They ran. They jumped. They impressed.
Colorado State hosted its' annual Pro Day in front of dozens of scouts on Wednesday afternoon with fifteen former Rams putting their best foot forward.
Wide receiver Michael Gallup used the opportunity to improve on his Combine numbers, jumping six inches further on his broad jump (122 inches) and clocking a 4.44 in the 40-yard dash.
Gallup, who will more than likely be the highest draft pick for CSU this year, surprised many by participating in every event besides the vertical.
“I just wanted to have fun. This was the last time I was able to play with my boys,” said a bubbly Gallup. “But I knew I could run a little bit faster on the hand time so that’s what I came out here to do.”
Besides Gallup, several others capitalized on their chance to shine.
Quarterback Nick Stevens and offensive linemen Jake Bennett, Zack Golditch, and Nick Callender all turned heads inside CSU’s Indoor Practice Facility.
Stevens has spent the past few months training with former CSU head coach Steve Fairchild, working on his velocity. He completed a series of routes with Gallup, Detrich Clark, and Dalyn Dawkins.
“Hoped for a few more inches on the vertical but I felt really, really good about everything else,” Stevens told the media following his workout. “Felt like I threw the ball well. My other tests were good. Hoped for probably a few more completions but it is what it is. We all, for the most part, looked good out there.“
Golditch’s vertical was measured at 32 ½-- quite the jump for the 6’6”, 298 pound lineman. The Aurora native had surgery on a finger on February 2 that prevented him from performing to the fullest.
“It was a pretty big set-back [having surgery]. It was a pretty big incision so they were like, hey, don’t get it infected. So I wasn’t able to do much for a while,” Golditch explained about his three month recovery process. “Once I’m out of the brace and I’m able to do more things, I think I’ll be able to do everything that I missed today and do it better.”
Callender graduated in December of 2016 and took part in the 2017 Pro Day event but ruptured his Achilles during the individual drills last year. He sees this opportunity as his second and final chance.
“I feel like this is it,” Callender said following his second Pro Day performance. “I feel like I showed out as much as I could. I feel like I got a solid chance and I’m comfortable with where I’m at.“
Callender does not have to wait until the 2018 NFL Draft to be picked up by a team. But for the rest of the athletes, they will anxiously await the weekend of April 26-28 to take the next step in their football careers.
