I was unable to attend, but here's some reports...
From Eric Bailey...
Derrick Alexander and Garrett Stafford bettered themselves as workout partners while in high school. They wanted to be prepared to play football at Tulsa, their hometown university.
On Thursday morning, the pair took part in the biggest job application of their lives: Tulsa’s pro day at Chapman Stadium.
“Today was really important,” said Alexander, a Booker T. Washington graduate. “It was a time to turn some scouts’ heads as far as the ones who may know about me and some who don’t. Hopefully I showed some things and they can check on my file. I’ll let my film speak for itself.”
Alexander, who bulked up to 299 pounds, plans to be a defensive tackle in the pros. He was OK with his numbers, which included 5.0 seconds in the 40-yard dash and 26 bench-press repetitions.
“I showed them the way I can move,” he said. “I did everything I could do today. I laid it all out.”
He took a nod toward Stafford, a Memorial High School graduate.
“This means a lot to me because Garrett and I trained together even before we came to college,” Alexander said. “I’ve seen Garrett all the way from high school to where he is now. To see the type of player that he’s become and how big he’s gotten, it’s been great.”
Stafford, an offensive guard, worked out with the Tulsa athletics training staff and at Chip Smith Performance Systems in Atlanta to prepare for his NFL draft audition. He was happy with his results.
He said playing in the NFL “is definitely a dream. Over the past couple of years, it became a reachable dream, and then it became a goal.”
Stafford said he hadn’t had time to meet with all of the scouts, but the ones he did speak with said he looked good during drills.
The NFL draft is April 28-30 in Chicago. Both players will wait to see if they get selected. If not, they’ll try to follow the same route as recent TU players Trey Watts, Damaris Johnson and Tyrunn Walker, who parlayed free-agent contracts into NFL careers.
The last Tulsa player to be drafted was Charles Clay (Miami Dolphins) in 2011.
“If the phone rings, I’ll pick it up and go play,” Alexander said. “If it doesn’t ring during that time and I get picked up as a free agent, then we’ll do it that way. I’m not going to be stressing myself out about it. I’m just ready to go play football.”
Added Stafford: “If you aren’t drafted, you go to free agency and you get the mini-camp tryout. Any chance that they give you to show what you have again is huge and that’s what we’re shooting for.”
From Eric Bailey...
Derrick Alexander and Garrett Stafford bettered themselves as workout partners while in high school. They wanted to be prepared to play football at Tulsa, their hometown university.
On Thursday morning, the pair took part in the biggest job application of their lives: Tulsa’s pro day at Chapman Stadium.
“Today was really important,” said Alexander, a Booker T. Washington graduate. “It was a time to turn some scouts’ heads as far as the ones who may know about me and some who don’t. Hopefully I showed some things and they can check on my file. I’ll let my film speak for itself.”
Alexander, who bulked up to 299 pounds, plans to be a defensive tackle in the pros. He was OK with his numbers, which included 5.0 seconds in the 40-yard dash and 26 bench-press repetitions.
“I showed them the way I can move,” he said. “I did everything I could do today. I laid it all out.”
He took a nod toward Stafford, a Memorial High School graduate.
“This means a lot to me because Garrett and I trained together even before we came to college,” Alexander said. “I’ve seen Garrett all the way from high school to where he is now. To see the type of player that he’s become and how big he’s gotten, it’s been great.”
Stafford, an offensive guard, worked out with the Tulsa athletics training staff and at Chip Smith Performance Systems in Atlanta to prepare for his NFL draft audition. He was happy with his results.
He said playing in the NFL “is definitely a dream. Over the past couple of years, it became a reachable dream, and then it became a goal.”
Stafford said he hadn’t had time to meet with all of the scouts, but the ones he did speak with said he looked good during drills.
The NFL draft is April 28-30 in Chicago. Both players will wait to see if they get selected. If not, they’ll try to follow the same route as recent TU players Trey Watts, Damaris Johnson and Tyrunn Walker, who parlayed free-agent contracts into NFL careers.
The last Tulsa player to be drafted was Charles Clay (Miami Dolphins) in 2011.
“If the phone rings, I’ll pick it up and go play,” Alexander said. “If it doesn’t ring during that time and I get picked up as a free agent, then we’ll do it that way. I’m not going to be stressing myself out about it. I’m just ready to go play football.”
Added Stafford: “If you aren’t drafted, you go to free agency and you get the mini-camp tryout. Any chance that they give you to show what you have again is huge and that’s what we’re shooting for.”
