NFL scouts quit on the Jackson State's pro-day
d.green
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Damn one event (the forty) and they pulled out.
Temperatures read 28 degrees.
Lined along the back fences of the Madison Healthplex Performance Center's outdoor turf field were roughly 20 NFL hopefuls dressed in shorts, shirts and shoes — some in just shorts and shoes — about to run their 40-yard dashes.
It was the first event of Jackson State's pro day on Thursday.
It turned out to be the last.
About 13 scouts (at least two from the Canadian Football League) commenced in a separate room for a brief meeting following the 40.
When they came out, one called all the players to gather around him.
The news was disappointing.
"They were cutting people after the 40, so I guess if your time wasn't perfect, they were cutting you," former JSU wide receiver Tobias Singleton said.
"I was looking forward to doing everything. I thought it was going to be a regular pro day."
Only one player made the cut with a 4.5 time: West Alabama and former Purvis wide receiver Stephanio McNair.
The players retreated from the huddle with confusion struck across their faces as they put on their warm-ups.
It was a harsh reminder of the cutthroat nature of the pro league.
"It's a business," said Singleton, who clocked an unofficial best 4.6 and had several of his family members attend. "You can't go into every situation looking for something to be good. It's an eye-opener. Now I know what I have to do."
The event started more than an hour after its scheduled 2:30 p.m. time.
With JSU making up a majority of the participants, its pro day also consisted of players from neighboring schools, such as Mississippi Valley State, Belhaven and Murray State whose best possible chances of making an NFL would be as undrafted free agents.
They all had to impress the scouts, most who just came from Ole Miss' pro day.
It seemed like a tough act to follow. But former JSU linebacker Ariane McCree still thought a 40 didn't tell the whole story.
"Yeah, I pretty much knew they would've cut if you didn't run a good enough time and you didn't finish all the drills at a good enough time," said McCree, whose unofficial best was 4.84. "But just one drill, maybe I could've understood they'd give us two or three more drills. But one drill, it's just — there are a lot of guys out there who can run fast but they can't jump. … You can't just eliminate one guy who doesn't do one thing right."
Said Singleton: "Really disappointing. I don't any words for it. But I can't hold my head down. There are a couple of (other) tryouts."
Temperatures read 28 degrees.
Lined along the back fences of the Madison Healthplex Performance Center's outdoor turf field were roughly 20 NFL hopefuls dressed in shorts, shirts and shoes — some in just shorts and shoes — about to run their 40-yard dashes.
It was the first event of Jackson State's pro day on Thursday.
It turned out to be the last.
About 13 scouts (at least two from the Canadian Football League) commenced in a separate room for a brief meeting following the 40.
When they came out, one called all the players to gather around him.
The news was disappointing.
"They were cutting people after the 40, so I guess if your time wasn't perfect, they were cutting you," former JSU wide receiver Tobias Singleton said.
"I was looking forward to doing everything. I thought it was going to be a regular pro day."
Only one player made the cut with a 4.5 time: West Alabama and former Purvis wide receiver Stephanio McNair.
The players retreated from the huddle with confusion struck across their faces as they put on their warm-ups.
It was a harsh reminder of the cutthroat nature of the pro league.
"It's a business," said Singleton, who clocked an unofficial best 4.6 and had several of his family members attend. "You can't go into every situation looking for something to be good. It's an eye-opener. Now I know what I have to do."
The event started more than an hour after its scheduled 2:30 p.m. time.
With JSU making up a majority of the participants, its pro day also consisted of players from neighboring schools, such as Mississippi Valley State, Belhaven and Murray State whose best possible chances of making an NFL would be as undrafted free agents.
They all had to impress the scouts, most who just came from Ole Miss' pro day.
It seemed like a tough act to follow. But former JSU linebacker Ariane McCree still thought a 40 didn't tell the whole story.
