Olutimilehin Olusanya

Staff Writer

What if every athletic endeavor you ever attempted led to just one day?
What if every tackle, every run, every block, every catch and every pass was added up and all those efforts cumulatively gave you a shot at your dream?
That’s the feeling running through the minds of a group of recent Trojan players.
Sometimes the pressure, the enormousness of the situation can intimidate the best of athletes.
Pro day is that magical day when pro scouts from several NFL teams come to a school and check out a player’s NFL measurables.
Players are tested in the 40-yard dash, reps of 225 lbs, the vertical leap, and the broad jump, along with the long and short shuttle.
Mastery of these drills doesn’t automatically equate to a team drafting a player, but a strong showing means collegiate players’ dreams of playing in the NFL still have life.
Many players invited to the NFL’s scouting combine in Indianapolis opt to run the drills on their college’s respective pro day.
The pro day for Troy University happened last Thursday, March 8, 2007 and there was a second pro day on March 14, 2007.
There were 12 participants from Troy University: Kirby Bodiford, Martin Teal, Brannon Condren, Franklin Lloyd, Zarah Yisreal, Eugene Hampton, Marlo East, Ryan Babb, Zach Yenser, Rob Austin, and Josh Pruitt.
Zach Yenser, Martin Teal, Zarah Yisreal, Eugene Hampton, Ryan Babb and Rob Austin helped themselves by posting numbers that were on par with players of the same position at the combine.
Brannon Condren also put on a show.
He vertical leaped 43.5 inches, repped 24 reps of 225 lbs, leapt 11ft 3 inch on the broad jump and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.44 sec.
Other notable performances were the 41.5-inch vertical put up by Hampton, the 37 inch vertical by Babb and the 40 reps on the bench by Yisreal.
There is a saying that proves accurate in this instance -- “Pressure bursts pipes or makes diamonds.”
In the case of the first pro-day, there were a few too many busted pipes.
The following week a number of Trojans made considerable improvements in various areas.
Condren was consistent with a vertical leap of 42.5 inches, a standing broad jump of 11 feet 2 inches, 20 bench reps of 225 lbs and a pro day best of 4.34 in the 40-yard dash.
Babb, Austin, Yenser, Yisreal and Teal were also consistent with their measurables from the first week.
All five players tested and timed well.
Lloyd improved on his composure and put decent numbers up on his second pro day.
Lloyd had a vertical leap of 34.5 inches and had a forty-yard dash time of 5.15.
Former Trojan James Earl Cray was in attendance and also performed well.
Cray had a time of 4.47 in the 40, a standing broad jump of 10 feet 2 inches and a vertical leap of 39.5 inches.
There were scouts in attendance from the Giants, Raiders, Jaguars, Colts, Dolphins and Seahawks.
Every Trojan improved in some form from the first pro day to the second, and this time pressure just may have made diamonds.