Indiana Football Pro Day Q&A With Jones, Mullen, Fitzgerald, Williams
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana football hosted Pro Day on Tuesday at Mellencamp Pavilion.
Indiana's participants included Alfred Bryant, Demarcus Elliott, Bryant Fitzgerald, Luke Haggard, Jonathan Haynes, James Head Jr., Bradley Jennings Jr., Cam Jones, Devon Matthews, Tiawan Mullen, Shaun Shivers and Jaylin Williams.
The Hoosiers went through various drills like the 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical jump and more in front of NFL scouts. The 2023 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 27 in Kansas City and concludes on Saturday, April 29.
When the testing was over, Jones, Mullen, Fitzgerald and Williams met with the media to discuss their thoughts on the Pro Day and what lies ahead.
Cam Jones, linebacker
Cam Jones was a three-time captain at Indiana, finishing his five-year college career with 208 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, five forced fumbles and two interceptions.
Question: Cam, you've gone through the combine and Pro Day now, what's the process been like so far?
Jones: It's been a great process, man, can't complain at all. Each and every single day I try to take something away from it, take something away from the people I'm around because it's the highest of the high on the highest level, whether it's coaches I'm around or even the elite players that I'm around. The one thing I learned throughout this process is that it takes 110 percent every single day, no days off.
Q: Having drawn on that experience from already being at the combine, were you able to help out your teammates and kind of lead the way through some of the things the scouts are looking for?
Jones: Oh yeah, definitely. Just telling them that scouts want to see you calm, they want to see you how you move and even though it's a big moment, don't let moments get to high or too low. I just told them be yourself. All of these players are great players, they're great athletes and they're my brothers and I can't wait to play with them at the next level.
Q: Cam, has there been a couple of things you've especially focused on this offseason to try to improve your game?
Jones: Yeah, I think that everybody here can run, everybody here can jump, but not everybody's got the right mindset. I always say your mindset is powerful, so each and every day I'm working on controlling my mindset, feeding my brain with positive things and blocking out the negative. It's crazy because I started reading this book by David Goggins, crazy dude, you should look it up. And then also Inky Johnson, guys like that, guys that are just motivators and attack every day.
Q: What's the rest of the way look like for you from here?
Jones: Yeah, just how can I grow myself as an overall football player? And film is the next step, film study, being able to process film and being able to look at offense to tell what they're doing before they even do it because I always tell myself, the offense tells the story you've just got to read it.
Q: What's been your favorite part or aspect of the process so far?
Jones: Just being able to compete with myself every single day. Every single day is a challenge from when I stepped foot in Fort Myers on January 2nd, there was a goal every single day and I've just got to keep stacking bricks on bricks. Although I'm competing with these guys, I'm competing with myself also.
Q: Is there a specific part of your game you feel you can contribute at the next level?
Jones: Yeah, I think that my offensive recognition is elite. Not being able to play the back end of the season, getting hurt Week 5, I was able to see football in a different lens. I was able to see football from a coach's perspective, rather than a player's perspective, and I think that took my game to a whole other level. So I'm just thankful to have leaders like coach Chad Wilt, coach Tom Allen, being able to help me learn the game of football outside of not playing football.
Tiawan Mullen, cornerback
In 2020, Tiawan Mullen became the first cornerback in school history to earn first-team All-American honors. Across four seasons, he made 144 tackles, 33 pass breakups, five interceptions, four forced fumbles and 3.5 sacks.
Question: Tiawan, what's this process been like just being out here with your brothers, being out here, what's been your favorite aspect of it so far?
Mullen: It was a great environment. Being with my brothers for the last time was the best part, better than the drills, the 40, the jump, the bench. Just being with them for one last time before we all break off and chase our dreams and get ready for April 27th. Being together was like the best part, seeing everybody smile, seeing everybody's face for like one last time. So it was great.
Q: How do you feel like you performed today?
Mullen: I feel like I performed great. I'm going to leave it up to the coaches, but I feel like I did what I had to do.
Q: Have you talked to your older brother Trayvon [Baltimore Ravens cornerback] at all about advice for going through all of this?
Mullen: Yes, he's just telling me just go out there and do my best. I'm actually going to go train with him this week I'm leaving from Bloomington this week to go out there and train with him and just get ready for the big leagues.
Q: How helpful is it to have someone like that to lean on through this?
Mullen: It's been very helpful. Step by step he was talking to me. I was sending him videos when I was training, running 40s, doing my breaks, and he was just telling me stay low, drive hard and just use my power when I'm running. So it was very helpful, it was great.
Q: Where do you feel like you made the biggest strides as far as improving your game?
