Alabama NFL Pro Day 1 Open Thread - LIVE UPDATES

It’s a quick turnaround for Crimson Tide players hopeful of joining the NFL in 2018. Just days after competing in the NFL Draft Scouting Combine, several Tide players will go through drills at the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility in Tuscaloosa. They will be joined by a few others hoping to catch a coach’s eye. All 32 NFL teams will be represented.

The event will be covered by the SEC Network from noon until 2pm CT with Greg McElroy on hand for commentary and interviews. The participants will likely do many of the same events from the Combine and also get some hands on workouts with NFL assistant coaches. These position drills are usually ones the players learn on the spot. It holds two purposes: 1) how well they perform; 2) how well they take instruction.

The following players were announced by Alabama as participants:

• Bradley Bozeman
• Rashaan Evans
• Robert Foster
• Josh Frazier
• Da’Shawn Hand
• JC Hassenauer
• Austin Johnson (walk-on)
• Jamar King
• Calvin Ridley
• Bo Scarbrough
• JK Scott
• Cam Sims
• Levi Wallace

According to a release from Alabama, Anthony Averett, Tony Brown, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Shaun Dion Hamilton, Ronnie Harrison and Da’Ron Payne will be participating in meetings but are not scheduled to work out. Although not mentioned, it would be assumed that Hootie Jones would also be available for meeting despite his recovery from a knee injury suffered in the Iron Bowl. Other former Tide players should be involved as well.

PRO DAY II

Alabama will hold a 2nd pro day March 28 for those who hope to work on some skills.

Broad Jump Numbers:

• Bradley Bozeman: 8’ 1”
• Joshua Frazier: 8’ 3”
• JC Hassenauer: 8’ 5”
• Austin Johnson: 8’ 7”
• Jamar King: 9’ 5”
• Cam Sims: 10’ 3”

UPDATES

You may need to refresh to see updates:

• Blake Sims is in the house warming up his arm. He will likely be throwing to Ridley, Foster and Sims.
• Former Alabama players Adam Griffith, Cole Mazza and Brandon Moore are warming up on the sideline as well. We may have a kicking exhibition.
• Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin are in attendance.
• Titans GM Jon Robinson, Vikings GM Rick Spielman, Steelers GM Kevin Colbert are here as well.
• Also in attendance was Washington Redskins President Bruce Allen, Panthers GM Marty Hurney, and Lions GM Bob Quinn.
• Bradley Bozeman completed 27 reps of 225 on bench press. BOOM!
• Butch Jones is in the house - wearing Crimson! (☉_☉)
• Rashaan Evans and Ronnie Harrison will again not be running the 40. There must be some nagging injuries. I would expect them to run at Pro Day II.
• Bret Bielema has been spotted - NOT in Crimson - chatting with his old OC and new Alabama QB coach Dan Enos.

• Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Lions head Coach Matt Patricia are here.
• Former Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez is in attendance. Future analyst? Recall he used to work for AD Greg Byrne and was once offered the job at Bama.
• Evans is going through drills with Hand, Frazier, and King.
• Vrabel personally went through drills holding a practice pad against Evans, Hand, and Frazier - very unusual for a head coach.
• A Titans assistant later did on-on-one drills with Evans. Seems like a lot of interest in the Tide linebacker. Tennessee has the 25th overall pick.
• Nick Saban is chatting with Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards. He was on Saban’s staff in Miami.
• Tomlin and Steelers GM Kevin Colbert are flanking Minkah Fitzpatrick, chatting with him. Might they be looking to trade up?
• When asked about Butch Jones, Saban said “we are interested”. I assume this means it is not a done deal yet and he is not allowed to comment. Most likely paperwork just needs finalizing.
• You have to love this: Alabama staffers are filming all workouts, so that the players and coaches can review them later and learn where to improve. #BuiltByBama
• Calvin Ridley is still enrolled at the Capstone so he can get his degree in May. He and his family made getting a degree a priority. On his upcoming graduation, he said “that’s going to be one of the best days of my life.” He continued “a (big) part of my life is going to be complete. So I am going to be very happy about that.”
• Ridley on why he came to Alabama: “I visited here and I fell in love right away. I wanted to be a winner. I wanted to win championships. That stadium. That crowd. I came to the LSU game, fell in love, and committed and stayed committed, and I feel like I made a great decision.”
• Minkah Fitzpatrick said at the Combine, part of the testing was asking him “what is the capital of Alaska?” “Where is Paris?”
• On Nick Saban, Fitzpatrick stated “The last three years, I picked his mind. I learned a whole lot from him. He taught me to be thorough, focus on the little details and enjoy The Process®.”
• Redskins Defensive Backs Coach Torrian Gray was seen yucking it up with Fitzpatrick. They have the No. 13-overall pick.
• Evans looked really sharp in drills. It is a little strange he didn’t run the 40 - again.
• Bradley Bozeman told reporters he weighed in at 298 pounds today, said he’s lost 32 pounds since the season’s end. [If he doesn’t make it in the NFL, he could start a weight-loss clinic!]
• Robert Foster said he has a visit scheduled with the New Orleans Saints on March 23.
• Eighty scouts representing all 32 NFL teams attended Alabama’s Pro Day this morning, including five head coaches and six general managers. Just so you know, not every school is going to get that kind of turnout. It is rare that all 32 have a representative in attendance. Usually, a school may get one or two head coaches or GMs show up.
• Also in attendance was a WWE recruiter, invited by Coach Scott Cochran.
• Jamar King put up some good numbers: 4.78 in the 40, 30” vertical, 9’5” broad and 20 bench reps.
• Former Alabama All-American OL Barrett Jones was on hand doing some interview and being interviewed.
• Asked by McElroy about the quarterback situation, Saban deadpanned “I think their biggest issue is, does Greg McElroy have a chance to come back.”
• Saban threw out the first pitch at the Joe for the baseball game against Southern Miss.
• The 2018 NFL Draft will run from April 26-28 and will take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.