BullsVison: Pro Day Recap

Photo Gallery of 2011 USF Pro Day

TAMPA - Fifteen University of South Florida seniors participated in NFL Pro Day Thursday, showcasing their strength and athletic ability in front of scouts from all 32 NFL teams. 

The afternoon workouts started in the weight room, followed by practice drills in the track and field stadium.

Coaches Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots and Lovie Smith from the Chicago Bears were also present, making the experience a little more special for the players who participated. 

"You have to be able to come out here and have the same focus you would as if you were out here by yourself or in your private training facilities," said former Bulls safety Mistral Raymond. "It's the same exact thing, same exact drills, so you've got to be able to look down that line and focus. I wanted to show everybody that I'm a football player and that I can contribute to a club and I think I did that today."

Each and every one of USF's seniors left it all on the field. For most of them, it was their big shot to make a lasting impression on members from a professional organization.
     One of the standouts on the day was defensive tackle Terrell McClain, who put his explosiveness at his position on display during practice drills. He left the field satisfied with his performance.

"They (scouts) want to see if you've been slacking off after the combine, they want to see if you took a break," said McClain following workouts. "I stayed in shape."

Speaking of staying in shape, linebacker Sabbath Joseph showed up noticeably bigger after maintaining a strong and consistent workout regimen since the season ended. He didn't get a chance to show his skills at the NFL combine, so it was all or nothing for the senior, who recently packed on 12 pounds of muscle.  

"It's a wonderful feeling. I didn't feel nervous, didn't feel (any) pressure because I felt real good about everything I was doing. I had a good training session the whole three months."

It was an exhausting, yet exciting day for all the seniors, while also enjoying the opportunity to play alongside their former teammates one last time. 

Coach Skip Holtz was proud to see how far his players have come and couldn't have been happier with the turnout for NFL Pro Day. 

"I think it's a real testament to what they did on film, and what they did on the field this year and the success that we were able to have on the field because of these players, and their commitment level," said Holtz. "It's really obvious that they've put in a lot of time, effort and energy here in the last three months and they were training and getting ready for this day."