Wednesday morning, LSU football held its annual Pro Day, where potential NFL draft prospects run through drills and tests in front of NFL scouts.
The team had 15 players participate in workouts. Some players came into the day to see if they can improve their measurements, but some took Wednesday morning as an opportunity to show their best in front of NFL scouts while they were present.
The most notable scout in attendance: New England Patriots head coach and six-time Super Bowl champion, Bill Belichick.
Nine LSU players received an invite to the NFL combine in late February, and the majority of those nine took part in LSU Pro Day. Of that group, B.J. Ojulari holds the highest draft stock according to several NFL mock drafts. Many mocks project him to be a late-first-round, early-second-round pick. He took part in LSU Pro Day, and he felt he did his best.
“I just wanted to show the scouts that I was here to compete, and show them how explosive I was,” Ojulari said.
His best Wednesday might not have been his best normally. During his combine training, Ojulari injured his hamstring and recently reaggravated it two weeks ago.
The story of David and Goliath ends with David defeating Goliath, but in Tuesday’s battle between LSU and Grambling State that wasn’t the case.
“It’s just been a constant thing,” Ojulari said. “It started in the beginning of the training process for the draft, and then it recently just happened again two weeks ago. So the doctors recommend that I just stay off it and heal. But I still wanted to come compete out here at Pro Day.”
Regardless of his injury, Ojulari has been in contact with many NFL teams throughout his draft preparation process. Teams seem to like how versatile he is and how he can fit in many different defensive schemes.
“I had 15 formal interviews as well as informal, so I’ve been in contact with the majority of the league,” Ojulari said. “So just managing all the meetings, zoom meetings, and the visits is going to be something I continue to do after today.”
Similarly to Ojulari, Kayshon Boutte was a name many NFL scouts circled entering the 2022 season. However, his decrease in production this past season caused his draft stock to fall. He was invited to the NFL combine and took part in LSU’s Pro Day, but he didn’t participate in most of the drills.
Jaquelin Roy is another player who was invited to the NFL combine but also took part in the LSU Pro Day. He is projected to be a third-round draft pick according to Ryan Wilson’s Mock Draft on CBS Sports.
But not all the participants received an NFL combine invite. Jarrick Bernard-Converse was one of them who missed out on the opportunity. However, he took advantage of the LSU Pro Day, and impressed many scouts.
He started the day off strong with an event-high 42-inch vertical jump. But he wasn’t done there. When it came time for the 40-yard dash, Bernard-Converse set an event-high in both of his runs; his first at 4.42 seconds, and his second at 4.4.
“It shows that my training has paid off,” Bernard-Converse said.
For the players that look to be in a good position come the NFL Draft, Wednesday afternoon was a day they can continue to show their best.
The second game of a series is a chance to flip momentum.
But for those looking to create a draft stock, it was a day they can turn heads. But overall, it was a day where the potential draft prospects can unite toward a goal other than winning football games.
“It just shows the resilience they have,” Ojulari said. “The mental toughness, not being down just because one event doesn’t define you. I think a lot of guys came out and they made themselves more valuable today. I just commend them for doing that.”
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