"Yeah, I pretty much knew they would've cut if you didn't run a good enough time and you didn't finish all the drills at a good enough time," said McCree, whose unofficial best was 4.84. "But just one drill, maybe I could've understood they'd give us two or three more drills. But one drill, it's just — there are a lot of guys out there who can run fast but they can't jump. … You can't just eliminate one guy who doesn't do one thing right."
Said Singleton: "Really disappointing. I don't any words for it. But I can't hold my head down. There are a couple of (other) tryouts."
Comments
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That's BS
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Yeah that's ? . Give these kids an opportunity.
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One of them dudes could be technically sound at their position but didn't get a chance.
All they look for in us is speed. -
welp thats what ? get for not wanting to be with their own. they should look on the bright side though.....atleast their getting an education.
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a pro day and doing the forty in 28 degrees? While other forty are done indoors or warmer temp, not a fair trade off. I bet you if you they did it in warmer temps those forty would be sound as well as the other drills. That's just simply disrespecting HBCU athletes
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Some of the greatest players to ever play came from small schools....the very school those chumps walked out on produced bears legendary running back Walter Payton.....nfl scouts ain't ? for doing this.
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Hope one of these dudes end up making it so we can hear stories about how they overcame the odds including how scouts left their pro day.
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Chef_Taylor wrote: »Some of the greatest players to ever play came from small schools....the very school those chumps walked out on produced bears legendary running back Walter Payton.....nfl scouts ain't ? for doing this.
Jerry Rice went to MSVS and McNair went to Alcorn -
That's that ? , I hope at least one of them blows up just because they got ? on. Hell, they all should've gotten more respect for running outside when it was that cold.
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Lewis Tillman went to JSU as well, and Eddie Payton, he was hell of a player too. HBCU's always get ? on when it comes to sports, always been that way, I guess they think the talent is inferior
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This whole story is a complete mess. ? that this is the business of the league. All these dudes were looking for is a chance. This is why I wish more top recruits went to HBCUs more but its a catch-22 though. If you don't go to a big and/or prestigious school then you won't get noticed as much as going to a HBCU and have to work that much harder.
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Hell with a catch 22 hbcu's were there for us when all else failed....the one place we know we could go to display our talents when pwc didnt want us....then up north and west coast schools started breaking barriers....it would be so dope to see these kids play ball on the swac/meac ...the bayou classic as is already bring in nice crowds annually, now imagine if 5-star 4-star recruits play at those schools....pwc would prolly be in trouble trying to buy those kids away from hbcu's.
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And these scouts ultimately left because they felt the pro day wasn't as fancy as they were used to at the rich schools.
I thought scouts were to evaluate talent, not get mad cause they have to stand outside in the cold.
I thought a scout would go to a hut in Timbuktu to evaluate talent...I guess these scouts aint too serious about their craft. You never know what a guy might show you If you run the drills and see their hearts.
To leave when these guys are running forties in subpar conditions is stupid as ?
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king hassan wrote: »Chef_Taylor wrote: »Some of the greatest players to ever play came from small schools....the very school those chumps walked out on produced bears legendary running back Walter Payton.....nfl scouts ain't ? for doing this.
Jerry Rice went to MSVS and McNair went to Alcorn
Around here, we still call it Valley or Miss. Valley . Not MSVS lol
Valley is literally 40 minutes down the road from me, not far all. One of the highlights back in the 90s of going to Miss. School for the Deaf (which is in Jackson), we literally right across the freeway from the Vet. Stadium, so they always took us JrHs and HS students to the Captial City Classic (Jacskon St. vs Alcorn). So I've seen McNair live twice, that dude killed JSU both years...I'll admit as a JSU fan I was salty as ? lmfao. But once he got into the league, the entire state of MS rode behind dude, including me.
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king hassan wrote: »Lewis Tillman went to JSU as well, and Eddie Payton, he was hell of a player too. HBCU's always get ? on when it comes to sports, always been that way, I guess they think the talent is inferior
Don't forget Jimmy Smith -- he played at JSU too before playing for the Jags. -
thats what im saying though....? a catch 22.....if blacks would of bought the hbcu's and used crackaganda then we as a people could make money but ? always need acceptance from their white counter parts hence why i hate jackie robinson.
