Mountaineers Showcase Talents at WVU Pro Day - WVU Football, WVU Basketball, News - Mountaineer Sports

All eyes were on West Virginia University Thursday as far as the National Football League is concerned.

Twenty-nine of the NFL's 32 teams were represented at WVU's pro day in the Caperton Indoor Practice Facility with scouts, general managers and head coaches on hand to see what the Mountaineers had to offer their profession.

Geno Smith, Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey and Joe Madsen already experienced something similar to this with last month's NFL Combine, but this time they got to run many of the same drills in their old college town.

"Just being back in Morgantown was my comfortable environment, feeling good," Smith said. "In the Combine, you only get about 10-15 throws, so to be able to get about 60-70 throws out here was a lot different and I think it helped me out a lot."

Smith connected with all of the receivers and running backs on hand to the tune of 60-of-64 on his passes, though a fifth fell incomplete when it hit one of the nets hanging from the rafters.

Austin did not drop a single pass, while Bailey let one glance off his hands for an incompletion.

"I was happy to be back here with all the guys working out with them again," said Bailey. "For the most part, it seemed like everyone had a pretty good day. I was satisfied with my day as well."

One spectator standing near the media remarked that the atmosphere was somber and that he expected to see parents of the athletes cheering their children on throughout the drills. Anyone who has seen a pro day knows this is never the case, but it does point to how different the environment is from a game.

The pressure is solely on the individual to perform and the outcome affects only that one person. The results aren't reflected on a scoreboard or in a win-loss record, but rather in the player's future.

"In the end, it's on you," said offensive lineman Jeff Braun. "It's on you to show your training, it's on you to show your skills and if you fail at something, you just have to look at yourself."

It really is a fresh start for many of these players. Those who may seem like their time has passed, or maybe it will never come, take some motivation from the fact that their old teammate, Will Johnson, made a name for himself largely through his pro day workout a year ago.

Now, players like wide receiver Ryan Nehlen are hoping to make a similar impression that scouts may not see if they turn on the tape of West Virginia's season.

"You just want to go in here and give it your all," said Nehlen. "After college, it's a new start. You want to set new impressions on people and hopefully they give you a chance."

The 6-foot-3 receiver definitely gave it his all as he came away with the best time in the 40-yard dash and both shuttles as well as the best vertical leap and broad jump.

For the top talents like Smith, Bailey, Austin and Madsen there is an expectation of sorts, knowing that their names will be called during the three-day Draft process. Many of the other players don't know if they will be drafted at all or if they'll even make it to a camp to prove themselves.

With that in mind, those more coveted athletes became cheerleaders at times on Thursday.

"I'm quite sure it gives those guys a big confidence boost with guys like us rooting them on and just cheering for them and hoping the best for them," Bailey said. "They're all a bunch of great guys and I wish the best for all of them."

Just having those big names around and seeing the strong turnout their presence brought to Morgantown can ultimately aid the other Mountaineers.

"I was totally blessed to have the years that Geno and Stedman and Tavon had this year and the publicity surrounding this event is special for guys like me who didn't have as much film on the field," said Nehlen.

Defensively, Josh Francis was probably the biggest benefactor of the day as he passed the eye test initially and every challenge that was placed in his way from then on.

The graduated linebacker says he has gained 10 pounds to get up to about 231 since the season ended and his performance in the drills, with the second-highest bench press total and one of the top four 40 times, only improved his stock.

"Today went great for me," Francis said. "I was very impressed with my day and I was glad that I was able to work out how I worked out."

After his second 40, Francis ran toward the media and exclaimed, "I got paid!" Time will tell just how big of an impact today had on Francis' future, but he certainly was pleased by how he felt he performed.

From this point on, the players will work with their agents and set up meetings with teams, hoping that they wind up in a camp and have the opportunity to stick in the NFL.

FULL STATS FROM NFL SCOUTS: