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Rice Football: 5 Owls participate in NFL Pro Day

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Rice football hosted its 2022 NFL Pro Day on Friday, allowing players to showcase themselves in the presence of NFL scouts.

At least 11 NFL teams flocked to Rice Stadium on April 1 to watch five Rice football players showcase their talents in a variety of athletic testing exercises and positional drills. Additional players from nearby programs such as Houston Baptist and Lamar also participated alongside those Owls.

Scouts from the following teams were present: 49ers, Browns, Broncos, Colts, Jaguars, Jets, Panthers, Patriots, Seahawks and Texans. Rice football alums Myles Adams and Emmanuel Ellerbee were in attendance to support those working out, as were a host of current Rice players who cheered loudly during the athletic testing events inside the Brian Patterson Center weight room.

More: Reviewing Luke McCaffrey’s move to wide receiver

Notable results for Rice athletes included a 40.5-inch vertical jump by safety Naeem Smith, 28 bench press reps by offensive lineman Jovaun Woolford and 25 bench reps from defensive lineman Elijah Garcia.

Below are a few updates from the players following their workouts, featuring their own sales pitches to NFL teams as well as their thoughts on their Pro Day performances as a whole. Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren also shared a few words.

The Numbers

Jordan Myers
  • 40 Yard Dash: 4.69
  • Vertical Jump: 32.5″
  • Broad Jump: 9’7″
Naeem Smith
  • 40 Yard Dash: 4.68
  • Vertical Jump: 40.5″
  • Broad Jump: 10’1″
Jake Constantine
  • 40 Yard Dash: 4.81
  • Vertical Jump: 30″
  • Broad Jump: 8’8″
Jovaun Woolford
  • Bench Press: 28 reps
  • Vertical Jump: 26.5″
  • Broad Jump: 8’3″
Elijah Garcia
  • 40 Yard Dash: 4.96
  • Vertical Jump: 30″
  • Bench Press: 25 reps

What They’re Saying

 

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Rice Football Pro Day results and workout updates

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The Rice Football Pro Day was held on Monday, March 25 in front of scouts and NFL onlookers who flocked to Houston to see four Owls work out.

A 2019 roster laden with freshman and sophomores still produced a few players with professional football aspirations. Four of those now former Owls put their abilities to the test on Rice Football’s 2019 Pro Day. Punter Jack Fox, fullback Gio Gentosi, edge rusher Graysen Schantz and all-purpose back Austin Walter will participate in NFL Combine-style drills as well as on-field workouts

From my count, seven different NFL teams were in attendance: Jets, Panthers, Colts, Browns, Raiders, 49ers and Texans.

Jack Fox, Punter — 6-2 5/8, 213

Coming off a season in which he was nominated for Ray Guy Award, Fox attended the NFL Combine and the NFL Shrine Game this spring. Monday will mark his third opportunity to kick in front of NFL personnel in hopes of being selected in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Workout notes

Fox did a full array of drills: directional punting, distance punting and backed up in the endzone. He drilled some nice balls with a few hang times in the area of 4.8 seconds.

Highlights

 

 

 

Gio Gentosi, Fullback — 6-0 1/8, 239

Gentosi came to Rice in the fall of 2019 after graduating from UCLA. He saw sparse playing time for the Bruins before earning the starting fullback job with the Owls. He scored his first collegiate touchdown in his final game against Old Dominion. Gentosi did not participate in any on-field workouts.

 

 

Grayson Schantz, Defensive End — 6-2 5/8, 247

Schantz battled injuries throughout a lengthy college career which comes to an end following the 2019 season. He registered a season-high nine tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery against UTEP.

Vertical 33
Broad 95

Workout notes

Schantz participated in just about every drill including a few as a pass catcher. He exhibited his power and burst well on the bag drills toward the later portion of the day.

Highlights

 

 

 

Austin Walter, Running back — 5-6 7/8, 194

At one point the national leader in All-Purpose yardage, Walter became one of the Owls’ most versatile weapons on offense in 2019. He raised some eyebrows with a 4.49 40-yard dash time at the NFL Regional Combine in mid-March.

Vertical 31
Broad 89
Bench 15

Workout notes

Walter had a few hiccups on his starts in the 40-yard dash and shuttle drills. Once he settled in he posted times of 4.54 in the 40 and 6.75 in the three cone drill. The pass catching drills are where he shined the brightest, including a nice acrobatic catch on a ball throw with a bit too much juice over the middle. He hauled in everything and moved quickly in the agility drills.

Highlights

 

 

What’s next?

The NFL Draft runs from April 25 to April 27. It goes without saying the NFL is the primary goal for all college football players, but there are only so many roster spots to go around. There will be opportunities in the newly formed Alliance of American Football as well as the coming XFL reboot. Those who don’t stick in the NFL or don’t receive a camp invite could have further opportunities.

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