Colorado State University Athletics
Photo by: Nick Monaghan
NFL personnel get good look at Rams' talent on Pro Day
3/6/2019 3:00:00 PM | Football
Representatives from all 32 NFL teams on hand for workout
FORT COLLINS, Colo.—Wednesday was the day to shine for 12 former Rams seeking to make a positive impression on NFL personnel ahead of the 2019 NFL Draft, April 25-27.
Representatives from all 32 NFL teams were on the Colorado State campus Wednesday morning for the CSU Football program's annual Pro Day. The morning began at 7 a.m. with meetings, followed by measurements and bench press in the Canvas Stadium weight room beginning at 7:45.
The scene shifted to the Indoor Practice Facility at 8:30 a.m. for on-field testing, which included vertical jump, broad jump, 40-yard dash, three-cone drill and other sprint and agility work. The final portion featured quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels throwing various routes to wide receivers Olabisi Johnson and Preston Williams, and running back Izzy Matthews, followed by linebackers Tre Thomas and Josh Watson receiving some individual workouts from several teams.
No times or measurements were made available.
There are 11 former Rams currently on NFL rosters, including four who took part in last year's CSU Pro Day. Wide receiver Michael Gallup was drafted in the third round by the Dallas Cowboys and had an impressive rookie season, helping the Cowboys to the NFL Divisional Playoff round. Three others, who signed undrafted free-agent contracts, are running back Dalyn Dawkins (Tennessee), offensive lineman Zack Golditch (Arizona) and long snapper Trent Sieg (Oakland).
Several players spoke to the media in the IPF after the workouts. Below is a portion of their comments.
WIDE RECEIVER OLABISI JOHNSON
On his performance today
"I think I did really well. I was relaxed. This is a comfortable environment. This is my college. I'm with my quarterback. I feel really good about it."
On what he worked on for today
"Just consistency. I think I had a great showing at the (NFL) Combine and came here and did the same thing, so I can control what I can control. (I'll) talk to the teams now and see who likes me."
On his NFL potential after
"Getting the opportunity to go to the Combine was huge for me. It was a dream come true. You watch it on TV; you sit there dreaming about it, (saying), 'I'm going to be out there one day. I'm going to be out there.' But then it actually came true and I made the most of it out there."
On his personal strengths
"I'm very prepared. I think I am a very savvy football player, mentally and physically. Also Michael Johnson Performance, they have me right out there. We did some mock-interviews and things like that. They know the types of questions coaches are going to ask, so I was really prepared."
On mentorship from Next Level Rams
"Yes. Ever since my freshman year, (Cleveland Browns WR) Rashard Higgins has been hard on me, not too hard. All he does is critique my routes. I think I posted a story (about it) on Instagram, and I get him in my DMs, saying, 'Too many steps!' and things like that. Other than that, we haven't really communicated a bunch. (As for Dallas Cowboys WR Michael Gallup), I was up there in Dallas. I hung out with him a little bit, we chopped it up, talked about what the Combine experience was like for him. It's definitely a mental game with them. They try to keep you in meetings, sitting in rooms forever before you run. We sat around for probably two and a half hours before we got to run."
On his communication with Green Bay Packers WR coach Alvis Whitted, CSU's wide receivers coach from 2012-2018
"I saw Alvis at the Combine. We had some great conversation. He's proud of me. I was happy to see him. That's definitely a position he deserves. He's been in for it for a long time. He's a great dude."
On his performance today
"I think I did pretty good. I came out here to do my best. I felt really comfortable. It felt good to be back here too. I felt like I did what I needed to do."
On his NFL role model
"I model myself after everybody in the league. They're all professionals. I want to be just like all of those guys. I talked to (Dallas Cowboys WR Michael Gallup), and he told me to keep grinding and keep my head down."
On his strong suits
"I feel like I test exceptionally well. It's one of my strong suits. I don't get nervous. I have to stay steady."
On his plans until the draft
"Meet with teams, keep practicing. I have one with the Cleveland Browns. I've talked to (Cleveland Browns WR Rashard) Higgins, he just gives me good advice. He's a pro."
On seeing Green Bay Packers WR Coach Alvis Whitted in Indianapolis
"Alvis interviewed me. He grilled me. He gave me a hard time."
On what a team will get from him
"Any team that will take a chance on be I'd be glad. I'm going to give them my best efforts. (They will get a) great football player and an even better person.
QUARTERBACK K.J. CARTA-SAMUELS
On his performance
"I feel like it went pretty well. You can always be better. I thought I did good. I've been working a lot, so it felt really good to get out there. But effort-wise, it was everything I wanted to do. I'm not stopping now."
On his goals today
"Just slinging it. Honestly, it was just to sling it. I've put in so much work…I don't want to overthink or have too many thoughts. I just stayed out of my head and listened to music. I trusted the process and trusted everything I've put into this."
On help from his brother, Mizzou Offensive Quality Control / Analyst Austyn Carta-Samuels
"I just went out there three weeks ago and worked with him for about 10 days, getting my mechanics right for this day. He's helping me out so much."
On teammate WR Preston Williams
"I would tell (teams) that they're getting first-round talent for sure. He can jump up, he's fast, he makes insane plays. He's a guy that can definitely make a lot of catches that not many receivers in the league can. He's a special talent."
