospect-friendly.

With that, here's what we've learned through pro days thus far.

Jalen Ramsey confirms he's a freak athlete

The Florida State defensive back dazzled scouts at the combine, and confirmed that he's a top defensive prospect at his pro day. According to reports, Ramsey showed off his explosiveness and ball skills in positional drills and also ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash. That time is nearly identical to the 4.41 40-time he posted at the combine. Ramsey received lofty praise from NFL media following the Seminoles pro day as evidenced by the tweets below. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller went as far as to compare him to future Hall of Famer Charles Woodson.

Kicker Roberto Aguayo also impressed at Florida State's pro day. Aguayo could be the first specialist taken in this year's draft, and he told reporters that his goal is to go in the second round. He reportedly drilled field goals from 50-plus yards with ease. If Aguayo does go as early as the second round, he'll be the first kicker to do so since the New York Jets took Mike Nugent in the second round in 2005.

Ole Miss features a trio of top prospects

Laremy Tunsil proved why he's a candidate to be the first player taken in the draft. This year's top offensive tackle impressed scouts with 34 reps in the bench press. Tunsil didn't partake in the bench at the combine, but 34 reps would have been tops among all offensive linemen in Indianapolis. Tunsil also showed his natural athleticism in positional drills and clearly stood out among his former Ole Miss teammates along the offensive line.

Wide receiver Laquon Treadwell's 40-yard dash was the most anticipated event at the Ole Miss pro day. Treadwell ran similarly to what draft experts expected: in the low-to-mid 4.6-second range. it's unclear what the time will do to the receiver's draft stock. He is still likely to be a first-round pick and could be the first wideout taken if a team favors game tape over explosive measurables. The 6-foot-2, 221-pound pass-catcher has drawn comparisons to Anquan Boldin and Dez Bryant.

Defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche also showed well in positional drills, but that was to be expected. The biggest factor in Nkemdiche's draft status are the off-field questions. Dane Brugler of CBS Sportscalled the defensive lineman "a top-10 talent in this draft class."

Carson Wentz put on a show at NDSU's Pro Day

Finding a critic of the North Dakota State product will be awfully hard at this point. In his workout led by quarterbacks coach and former NFL signal-caller, Ryan Lindley, Wentz completed 62-of-65 pass attempts. The 6-foot-5 prospect showed off a little bit of everything. He threw quick outs, intermediate routes across the middle, deep passes and everything else in between.

Wentz's performance did nothing to temper the debate over who will be the first quarterback taken on April 28. Whether it's Wentz or Cal's Jared Goff to hear commissioner Roger Goodell call their name first in Chicago, the four-time FCS National Champion can rest assured that he won't be far behind.

It's the year of the Buckeye

According to Bleacher Report's Matt Miller, seven of the top 50 prospects in the 2016 draft class are Ohio State products. That includes five of the first 21 names on the analyst's big board. The Buckeyes also set a combine record in February with 13 prospects receiving an invitation.

Pro Football Talk estimated that 130 NFL personnel members were in Columbus, Ohio on March 11 for the program's pro day, including six head coaches.

Top receiving prospects Braxton Miller and Michael Thomas impressed in the 40-yard dash, running it in 4.35 seconds and 4.43 seconds, respectively.

Joey Bosa, a talented pass-rusher and potential top-5 pick, participated in every measurable workout and position drill. Bosa ran the 40 in 4.78 seconds, benched 225 pounds 28 times and posted a broad jump of 10-feet, 1-inch.

This year's top running back, Ezekiel Elliott, also showed off his versatitlity in the position drills.

The main event of the day, however, was the workout of quarterback Cardale Jones. Jones never lost a game as a starter and led the Buckeyes to the National Championship in 2014, but he was benched in favor of J.T. Barrett in 2015.

Myles Jack will hold a personal pro day

The talented linebacker is nearing 100 percent after a meniscus injury kept him from working out at the combine. Doctors have cleared Jack for full contact, but the UCLA product still didn't fully participate in the Bruins pro day.

Jack impressed in positional drills and told reporters following the workout that he felt about 80 percent. The linebacker also announced that he would hold a personal pro day, again at UCLA, on April 1 and run the 40-yard dash for the first time.

Update: Jack announced on March 29 that he will no longer hold his own pro day. That means that he will not have a timed 40-yard dash before being drafted.

Corey Coleman shows speed at Baylor Pro Day

There was plenty of anticipation ahead of Coleman's pro day after the former Baylor star didn't run the 40 at the combine. The receiver dazzled scouts and posted 40-times of 4.37 seconds and 4.10 seconds. That would have been good for second among receivers at the combine (Notre Dame's Will Fuller ran it in 4.32 seconds).

Following the workout, Mike Mayock moved Coleman up to his No. 2 receiver in the class, behind only Laquon Treadwell from Ole Miss. Coleman has the chance to become the first Baylor receiver to be drafted in the first round since Kendall Wright in 2012 (Tennesee Titans, pick No. 20). The talented wideout led the nation in 2015 with 20 touchdown receptions.

Goff draws a crowd

NFL personnel, countless media and a national television audience tuned in to see the Cal quarterback in action. Goff, who is expected to be a top-10 pick, completed 61-of-69 throws in his workout which was also scripted by Lindley.

Goff took snaps out of the shotgun and also worked on his drop backs from under center. Following the scripted portion, Cleveland Browns quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton doused a football with water and had Goff throw the wet ball a few times.

"He stepped up and put on a show. I like the script they went through," Mayock said following the workout. "They weren't afraid to let this kid show off his timing, touch and accuracy."

Non-combine invitees standoutBryce Treggs, WR, Cal

The former Golden Bear wideout said that he was clocked in the 40 as low as 4.36 seconds by one NFL scout. Treggs posted 956 receiving yards and seven touchdowns as a senior in 2015.

Joe Walker, LB, Oregon

Walterfootball.com reported that Walker was one of the most impressive prospects at Oregon's pro day. Walker led the Ducks with 87 tackles in 2015. He also posted two sacks and one interception. He measured in at 6-foot-2 and 236 pounds. Walker's 40-times were 4.60 seconds and 4.63 seconds.

Aaron Wallace, LB, UCLA

On walterfootball's same pro day recap rundown, Wallace reportedly ran the 40 in the high 4.4's to low 4.5's. Wallace also impressed with a 10-foot, 10-inch broad jump and a 36-inch vertical. The former Bruin posted 12.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks last season.


Stay tuned for more pro day updates.

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