University of Colorado Pro Football Timing Day

BOULDER - Eight former CU players participated in The University of Colorado's Pro Football Timing Day March 9th in an effort to display their skills in front of 23 scouts from 19 NFL teams. The athletes participated in various drills in preparation for the NFL draft which will be held April 28-30 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Players in attendance were left tackle Nate Solder, cornerbacks Jimmy Smith and Jalil Brown, wide receiver Scotty McKnight, tight end Luke Walters, outside linebacker B.J. Beatty, defensive end Marquez Herrod and long snapper Joe Silipo.

Events began at 9 a.m. at the Dal Ward Athletic Center where the players were measured for height, weight, arm length, hand size and wing span. The eight athletes then participated in a drill to measure their vertical jump. Standout cornerback and projected first-round draft pick Jimmy Smith put up the highest number, measuring 37 inches.

Following the vertical jump, the players were then asked to showcase their strength in the bench press. Walters, Herrod and Sipilo put up the day's highest numbers, each completing 19 reps of the standard 225 lbs. Solder, Smith and Brown, CU's three players invited to the NFL Combine, opted out of the drill. 

The athletes then moved to the team's practice bubble to participate in drills including the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, 60-yard shuttl e and the 3-cone drill.

The day's top 40 time was put up by Jalil Brown, who ran a 4.45, while McKnight excelled at the 20-yard shuttle, completing the drill in 4.07 seconds. McKnight also recorded the fastest time in the 3-cone drill, which he completed in 6.68 seconds.

Smith and Solder chose not to participate in the 40-yard dash or 3-cone drill, opting instead to use their times recorded in late February at the 2011 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. Brown, who also attended the Combine, did not participate in the 3-cone drill.

Four players participated in the broad jump, including McKnight, Sipilo, Walters and Herrod. McKnight and Walters recorded the longest distances, McKnight jumping 10 feet and Walters jumping 9 feet 11 inches.

McKnight and Smith were the only two athletes to participate in the 60-yard shuttle. McKnight completed the drill in 11.25 seconds, where Smith completed the drill in 11.37 seconds.

To wrap up the day, McKnight and Solder took part in position specific drills to showcase their talent. McKnight, who holds the record for most touchdowns and receptions in CU's history, completed 25-of-25 impressive catches, thrown by New York Jets quarterback and longtime friend, Mark Sanchez. Solder, who is projected as a top-10 draft pick, also put on a show for the scouts, displaying his overwhelming strength in various blocking drills. In one of his final drills, Solder, who looked good despite just getting over the flu, created quite a buzz when he ran over former CU player Matt Russell. Russell, who currently works as a scout for the Denver Broncos was the recipient of the Butkus Award in 1996.

Scouts appeared to be very impressed with the day's results. The players also seemed pleased with their numbers, the result of months of hard work. Smith, Brown, Solder and McKnight have spent the last three months training at various facilities across the country. Smith attended Athletes' Performance in Carson, Calif., while Solder and McKnight both trained at Velocity Sports Performance in Irvine, Calif. Brown attended the IMG Performance Institute in Bradenton, Fla.

The first round of the NFL draft will take place on Thursday, April 28. The second and third rounds will take place on April 29, with rounds four through seven taking place on April 30. Coverage of the 76th NFL Draft will be provided by ESPN.