The 2023 NFL Draft is fast approaching, and 16 LSU hopefuls did their best to put their best foot forward on Wednesday at their annual pro day.
It's always a well-attended event by the NFL's 32 teams and typically features a host of scouts and position coaches. This year, though, there was a big name in attendance with legendary Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who spent a good chunk of the day chatting with Tigers coach Brian Kelly.
He also got a good look at LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, who threw drills for WRs Kayshon Boutte and Jaray Jenkins despite not being in the upcoming draft.
“[The draft process has] treated me very well, actually, interviewing with a lot of teams. Getting to know their schemes, getting to meet legendary head coaches," Ojulari said. "It’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I’m not taking it for granted.”
Among those in attendance was a large contingent from the New Orleans Saints, including new defensive coordinator Joe Woods, secondary coach Marcus Robertson and DL coach Todd Grantham. Also in attendance were WRs coach Kodi Burns, LBs coach Michael Hodges and OL coach Doug Marrone.
It's all part of the process to get as much data as possible so difficult decisions on draft night become much easier to make. Hodges said he'd been at six schools in five days over the past week scouting players.
“There’s so much subjective to this. I wish it was [a science], it would make life a lot easier. I’m sitting there looking at two or three different linebackers and trying to figure out how to stack them because I grade them all very similarly," he said. That’s why I think, for me, doing the work, spending the time watching the tape … helps us come to the right decision at the end. We’ve done a good job here and I trust the process.”
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One player who stood out was Jarrick Bernard-Converse, who wasn't invited to the combine but put up a 42-inch vertical leap that would've tied for third if he was in attendance, while also logging a 4.40 40-yard dash that likely piqued the interest of teams in attendance.
“This is what I’ve been training for since January, so it was very important for me to come out here and just showcase what I can do, drills and agility and stuff like that, speed," Bernard-Converse said. "It meant a lot to me to come out here and do that.”
SCROLL BELOW FOR ALL THE RESULTS, BROKEN DOWN BY DRILL
BROAD JUMP
- S Jay Ward: 11'1"
- CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse: 10'6"
- DE B.J. Ojulari: 10'6"
- CB Mekhi Garner: 10'5"
- CB Colby Richardson: 10'2"
- S Joe Foucha: 9'11"
- S Todd Harris: 9'11"
- LB Mike Jones: 9'9"
- WR Jaray Jenkins: 9'8"
- LB Micah Baskerville: 9'7"
- OL Tre'Mond Shorts: 8'6"
VERTICAL JUMP
- CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse: 42"
- CB Mekhi Garner: 38.5"
- S Jay Ward: 36"- S Joe Foucha: 35.5"
- LB Micah Baskerville: 35.5"
- CB Colby Richardson: 34"
- DE B.J. Ojulari: 33.5"
- LB Mike Jones: 33"
- S Todd Harris: 31"
- WR Jaray Jenkins: 30.5"
- DT Jaquelin Roy: 26"
- OL Tre'Mond Shorts: 24"
40-YARD DASH
- CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse: 4.40 seconds
- CB Colby Richardson: 4.48
- S Todd Harris: 4.68
- S Joe Foucha: 4.69
- LB Mike Jones: 4.73
- LB Micah Baskerville: 4.75
- DT Jaquelin Roy: 5.13
- OL Tre'Mond Shorts: 5.26
PRO SHUTTLE
- CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse: 4.28
- CB Mekhi Garner: 4.28
- S Jay Ward: 4.36
- CB Colby Richardson: 4.41
- S Joe Foucha: 4.53
- LB Mike Jones: 4.57
- S Todd Harris: 4.68
- DT Jaquelin Roy: 4.75
- LB Micah Baskerville: 4.78
- OL Tre'Mond Shorts: 4.94
3-CONE DRILL
- CB Mekhi Garner: 6.88 seconds
- CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse: 7.01
- CB Colby Richardson: 7.03
- WR Kayshon Boutte: 7.08
- LB Mike Jones: 7.2
- S Jay Ward: 7.31
- S Joe Foucha: 7.32
- DE B.J. Ojulari: 7.44
- S Todd Harris: 7.52
- LB Micah Baskerville: 7.75
- DT Jaquelin Roy: 7.95
- OL Tre'Mond Shorts: 7.96
BENCH PRESS
- LB Mike Jones: 25
- DE B.J. Ojulari: 24
- OL Tre'Mond Shorts: 24
- DE Ali Gaye: 19
- LB Micah Baskerville: 18
- CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse: 16
- S Todd Harris: 15
- S Joe Foucha: 13
- CB Mekhi Garner: 12
- CB Colby Richardson: 6
WR Kayshon Boutte, CB Sevyn Banks and OL Anthony Bradford participated in measurements and field work, but not in timed/measured workouts. Click here for a full list of the results and measurements here.
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