With no pro day, TCU’s Patterson doing his best to speak on behalf of NFL prospects
This was supposed to be a big weekend for TCU football.
The annual pro day had been scheduled for Friday, which would have drawn a number of high-profile NFL evaluators with the Horned Frogs boasting several possible first-round talents in Jalen Reagor, Jeff Gladney and Ross Blacklock.
And, on Saturday, TCU planned to hold its spring scrimmage and unveil the east-side expansion project to its donors.
But the coronavirus pandemic has put the sports world on pause as both events have been canceled.
The NFL prohibited teams from traveling to pro days, and TCU has shut down its campus amid the crisis.
For TCU coach Gary Patterson, the biggest disappointment is having pro day canceled. There were 14 players hoping to showcase their skills in front of professional evaluators.
The biggest blow is for the players who weren’t able to go to the NFL Scouting Combine last month such as safeties Innis Gaines and Vernon Scott and offensive tackles Anthony McKinney and David Bolisomi. Right tackle Lucas Niang attended the combine, but had yet to be cleared from season-ending hip surgery to go through any tests.
“I’ve tried to come up with three or four different angles of how to be able to assist them to get them on film,” Patterson said. “Every avenue right now has been closed down. Those are the guys I feel the worst for because I’ve been trying to find ways to be able to do that.
“It’s also making sure we keep everyone’s health in mind. Right now, we’re kind of sitting on our hands when it comes to those guys.”
As much as a pro day could have helped a player such as Gaines, who had two injury-plagued years in 2018 and 2019, NFL teams will have to go back and study film more closely. Expect them to rely and reach out to the TCU coaches even more too.
Teams will have to gather as much information as possible without being able to interview the players in person.
Patterson said NFL teams haven’t reached out to him more than in previous years, but expects it to pick up in the coming weeks with the draft still on for April 23-25.
“I think they’re going to end up having more and more conversations,” Patterson said. “I’ve talked to many of them. I’m trying to help, especially the guys who didn’t have a chance to go to the combine and work out like Lucas Niang, Vernon Scott, David Bolisomi ... go down the list of guys in our group who did not get an opportunity to show themselves.
“You’ve got to do the best you can to speak on their behalf.”
Here’s the list of TCU players who were expected to participate in the pro day: Reagor, Gladney, Blacklock, Gaines, Scott, Niang, Bolisomi, McKinney, Sewo Olonilua, Darius Anderson, Shameik Blackshear, Cordel Iwuagwu, Julius Lewis and Jonathan Song.
