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Many college football players dream of a chance to play in the NFL, to make the big money, and play on the big stage. WVU held its annual pro day to help 11 Mountaineer football players potentially reach that goal. NFL scouts from seven different teams were there to watch and take notes on the WVU players hoping to make it to the big league.

 

The pro day is set up almost exactly like the NFL combine, but allows more players from WVU to participate. Early in the morning players perform a broad jump, vertical jump, and bench press. Then inside the Caperton Indoor Facility the players participate in the 40-yard dash, shuttle, three cone, and suicide drills before performing individual position drills. The focus of the day was showing NFL scouts what some of the lesser known Mountaineers could do on the field, but the stars of the show were the three WVU players who made it to the NFL combine.

 

Alric Arnett, Selvish Capers, and Jarrett Brown all worked out for the scouts and looked to be in good shape. Arnett dropped a few passes but performed well in the 40-yard dash and three cone drill. Capers was the lone offensive lineman to work out for the scouts, but his footwork looked very good and he moved well throughout the cone drills. Brown got to showcase his arm for a few more scouts and did not disappoint. Although his deep balls weren't a tight spiral, almost everything else was. Brown had no problem making any of the passes and you could hear the ball cutting through the air after it left his hand. All three players felt they improved their draft stock.

 

"I think I did pretty good. I had all my time down from the combine on everything I did, so I feel comfortable about that," Arnett said. "That's something I had wanted to do, come out here and perform again, work out twice in front of the scouts, and get my second view. I feel like I could've done a lot of things better from the combine."

 

"I think I did well. I'm satisfied. I think I did a tremendous job and opened up even more eyes, so I'm happy," Capers told the media.

 

"I did alright. I just wanted to come out and complete passes, show them my accuracy, and my strength," said Brown. "I think I gave the teams a lot of looks because of the Senior Bowl, the combine, and today, so I didn't really have to do all the drills. I kind of helped myself out by participating in all the events."

 

Despite performing well, Arnett says he feels sometimes the results from the combine or pro day aren't nearly as important as what a player can actually do on the field.

 

"It's just numbers on a sheet. They're just measurables. They don't really determine the football player that you are," Arnett said. "They show the quickness that you have, but as a football player you're not going to run a 20 yard shuttle on the football field. Here, they want to see your 40 and how explosive you are and from a receiver stand point running the routes and catching the ball."

Capers agrees that it can be frustrating, but understands why players put themselves through it to chase their dream.

 

"It gets a little frustrating and hectic at times, but at the same time it's a process. The people that came before me had to do the same thing so you have to go along with it," Selvish Capers said. "At the same time it's enjoyable too."

 

Jarrett Brown has participated in the Senior Bowl, the NFL Combine, and West Virginia's pro day, leading one to believe he may be a little tired of constant workouts to show his value. He feels that although it is hard work, he still had a blast going through it.

 

"The whole experience has been great. My approach to this process was the same as going to a football camp," Brown said of his workouts back home in Miami. "It was hot, muggy, humid, and I was going to be really tired and still I had to be really sharp."

 

Pro day allows for players to work out in an environment they are completely comfortable in and a chance to perform at the school they decided could help them reach the pro level. All three players say WVU made all the difference in chasing their NFL dream.

 

"West Virginia helped me. When I started training, especially route running, we ran similar routes that you're going to run in the NFL," Arnett said. "I didn't have to take a lot of time off and say 'I have to focus on this' , I just knew how to run a six step speed."

 

"It made me a pro prospect," Capers said of his time at WVU. "The coaching staff did a tremendous job with me. I wouldn't be in the situation I am if it wasn't for West Virginia."

 

"I think I've surprised a lot of teams with my knowledge of the game of football of what I know on the board, where I can get up there and just draw it up for them, not just my skill set on the field," Brown said of what he learned as a Mountaineer.

 

All 11 of WVU's players who would like to take it to the next level must now play the waiting game to see if their name will be called in the NFL Draft. The only appearances the players can make for NFL scouts are now through private workouts. Alric Arnett has a workout scheduled with the Miami Dolphins on April 9th. Jarrett Brown has two separate workouts scheduled. He will meet with the Buffalo Bills on April 4th, then has a meeting with the Carolina Panthers on April 12th. Both of those teams are in the hunt for a new quarterback. Selvish Capers didn't say if he had any workouts scheduled, but with the draft not being until April 22nd, anything could happen.