All eyes on BC for Pro Day

CHESTNUT HILL – Not much can match Frank Costanza’s ‘Place to Be,’ – Seinfeld reference for those that don’t know – but BC was certainly one of the must-stop places for a lot of NFL teams on Monday.

There were 29 NFL franchises represented and four from the CFL with the Eagles hosting Pro Day. With buzz starting to build around Lewis Bond (despite the wild non-invite to the combine), Jude Bowry and Quintayvious Hutchins, scouts wanted to get a look at what the program has to offer in this year’s draft first hand.

Logan Taylor, Jeremiah Franklin, Kevin Cline and Sedarius McConnell all seemingly improved their stock too, or at least their chances of landing in a training camp somewhere as a UDFA.

Results weren’t made available to the media, but unofficially, a few numbers did stand out. Here’s a handful of takeaways from the two-hour event:

Bond’s solid day

He’s absolutely gotten bigger (stronger) and both John (Sarianides) and I had him at a 4.45-4.5 range. He ran crisp routes and just looked fast and explosive in everything he did. The team posted him doing the vert on IG and I’m sure the bench numbers will find their way out eventually.

I asked him if he used the non-combine invite as fuel during this process:

“Yeah, a little bit,” he said. “It’s a good opportunity to showcase my talents here or the combine, so I was proud to showcase what I could do.”

Unofficial 40s that stood out

Bond – 4.45-4.5

Kevin Cline – 5.25-5.3

Jeremiah Franklin – 4.7-4.8

I thought Franklin would be a little faster because he looked fast while doing it. I thought he had a really solid day catching the ball and he even did the ‘bull in the ring’ drill that linemen do to show their bend and flexibility on the move. I will continue to acknowledge how wrong I was about him until he is in the NFL. He won’t wow you, but he’s as dependable as they come. I never thought he was bad or anything like that, I just never viewed him as a true No. 1, but I think an NFL team could easily see him as a value piece.

I think Cline had a good day too. He can play just about everywhere across the line and all you hear at these Pro Days is how valuable any kind of depth guys are if they’re good enough. Cline could be a sneaky guy finds a way to hang around the league for the next 5-7 years, even if it’s on a practice squad, similar to the path Jack Conley began taking last season and Alec Lindstrom continues to take.

Bowry’s getting drafted, Taylor’s stock rises

So, Bowry is unquestionably getting drafted, whether it’s late day two or at any point day three. He put up 25 reps on the bench and was very good working with Doug Marrone and Mike Smith in the drills. He was asked if he’s ever had a team ask him about kicking inside to guard and he immediately shot it down, so he’s viewed as a tackle everywhere as of now. Bowry talked about how much he’s enjoyed working with Dante Scarrnechia as well, which obviously is a fantastic mentor to have. As long as the injuries don’t keep creeping up, he’s going to get taken somewhere, he’s on the whole league’s radar.

Taylor and Vrabel chatted for a few minutes at midfield before drills started. He had a really nice day in drills, also working with Smith and Marrone. Vrabel and Bill O’Brien watched closely, ironically enough right in front of the giant Will Campbell Field sign inside Fish. At 6’7,” it’s hard to match his size and like the other guys mentioned above, even if he’s a depth piece somewhere for a while, it’s better than not getting an opportunity anywhere.

McKenzie and Wilson get great opportunity

This is why kids are committing to Bill O’Brien.

McKenzie – who was playing at Saginaw Valley State a year ago – and Wilson got to throw in front of 29 NFL teams just two weeks into their first action with BC. McKenzie continued to look good (scripted throws obviously, but still) and Wilson did too. The pull BC still has is all the NFL connections and it was on full display with those guys getting that chance today.

I’d bet my 2015 Toyota Corolla that I just got in October they both have some extra zip on the ball during Tuesday’s practice because of it.