Cal Football: Five Former Bears to Show Scouts Their Talents at Pro Day on Thursday

In a Year Impacted by COVID, Pro Day Takes on Added Importance for NFL Prospects

For five former Cal football players, Thursday afternoon’s Pro Day workout at Memorial Stadium is their last, best chance to impress NFL scouts and personnel folks.

“It’s big,” said Cal coach Justin Wilcox.

Cornerback Camryn Bynum, offensive lineman Jake Curhan and defensive end Zeandae Johnson off the 2020 Bears’ squad will participate in drills that will show off their speed, agility, skills and strength. Two members of the 2019 Cal team — defensive back Traveon Beck and wide receiver Jordan Duncan — also are scheduled to be on hand.

Most NFL teams typically sent a representative to Cal’s Pro Day, but this year is different in many ways and an athletic department spokesperson said the Bears aren’t sure how many scouts will show up. Stanford is holding its own Pro Day earlier in the day and NFL personnel are expected to attend both events.

Typically, top college players have several avenues for showing off their potential to NFL teams. The biggest of those is the NFL Combine, a week-long event at which prospects are evaluated through workouts, interviews, physical exams and psychological testing.

Bynum and Curhan were among 323 players who received invites this season to the combine before it was canceled in mid-January because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It always is big (but) especially without the combine there’s only so many chances to get in front of the people who are making picks and evaluating,” Wilcox said.

Bynum, Curhan and Johnson all got the chance to play in post-season all-star games, Bynum and Curhan at the Senior Bowl and Johnson at the Hula Bowl.

The all-star games are “really valuable,” Wilcox said, “because they’re getting coached by the teams, all the scouts and GMs are there.”

Ultimately, Wilcox stressed, the top evaluation tool is a player’s game tape.

“The No. 1 evaluation is going to be on the game tape from the games that they played in in their college career,” he said. “I know talking to all the evaluators — scouts and GMs and personnel people — that’s it.

“They want to be able to confirm (at Pro Day) their movement skills, their strength, athleticism and all those things. Guys can certainly help themselves. The workout will always come second to the game production.”

Of course, Cal played just four games last season, the remainder of its schedule wiped out by the pandemic. Curhan played just two games due to COVID issues on the Bears’ offensive line.

Here’s a look at Cal’s five NFL hopefuls:

— CAMRYN BYNUM, cornerback: Expected to be the Bears’ highest draft player — perhaps in the fourth or fifth round — Bynum is Cal’s only player to start all 42 games from 2017 through 2020. He had 188 career tackles, six interceptions and 29 pass breakups. Bynum was a first-team All-Pac-12 player in 2020 after earning second-team honors as a junior i 2019.

— JAKE CURHAN, offensive line: Curhan started all 40 games he played in his Cal career, all at right tackle. But the 6-foot-6, 330-pounder spent time working at both guards positions at practices leading to the Senior Bowl as scouts wanted to see if he projects as a versatile, multi-position player.

— ZEANDAE JOHNSON, defensive line: Johnson played in 41 career games with 18 starts during six seasons at Cal through 2020. A defensive end the past couple seasons, he posted career totals of 59 tackles, including 9.5 tackles for loss.

— TRAVEON BECK, defensive back: The 5-9, 165-pounder played for the Bears from 2016 through ’19, compiling 77 career tackles with four interceptions.

— JORDAN DUNCAN, wide receiver: Duncan also completed his Cal career in 2019, catching 62 passes for 782 yards and eight TDs. The 6-1, 205-pounder started 11 games and had a career-best 25 receptions as a senior in 2019.

Wilcox acknowledged he doesn’t know exactly what NFL scouts are thinking, but believes all five former Golden Bears will get the chance to show their skills.

“And that’s all you can ask for is an opportunity,” he said. “I’m sure they want to get themselves drafted as high as they possibly can to get themselves in the best situation.

“I would expect all those guys to make the most of their opportunity. I know that because of how they’re wired, what kind of talents they have. I would expect them to do well when given the opportunity.”

Cover photo of Camryn Bynum at the Senior Bowl All-Star Game by Vasha Hunt, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo