LSU Football's Pro Day Becomes Major Opportunity for Former Tigers
Pro day season is the time of year for all college football players to show off their skill sets in a familiar place and around familiar people. But with no NFL Combine to look forward to this season, the pro day adds an extra layer of importance for some of LSU's brightest talents.
When March 31 rolls around, the Tigers will officially have eight prospects that will be performing in front of NFL scouts and talent evaluators:
Ja'Marr Chase-receiver
Jabril Cox-linebacker
JaCoby Stevens-safety
Terrace Marshall-receiver
Racey McMath-receiver
Tyler Shelvin-defensive tackle
Tory Carter-fullback/tight end
Kary Vincent Jr.-cornerback
"It's a tremendous honor to be invited to the NFL Combine and I'm proud of each of these guys for putting themselves in position to take the next step of their football career," LSU coach Ed Orgeron said in a statement. "It's disappointing that this group won't be able to have the full NFL Combine experience, but I know they are training hard and will put on a great performance at our Pro Day later this month."
For players like Chase, Marshall, Cox and Stevens, there's a body of work and consistency that has all four pegged as potential day one or day two draft selections. In Cox and Stevens' case, strong performances at the Senior Bowl have potentially helped their draft stock.
But what about players like Shelvin and Vincent, two guys who were vital to LSU's championship in 2019 but have been out of sight, out of mind for over a year now. They don't carry the same cache a player like the former Biletnikoff winner Chase does.
This pro day will be extremely important for those two guys to show off what kind of physical improvements they've made to their bodies. For Shelvin, it always felt like he was in a battle with his own body. If he can show the power and quickness he displayed during his final season at LSU, he has the physical tools and talent to be a second round pick.
Vincent will have need to prove he's still the same explosive athlete that helped him have success not only on the football field but on the track field as well. He's likely staring at a day three pick if all goes well later this month.
Marshall appears to be on the first round bubble so a strong showing from him in terms of 40-yard dash times and various cone drills could solidify his status as a first round talent.
This is a critical month for all of these former LSU players who hope to hear their names called in April's draft. And with no traditional combine, their performances March 31 will be the final look NFL teams will remember when drawing up their draft boards.
