#VolReport: Vols Hold NFL Pro Day

KNOXVILLE – Tennessee held its annual NFL Pro Day as all 32 teams were in Knoxville to get a first-hand look at UT’s prospects.

COLEMAN REINFORCES COMBINE PERFORMANCE

Just over a month removed from a strong showing at the 2015 NFL Combine, defensive back Justin Coleman hopes that his limited workout at Tennessee’s Pro Day was enough to reinforce the abilities he displayed in Indianapolis.

Back in February, Coleman posted the top 3-cone time among all players at the Combine (6.61). He also ranked third among all cornerbacks in the bench press (20 reps) and 60-yard shuttle (11.21).

“I came out here to just put the icing on the cake,” Coleman said. “I had a pretty strong combine, so all I had to do was do pretty well here at Pro Day to show that I’m pretty consistent.”

Coleman chose to participate only in the vertical jump and the defensive back drills on Wednesday at the Anderson Training Center. He recorded a leap of 37 inches before showing off a quick break, agile change of direction, and reliable hands in the DB drills.

“I was satisfied with what I did at the Combine,” said Coleman, explaining his workload at Pro Day. “Also I was being cautious of injuries; I didn’t want to injure anything before I did the drills. So I just did the vertical jump. I felt like no harm could come from that.”

With the NFL Combine, an appearance in the East-West Shrine Game, and now Tennessee Pro Day under his belt — all of which followed a senior season that featured 42 total tackles and a team-best four interceptions — Coleman admitted that attention from NFL coaches has been on the rise.

“[I’ve had more] coaches contacting, saying they want a private workout or they just want to sit down and talk to me. They’re showing interest. Today I talked to Philadelphia and Indianapolis.”

Coleman will have another month to wait and see if his name is called during NFL Draft weekend, keeping alive a streak of 52 consecutive years of at least one Tennessee player being selected.

“It would be an honor if I was the one to continue to that streak and be drafted,” Coleman said. “That would be pretty cool.”

DARR SEEKING ONE OF 32 PUNTING SPOTS

Despite windy conditions on Haslam Field, senior punter Matt Darr adjusted and exceeded his own expectations, notching all but one punt over 50 yards at Tennessee’s 2015 Pro Day.

“I hit some good punts out there, long punts with good hang time,” said Darr. “We finished off with some pooch punts and it all went real well.”

Darr ended his career at Tennessee averaging 42.2 yards-per-punt including a career-long 61-yard punt against Florida in October. He believes his success this past season assisted in his 2015 Pro Day performance.

“Consistency is huge but the biggest thing that you can’t really control after the fact is your game film,” Darr said. “Fortunately for me, I had an incredible season with some really big punts and some really big games.”

Darr also impressed off the field as he achieved 21 bench press reps.

“I ended up doing the bench press real well just because of the strengths I have as a punter,” said Darr. “It just kind of separates me from the rest of the punters out there.”

Prior to today’s performance, the senior reached out to former Vols Michael Palardy and Dustin Colquitt for guidance on how to prepare for pro day.

“I’ve been talking with Mike [Palardy] off and on, trying to get nuggets of gold on the process,” said Darr. “I spoke with Dustin Colquitt at the end of the season about agents and what he did preparing for pro day.”

Darr has also been training for pro day with other players that have emerged from this draft class as punters.

“We’ve all kind of been working together,” Darr said. “I have a really good grasp on this process and I think I’ve navigated it very well.”

Due to the NFL only having 32 spots for punters, Darr says the process causes players to re-cycle by continuing to train and attend camps and combines if they are not picked up their first year out of college.

“You kind of put yourself in a time table, There’s a lot of punters in the NFL that end up getting a job their second, third year out of college,” said Darr. “That’s just the way the position kind of cycles through. Even [Michael] Palardy last year, he had to re-cycle and he’s got an opportunity this year.”

WILLIAMS SURPASSES HIS BIGGEST WORRY

Entering Tennessee’s NFL Pro Day, former Tennessee defensive lineman Jordan Williams had one worry above all else–the bench press.

Despite having scouts from all 32 teams in the league eyeing each component of his game, Williams was most concerned with impressing the scouts by reaching his goal on the bench.

“Coming in, I was doing this ten weeks and the best I got was 18 [reps],” Williams said. “I thought, `I have to hit 20. I have to at least hit 20.’ I cranked out 22, and I’m happy about that.”

The Gainesville, Florida, native acknowledged that his performances on the bench press leading up to Pro Day bothered him.

“My bench was my downfall a little bit in training, but I did all right [today],” Williams said.

Williams hopes that his quality performance on the bench press, matched with his 30-inch vertical jump, nine-foot broad jump, 5.03 40-yard dash and 4.44 20-yard shuttle, will impress at least one scout in attendance.

“My goal today, being under the radar, was just to get my name on the board somewhere so somebody would just look into it a little bit more,” Williams said. “If they need somebody to come in, I’m the guy they call.”

Williams has no preference in terms of what defensive scheme he would play in the NFL as he simply wants the opportunity to wear an NFL uniform.

“Being about 280 or 290 [pounds], I could either go 3-4 end or come down inside and just play 4-3 defensive tackle,” Williams said. “I’m willing to play wherever.”

Coming off of his best season as a Volunteer, Williams started all 13 games and recorded 27 tackles, including four tackles for loss. As a result of his performance in the season, he was invited to participate in the Medal of Honor Bowl, where he recorded one sack.