Ball State football players each had the opportunity to impress 17 different talent scouts from the NFL and Canadian Football League during their Pro Day March 24.
Former wide receiver Jordan Williams graduated in December 2015 after a four-year career with Ball State football and immediately traveled south to Miami to train for the showcase.
He said football, however, is more than just the raw athleticism measured at Pro Day events.
“A lot of it is preparing for drills,” he said. “It’s not really football, a lot of it is training for cone drills, the 40-yard dash and stuff like that — you really can’t tell who’s the football player until they touch the field.”
Williams and his Ball State teammates started the day in the Fisher Football Complex. Each athlete's strength was evaluated by seeing how many 225-pound bench press reps they could do. Williams capped out at 21 reps.
Afterward, workouts and routines moved to the turf field inside the Jo Ann Gora Student Recreation and Wellness Center, where the scouts timed players on cone drills and the 40-yard dash. The offensive players ran routes and showed their skills catching the football.
Williams said only the best would move on to the next level.
“Not everybody has the opportunity to play this game, and not everybody has the opportunity to continue playing this game," he said.
Keenan Noel said he took an opportunity to train at the Performance Compound in Tampa, Fla. The 6-foot-1 fullback and former defensive lineman said he weighed in at 248 pounds on Pro Day after dropping about 30 pounds.
“I was trying to be more relaxed and comfortable with my body,” he said. “We had Intelligent Gourmet, so I pretty much just stuck to that and trained hard.”
Intelligent Gourmet is a food delivery service that delivers organic, healthy foods and organic juices in Tampa, Fla.
Ball State football head coach Mike Neu was on hand to support Williams, Noel and a handful of other former players even though he didn't sign on until after their collegiate careers ended.
“I wanted to support these guys who have played for four or five years here at Ball State,” Neu said. “They’re pursuing their dream of playing at the next level.”
Neu took the head coaching job on Jan. 7 after former Ball State head coach Pete Lembo resigned on Dec. 22 to take the special teams coordinator job at Maryland.
Williams, Noel and other hopeful Cardinals will learn their fate during the NFL Draft April 28-30. The CFL draft will be May 12.
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