Representatives from all 32 NFL teams were on the Colorado State campus Wednesday morning for the CSU Football program's annual Pro Day. The morning began at 7 a.m. with meetings, followed by measurements and bench press in the Canvas Stadium weight room beginning at 7:45.
The scene shifted to the Indoor Practice Facility at 8:30 a.m. for on-field testing, which included vertical jump, broad jump, 40-yard dash, three-cone drill and other sprint and agility work. The final portion featured quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels throwing various routes to wide receivers Olabisi Johnson and Preston Williams, and running back Izzy Matthews, followed by linebackers Tre Thomas and Josh Watson receiving some individual workouts from several teams.
No times or measurements were made available.
There are 11 former Rams currently on NFL rosters, including four who took part in last year's CSU Pro Day. Wide receiver Michael Gallup was drafted in the third round by the Dallas Cowboys and had an impressive rookie season, helping the Cowboys to the NFL Divisional Playoff round. Three others, who signed undrafted free-agent contracts, are running back Dalyn Dawkins (Tennessee), offensive lineman Zack Golditch (Arizona) and long snapper Trent Sieg (Oakland).
Weight Room ☑️
— Colorado State Football (@CSUFootball) March 6, 2019
Time for field drills.#CSUProDay | #EDGE pic.twitter.com/Zm58ynLpxX
Several players spoke to the media in the IPF after the workouts. Below is a portion of their comments.
WIDE RECEIVER OLABISI JOHNSON
On his performance today
"I think I did really well. I was relaxed. This is a comfortable environment. This is my college. I'm with my quarterback. I feel really good about it."
On what he worked on for today
"Just consistency. I think I had a great showing at the (NFL) Combine and came here and did the same thing, so I can control what I can control. (I'll) talk to the teams now and see who likes me."
On his NFL potential after
"Getting the opportunity to go to the Combine was huge for me. It was a dream come true. You watch it on TV; you sit there dreaming about it, (saying), 'I'm going to be out there one day. I'm going to be out there.' But then it actually came true and I made the most of it out there."
On his personal strengths
"I'm very prepared. I think I am a very savvy football player, mentally and physically. Also Michael Johnson Performance, they have me right out there. We did some mock-interviews and things like that. They know the types of questions coaches are going to ask, so I was really prepared."
On mentorship from Next Level Rams
"Yes. Ever since my freshman year, (Cleveland Browns WR) Rashard Higgins has been hard on me, not too hard. All he does is critique my routes. I think I posted a story (about it) on Instagram, and I get him in my DMs, saying, 'Too many steps!' and things like that. Other than that, we haven't really communicated a bunch. (As for Dallas Cowboys WR Michael Gallup), I was up there in Dallas. I hung out with him a little bit, we chopped it up, talked about what the Combine experience was like for him. It's definitely a mental game with them. They try to keep you in meetings, sitting in rooms forever before you run. We sat around for probably two and a half hours before we got to run."
On his communication with Green Bay Packers WR coach Alvis Whitted, CSU's wide receivers coach from 2012-2018
"I saw Alvis at the Combine. We had some great conversation. He's proud of me. I was happy to see him. That's definitely a position he deserves. He's been in for it for a long time. He's a great dude."
WIDE RECEIVER PRESTON WILLIAMSFrom Colorado ➡️ #NFLCombine@CSUFootball WR @BisiJohnson1 & @UNCBearsFB WR @yungwes81 represented for our local wideouts in Indy. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/AbMPZXkXKJ
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) March 6, 2019
On his performance today
"I think I did pretty good. I came out here to do my best. I felt really comfortable. It felt good to be back here too. I felt like I did what I needed to do."
On his NFL role model
"I model myself after everybody in the league. They're all professionals. I want to be just like all of those guys. I talked to (Dallas Cowboys WR Michael Gallup), and he told me to keep grinding and keep my head down."
On his strong suits
"I feel like I test exceptionally well. It's one of my strong suits. I don't get nervous. I have to stay steady."
On his plans until the draft
"Meet with teams, keep practicing. I have one with the Cleveland Browns. I've talked to (Cleveland Browns WR Rashard) Higgins, he just gives me good advice. He's a pro."
On seeing Green Bay Packers WR Coach Alvis Whitted in Indianapolis
"Alvis interviewed me. He grilled me. He gave me a hard time."
On what a team will get from him
"Any team that will take a chance on be I'd be glad. I'm going to give them my best efforts. (They will get a) great football player and an even better person.
QUARTERBACK K.J. CARTA-SAMUELS
On his performance
"I feel like it went pretty well. You can always be better. I thought I did good. I've been working a lot, so it felt really good to get out there. But effort-wise, it was everything I wanted to do. I'm not stopping now."
On his goals today
"Just slinging it. Honestly, it was just to sling it. I've put in so much work…I don't want to overthink or have too many thoughts. I just stayed out of my head and listened to music. I trusted the process and trusted everything I've put into this."
On help from his brother, Mizzou Offensive Quality Control / Analyst Austyn Carta-Samuels
"I just went out there three weeks ago and worked with him for about 10 days, getting my mechanics right for this day. He's helping me out so much."
On teammate WR Preston Williams
"I would tell (teams) that they're getting first-round talent for sure. He can jump up, he's fast, he makes insane plays. He's a guy that can definitely make a lot of catches that not many receivers in the league can. He's a special talent."
Players Mentioned
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