From Mansfield Legacy to SMU to … NFL? Chad Pursley chasing dream as ‘underdog’
Chad Pursley showed up at SMU weighing 240 pounds and, after four different head coaches and countless hours of work, he left the school as a 310-pound offensive lineman with NFL aspirations.
The former Mansfield Legacy standout has been training at APEC in Fort Worth, and will showcase his talents in front of pro scouts and evaluators at the Mustangs’ Pro Day today.
“I’m trying to be the best version of myself every day,” Pursley said after a recent training session at APEC. “I’m working on individual spots of where I need to get better at. I’m trying to get better at the 40 [yard dash], have a better start there. Overall, every drill I’m trying to get better.”
Pursley is coming off a season in which he played in eight games, including seven starts, at left tackle. His best year with the Mustangs came as a junior in 2017. Pursley started all 13 games, blocking for an offense that ranked 12th nationally in scoring offense (37.8 points), 15th in total offense (478.5 yards) and 19th in passing offense (294.1 yards).
The Star-Telegram caught up with Pursley on a variety of topics, including a college career that featured four different head coaches (June Jones, Tom Mason, Chad Morris and Sonny Dykes).
How would you assess your college career? “Several coaching changes, but overall I have no regrets. Looking back, I had four head coaches who were all tremendous coaches who helped me become a better player on the field and person off the field. With that being said, all four of them brought a different mindset and broadened my view of football. I feel like that can help me at the next level for sure.”
What’d you tell NFL teams about yourself as a player? “You’re going to get a gritty player. A hard worker. A person who is dedicated to his craft. Someone who is going to come in and try to make a difference right away.”
You played left tackle at SMU. Do you have position flex though? “I do feel most comfortable at left tackle, but in practice I worked at different positions. I feel I can play other positions on the line of a team needs me to. I’ll give my all trying to learn.”
Courtland Sutton was a second-round pick out of SMU last year. But are there still hurdles playing in a non-Power Five conference? “I’m trying to follow in the footsteps of other SMU players who had success. I feel like there’s good competition in the AAC, so hopefully what I have on tape is going to show out to scouts.”
Finally, did you envision being a pro prospect when you left Mansfield Legacy five years ago? “From the beginning, I’ve always had pro aspirations. SMU, I was around 240 pounds trying to play offensive line, so I had to bulk up. It took me a little while, but this past senior year I got to the weight I wanted. Even though I did have injuries this past year, I felt like I had a dominant year. I gave it my all and I’m in a good position to show I’m an underdog in this draft class.”