Friday, more than 40 NFL scouts from 25 NFL teams descended upon the John Rich Practice Field to watch D.J. Moore, Reshard Langford, Chris Nickson, Josh Allen, Jared Fagan, Bryant Hahnfeldt, Sean Walker and George Smith go through Vanderbilt's Pro Day.
Notable teams at the event were teams with mid to late first round picks like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans, who each had at least two scouts at the event as well as the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins.
Some other teams in attendance who have high picks in the draft and might be hoping Moore falls into the second round were the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams and Cincinnati Bengals.
The players were measured and weighed and then tested in a variety of explosion, speed and agility drills before moving to position drills. For Moore, who starred at cornerback for three years with the Commodores, this event was an opportunity to improve his draft stock, which declined after an average showing at the NFL Combine.
While Moore tried to improve his forty time on Friday, he ran a best of 4.55, similar to his times at the combine. Moore did measure in at 5 feet 9 inches and 184 pounds, however, which was taller and thinner than his measurements at the Combine.
Where Moore helped himself the most though were the position drills. Moore not only looked fluid and quick in the defensive back drills, but also ran routes as a wide receiver and caught punts for scouts. Moore's versatility could be a big reason why he is selected in the late first round above other comparable defensive backs in the draft.
For Langford, who was not invited to the NFL Combine, this event was an opportunity for him to show NFL scouts the great player that he is.
"(Today) was very critical knowing that I only had one shot (after not being invited to the combine), and I made the most of it," Langford said. "I came out here and gave my best, and I was hoping to turn some heads and answer some questions that a lot of scouts might have had."
Langford certainly looked the part on Friday. With an outstanding vertical of 39 inches and an unofficial forty of 4.55, the 6-foot-2-inch, 212-pound strong safety certainly turned some heads. Langford also did very well in the position drills catching almost everything thrown to him while showing a great back-pedal and acceleration to the ball.
Coach Bobby Johnson described Langford's performance as "fast but under control."
If you think Langford will be resting on his laurels, think again.
"Coming from Vanderbilt, we always strive for better, I did what I could, and it was my best for today; from now until the draft, I am just going to keep working hard and training for camp," Langford said.
After Friday, it would be a crime for Reshard to not be a fourth or fifth round pick.
While most of the other participants in the event are long shots to be drafted, some notable performances on the day were receiver Sean Walker and cornerback Jared Fagan both running personal bests in the forty of 4.44 and 4.47 respectively, Nickson posting a 37-inch vertical, Smith recording a 10-foot-4-inch broad jump and Allen in the three cone drill.
The NFL draft will be held on April 25 to 26 in New York City.
