Former Cougars showcase skills at BYU's Pro Day

PROVO, Utah - Former BYU football players, all NFL hopefuls, demonstrated their strength, speed, agility and position skills for 21 NFL teams on Friday morning in the BYU indoor practice facility.

Members of the 2013 BYU football team who participated included wide receivers Cody Hoffman, JD Falslev and Marcus Mathews, tight ends Kaneakua Friel and Richard Wilson, linebackers Kyle Van Noy, Uani 'Unga and Spencer Hadley, offensive lineman Manaaki Vaitai, defensive lineman Eathyn Manumaleuna and defensive back Daniel Sorensen. 

‘Unga attended but did not participate in the physical drills. He is currently recovering from a knee injury sustained during BYU’s bowl game against Washington. He recorded 143 tackles for the 2013 season, set a BYU single-game tackle record of 19 against Notre Dame and earned a 2013 FBS All-Independent First Team selection.

Former Dixie State quarterback Griff Robles also took part in the drills.

Players participated in the vertical jump, broad jump, bench press, 40-yard dash, 20- and 60-yard shuttle runs and three-cone drill, in addition to position-specific exercises. 

Hoffman, Sorensen, Manumaleuna, 'Unga and Van Noy attended the NFL Scouting Combine in February. Those players did not repeat every drill at Pro Day

Van Noy, projected to go in the early rounds of the draft, focused on the position drills at the end of the event. The linebacker tallied 70 tackles, four sacks, two interceptions and one defensive touchdown during his senior season. He was also named the 2013 FBS Independent Defensive Player of the Year and played in the 2014 Reese’s Senior Bowl.

Hoffman improved his vertical jump from 27.5 inches at the NFL Combine to 31 inches at Pro Day. As a senior, he became BYU’s all-time leader in receptions, touchdowns, receiving yards, all-purpose yards and 100+ receiving yard games. In addition to his career records, he also recorded 100+ receiving yards in all four of his bowl games and played in the 2014 Reese’s Senior Bowl as well.

Sorensen turned heads with his exceptional NFL Combine performances in the 20-yard shuttle run and three-cone drill. His times were the best by any athlete at the combine. Noted for his good hands at the combine, Sorensen also completed his defensive back drills catching every ball thrown his way in front of the live scouts at Pro Day.

The fastest times posted in the 40-yard dash were from Mathews (4.52), Sorensen (4.55) and Falslev (4.59). Mathews’ time tied the 2014 Combine average for wide receivers. Mathews also had the best vertical jump at 34.5 inches, while Sorensen had the best broad jump at 122 inches (10-foot-2). The fastest 20- and 60-yard shuttle times went to Hadley with 4.20 and 11.20 seconds, respectively. Falslev and Wilson each completed the 20-yard shuttle in the 4.2 range as well.

At bench press, Wilson and Hadley completed 24 reps each, followed by Vaitai (21), Friel (19), Falslev (16) and Mathews (16).

During position drills, defensive players worked one-on-one or in small groups with the visiting scouts, while the wide receiver and tight end prospects spent their time showcasing their catching and route-running abilities.

The 2014 NFL Draft runs Thursday, May 8 through Saturday, May 10. The first round will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City on ESPN.