MADISON, Wis. - Several former Wisconsin football players worked out for NFL scouts and team personnel on Wednesday morning at the McClain Center adjacent to Camp Randall Stadium. It was a big opportunity for the UW players who did not attend the NFL Combine to catch the eye of one of the 32 teams in attendance, and gave the former Badgers who did work out at the combine a chance to improve on their measurements if they wanted to.
BadgerBlitz.com was there to take in the workout, and our notes from the day are included below - along with the official results from each workout.
-- I would be surprised if anyone came away from the workout without being impressed by former UW linebacker Jack Cichy, who is still recovering from a torn ACL in his right leg that prevented him from playing for the Badgers during his senior season. Cichy told reporters after his workout was done that his knee is getting back to normal - he said he was about 90 percent recovered - and he still posted impressive numbers in the workouts he did.
Cichy did the 20-yard shuttle in just 4.19 seconds, which would have ranked fourth among linebackers at the combine. His 3-cone drill time of 6.88 seconds was also impressive, and he posted a 33.5 inch vertical jump as well. But I was also impressed with Cichy's lateral movement and how fluid he looked overall during the on-field linebacker drills. If NFL teams had questions about his recovery, Cichy now has a solid data point to show them in the run-up to the draft at the end of April.
"Through my talks with them at the combine I told them that I wasn't really 100 percent yet, there's still kind of that last 10 percent - full speed - that I'm not comfortable with," Cichy said after his workout. "That's why I didn't run the 40. But I think just how I progressed laterally and how I'm still able to do the football-specific drills, I really wanted to showcase that and show that I'm at a good spot."
-- Former UW safety Natrell Jamerson followed up on a very strong performance at the NFL combine with some more impressive numbers at Pro Day. Jamerson had a 38-inch vertical jump - the best of any player at the workout - and a 2.5 inch improvement over the 35.5 mark he had in Indianapolis. He added three inches to his broad jump result as well - going from 12 feet even at the combine to 12 feet 3 inches. Jamerson has a good senior season's worth of tape to show to teams as well, so I think he's a pretty solid bet to get drafted at this point.
-- Nick Nelson has performed well enough during the pre-draft process to where I don't think he will regret turning pro a year early after his junior season with the Badgers. On top of some very solid numbers at the NFL combine, Nelson's 20-yard shuttle time (3.88 seconds) would have been the best result for a defensive back at the combine. Once they were done for the day Nelson, Jamerson and Leon Jacobs all left the workout with representatives from a few NFL teams.
-- Linebacker Garret Dooley improved on his 40-yard dash time on Wednesday, going from a 4.80 mark in Indianapolis to 4.62 seconds at Pro Day. That's a big result for Dooley, who said that he was a little nervous for the event at the combine. That's probably the biggest difference for players when they get to their Pro Day - working out in front of family and friends at their home stadium helps them calm down and focus in on the workout.
-- Neither Leon Jacobs or Troy Fumagalli worked out at Pro Day - they were in attendance and Jacobs did some on-field drills with the linebackers. Jacobs had a very good performance at the combine, but I was a little surprised to see Fumagalli not work out. We'll just have to wait and see what teams think of him when the draft comes around next month.
-- Cornerback Derrick Tindal ran the 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds, a 121.5 inch broad jump and a 37.5 inch vertical jump during his workout. Those were pretty comparable to Nelson's results from the combine and at Pro Day.
-- Former UW cornerback Lubern Figaro had one of the fastest 40-yard dash times at Pro Day at just 4.42 seconds. His other workouts went well too for the most part, including a 123.5-inch broad jump (10 feet 3.5 inches), 14 reps on the bench press at 225 pounds and a 36.5 inch vertical jump. We'll see if that's enough to catch the eye of an NFL team.
-- Former UW safety Joe Ferguson had a nice workout as well, particularly his 124.5 inch broad jump, with was the best mark among those who worked out on Wednesday. Ferguson said after his workout wrapped up that the Pro Day was important for him to catch a team's eye after not receiving a combine invite, so we'll see if he was able to make a name for himself.
-- Alec James, Conor Sheehy, Rachid Ibrahim and Austin Ramesh all did every workout for the NFL Scouts after not receiving invites to the combine. I was impressed by James' 26 reps on the bench and his 4.75 second result in the 40-yard dash, as well as Ramesh's performance in the 20-yard shuttle and on the bench. All four were very useful players for the Badgers during their careers, and now we'll see if an NFL team or two thinks they can contribute at the next level.
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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.