Mullen: I showed I could run fast. I believe like some coaches wanted to see me run fast, so I feel like I proved that consistently running the 40 two times and running great numbers. I feel like I showed them I can run.
Q: What's the rest of the way look like for you?
Mullen: Grind, grind, grind, grind, grind.
Bryant Fitzgerald, defensive back
Bryant Fitzgerald played in 56 of Indiana's 57 games across five seasons, making 190 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 10 pass breakups and four interceptions.
Question: Bryant, what are your thoughts on how this whole process has gone today and the last few weeks?
Fitzgerald: It's definitely a fun one, and it's also a stressful one, you know, just because you want to come out here and perform at your best and do your best in front of all these NFL teams and scouts out here, but it's definitely a fun process and just a blessed process just to be a part of this.
Q: How would you assess how you did today?
Fitzgerald: You know, not my best. I started cramping there at the end of my 40, so I didn't get to do everything I wanted. But you know, I feel like I ran a solid 40 like I was expecting to run today and just trying to show the scouts that I can do everything, play any type of position on the back end.
Q: What's the rest of the way look like for you throughout this process?
Fitzgerald: Just keep training and wait for that opportunity, you know. Whenever that opportunity knocks, just be ready to take it and just go full speed, 110 percent in everything I do.
Q: A lot of scouts out here and obviously a big event this past week, what's it like for you to kind of go up with the combine in your backyard and to maybe not be there but to be watched by NFL scouts?
Fitzgerald: It's surreal because you've dreamed of this moment since you were a little kid. Growing up playing this game that you love, you want to be seen by all the scouts, you want to be able to perform in front of all these scouts, so it's definitely a great feeling.
Q: Is there a little bit of a chip on your shoulder at all despite not getting an invite to the combine to really kind of show out at this opportunity?
Fitzgerald: Yeah, definitely. There's always a chip on my shoulder, but definitely a little bit more when you don't get the invite that you're hoping to get, but that just more fuel to the fire.
Q: Has there been a favorite aspect of this process so far that you can point to?
Fitzgerald: You know, I think the favorite one is just looking back and just realizing everything that you did in college and all the players and relationships that you built and just seeing – I think my favorite part to day was just me being the biggest cheerleader I can for my teammates and just seeing them perform. Just had a great showing by the linebackers, had an outstanding showing from the safeties and the cornerbacks, so I'm just so happy for the guys and just hope that they can live out there dreams.
Q: What's it been like being back here with all those guys again?
Fitzgerald: Man, it's fun. We were just talking about all the memories before this and just laughing, chopping it up, because this is the last time you take the field with these guys so it was just a special moment.
Jaylin Williams, cornerback
Jaylin Williams played in 54 of Indiana's 57 games across five seasons, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2020. He finished his career with 152 tackles, 30 pass breakups, 6.5 tackles for loss and six interceptions.
Question: Jaylin, you went through this process with your teammates out here, just what was the feeling like today?
Williams: Just a feeling of accomplishment. I mean, those guys, we've been through so much together so just to be here in this situation is a blessing in itself with them. We've been through so much.
Q: How do you feel like you performed today?
Williams: I feel like I did alright. It's just certain things, a few things I could have done better. For me, I could have done a little better today.
Q: Having so many guys from the defensive back group like you and Tiawan and Fitzgerald and all those guys, does that make it a little more special to do this process with them?
Williams: It does make it a little special, a little bittersweet, because those have been my guys. Like I said, we've been through so much together, so for this to kind of be like our last run together it's a little bit of a bittersweet moment. But it's a blessing to be with them.
Q: Going back to your performance, is there a certain aspect you're looking to improve upon?
Williams: For me, it's just I dropped the ball, took my eyes off it. For me, that's just really it. I'm real critical of myself, so yeah, that's just for me what I could have done better.
Q: What's kind of the rest of the way look like for you in this process?
Williams: Just get back to what I was doing before, just training, just hoping that God blesses me with the opportunity to play at the next level.
Q: What's been your favorite aspect of the process so far?
Williams: Man, just the work and the grind. Just the unknowing, not knowing what's going to happen. Honestly, that's the best part about it because you never know, you never know.
Q: Is that something you like and not something that worries you?
Williams: No, for me I'm big on my religion and The Bible says don't worry, so I'm not even going to worry, not stressing, control what you can control, so that's what I'm going to do.
Q: Has coach Allen or any other coaches given you any advice throughout the last couple weeks or today about how to approach everything?
Williams: They're just telling me to relax and be myself and just do what I know I can do, and I feel like that's what I did today.