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Meh. None of us know if ? like this happens all the time
The NFL is definitely not anti-small school. They probably did their due dillegence before hand and knew wasnt no gems out there. Stop cryin -
ibestrokin wrote: »thats what im saying though....? a catch 22.....if blacks would of bought the hbcu's and used crackaganda then we as a people could make money but ? always need acceptance from their white counter parts hence why i hate jackie robinson.
Blacks don't own the hbcus? -
king hassan wrote: »Chef_Taylor wrote: »Some of the greatest players to ever play came from small schools....the very school those chumps walked out on produced bears legendary running back Walter Payton.....nfl scouts ain't ? for doing this.
Jerry Rice went to MSVS and McNair went to Alcorn
Around here, we still call it Valley or Miss. Valley . Not MSVS lol
Valley is literally 40 minutes down the road from me, not far all. One of the highlights back in the 90s of going to Miss. School for the Deaf (which is in Jackson), we literally right across the freeway from the Vet. Stadium, so they always took us JrHs and HS students to the Captial City Classic (Jacskon St. vs Alcorn). So I've seen McNair live twice, that dude killed JSU both years...I'll admit as a JSU fan I was salty as ? lmfao. But once he got into the league, the entire state of MS rode behind dude, including me.
Proud Alcornite here. Saw McNair live as a lil boy and he was most definitely the truth. Meet him about 10 years ago when I was a senior @ Alcorn. Real humble down to earth cat. The whole state of Mississippi was hurt behind his death. -
Yeah I wish HBCU's would be the place for top tier athletes so these schools wouldn't soley rely on government funding to stay afloat, and be able get in on tv contracts and merchandising like the top schools.
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[img][/img]This whole story is a complete mess. ? that this is the business of the league. All these dudes were looking for is a chance. This is why I wish more top recruits went to HBCUs more but its a catch-22 though. If you don't go to a big and/or prestigious school then you won't get noticed as much as going to a HBCU and have to work that much harder.
You right, and if they do they try to skew their numbers -
Meh. None of us know if ? like this happens all the time
The NFL is definitely not anti-small school. They probably did their due dillegence before hand and knew wasnt no gems out there. Stop cryin
Then why have em at all then? Just look at the tape across the board. -
king hassan wrote: »Chef_Taylor wrote: »Some of the greatest players to ever play came from small schools....the very school those chumps walked out on produced bears legendary running back Walter Payton.....nfl scouts ain't ? for doing this.
Jerry Rice went to MSVS and McNair went to Alcorn
Bullet Bob Hayes and Nate Newton went to FAMU
Doug Williams - Grambling State
Mike Strahan - Texas Southern
Jackie Slater - Jackson State
Deacon Jones - MVSU
Donald Driver - Alcorn St
Shannon Sharpe - Savannah St
Ed "Too Tall' Jones and Richard Dent - Tenn State
HBCUs have produced many great ones.
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John Taylor went to my alma mater, Delaware State. Jamaal Jackson, too.
HBCUs stay being disrespected. -
king hassan wrote: »Chef_Taylor wrote: »Some of the greatest players to ever play came from small schools....the very school those chumps walked out on produced bears legendary running back Walter Payton.....nfl scouts ain't ? for doing this.
Jerry Rice went to MSVS and McNair went to Alcorn
Bullet Bob Hayes and Nate Newton went to FAMU
Doug Williams - Grambling State
Mike Strahan - Texas Southern
Jackie Slater - Jackson State
Deacon Jones - MVSU
Donald Driver - Alcorn St
Shannon Sharpe - Savannah St
Ed "Too Tall' Jones and Richard Dent - Tenn State
HBCUs have produced many great ones.
Donald Driver - Alcorn State
Aeneas Williams - Southern
Larry Little - Bethune Cookman
