Representatives from 10 NFL teams attended the Miami University football Pro Day on Thursday in the Dauch Indoor Sports Center. Four former Miami players participated in the drills: defensive lineman Bryson Albright, defensive back Brison Burris, kicker Kaleb Patterson and punter Christian Koch.
The Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans each sent scouts.
The attendance at this year's pro day was in sharp contrast to last year, when over half the NFL was represented. Players from nearby universities also attended last year's pro day, hoping to catch the eye of the several scouts.
The difference is that last year's pro day featured current Green Bay Packers cornerback Quinten Rollins. This year's yield doesn't have a prospect of Rollins' caliber.
One scout in attendance, who wished to remain anonymous, said it's hard to say where this year's players will land.
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," the scout said. "Each [NFL] team plays a different style of play. Everybody has the tendency to say every pro team is the same, and they're not. But the one thing they all are - every pro team - is talented. And the difference between every team is very minimal in terms of talent. So now it becomes a matter of does that talent fit what you do on the field offensively and defensively."
Burris ran the 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds. The average 40 time for defensive backs at the NFL Combine this year was 4.54 seconds.
"Just very blessed to have the opportunity to show my talent in front of NFL scouts," Burris said. "Felt great throughout the day with all my events. Now leaving everything else in God's hands."
Albright ran the 40 in 4.88 seconds. The average 40 time for defensive linemen at the Combine this year was 4.98 seconds.
The scout said pro day provides a great opportunity for NFL representatives to see players in person, without helmets on. But, he said how the players perform on pro day isn't as important to NFL teams as how players perform during the season.
"Ninety-five percent of your evaluation - to be fair to the player - is based on how he plays on the field because some players just run faster on game day, react better on game day," the scout said. "You're more interested in their production, how they play, do they play with a great effort, do they show good instincts, do they show the things you're looking for in your process of evaluation. Here, they're doing drills that they probably haven't prepared for or done for sometime."
The current RedHawk team begins spring practice Sunday.