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UCLA Football: A Look at the Bruins at Pro Day

By Michael Chavez

Nov 14, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins receiver Kenneth Walker III (10) carries the ball against the Washington State Cougars in a NCAA football game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins receiver Kenneth Walker III (10) carries the ball against the Washington State Cougars in a NCAA football game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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The UCLA Football buzz yesterday wasn’t regarding breakout players for the 2017 college football season but rather Bruins looking to break into the NFL. In front of a large group of scouts from a number of NFL teams, these Bruins chased their dreams potentially one last time.

In recent years UCLA Football Pro days have seen an uptick in scouts presence. A large part of that is the type of talent the Bruins are pumping out and the fact that they no longer feel the need to hold their Pro Day on the same day as the other school across town in order to maximize the number of scouts in the area.

Pro Days are often the best chance for lesser known prospects to get in front of scouts and NFL teams if they did not receive an invite to the NFL Combine.

Go Joe Bruin looks at some of the bigger headlines coming out of UCLA Football’s Pro Day and tells you who looked good and who did not look so good.

Next: UCLA Football: Is 9 Wins an Improvement or Should it Be the Norm?

Losers

The biggest story line today was a pectoral injury to CB Fabian Moreau during the bench press. Moreau’s stock was already on the rise with a stellar combine workout and impressive film. Ironically he had seen a slight bump upwards when top CB Sidney Jones suffered an Achilles injury during his pro day.

If the injury is serious it could drop Moreau down draft boards but UCLA Head Coach Jim Mora stated he didn’t believe the injury to be serious.

If Moreau potentially lost some money today, there were a few Bruins that may end up with some nice looking checks.

Winners

WR Kenny Walker measured in at 5’9 188 lbs. and ran a blazing 4.26 unofficial 40-yard dash. Although not a huge receiver he also put up 19 reps of 225 lbs. Walker’s speed was no secret to UCLA fans or those in the program but he had struggled with drops during his college career.

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Walker helped quell some of those concerns by making every catch to round out an impressive workout. In fact I had stated earlier this offseason on the UCLA B Team Podcast that I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t drafted.

After today I think there’s a greater chance he’s a late round guy if for the one reason that speed kills and Walker has plenty of it.

Another winner from today was OLB Deon Hollins who measured in at six feet. That, for a lot of scouts and myself included, is a bench mark height.

Yes, guys in the NFL have survived under six feet but this was a win for him. He also won on the field with a 4.5 40-yard dash at 234lbs. His first step is lethal and he could be a late round addition for NFL teams looking for pass rushers.

Rapid Fire

  • Safeties Tahaan Goodman (6’1, 190 lbs.) and Randall Goforth (5’9, 186 lbs.) were smooth during the on field drills and both should field some calls from NFL teams as potential late round or UDFAs.
  • Conor McDermott who did not bench at the combine, put up 22 reps hoping to show off his physical strength.
  • Marcus Rios looked great and spoke with the New York Jets following the workouts.
  • Eddie Vanderdoes slimmed down to 302 lbs. which helped him display his quickness on the field. Playing in that range will be the best for him especially considering his knee injury from the 2015 season.
  • Cameron Judge crushed it today with a 4.5 40, a 3 cone time of 6.69 seconds, a 10.1″broad jump and a vert of 36.5″. He’s smaller at 6’1, 220lbs but would be a fantastic special teamer and rotational linebacker that still could develop into a starter.

The NFL Draft will take place April 27-29 and while we can expect a number of Bruins to be selected during those seven rounds, undrafted guys are some of the biggest NFL superstarts. Is there a potential superstar among this bunch? Just watch and see.