By Clay Horning
The Norman Transcript
Norman — The headliners primarily stuck to position drills. The rest were trying to get noticed and it was a great day for that.
It’s called “Pro Day” and it took place at Oklahoma’s Everest Training Facility Tuesday morning.
Thirty-one NFL teams were represented, one of them, the St. Louis Rams, by its head coach, Steven Spagnuolo. A few general managers were on hand, as were scores of scouts and assistant coaches. One NFL Hall of Famer showed: Mean Joe Greene.
It was not unlike a track meet, only held in a library. It was quiet. Low mumbles, the stopping and starting of stopwatches and scurrying feet accounted for almost all sound.
The crowd of folks paid to be there wouldn’t have been nearly so big but for a trio of Sooners that packed them in. Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, tight end Jermaine Gresham and offensive tackle Trent Williams could all move in the first round of the upcoming NFL draft. McCoy could well be one of the first three or four picks.
Their presence was a boon for others.
“It felt good to be around guys like that,” former Sooner Keenan Clayton said. “They’re opening doors for the rest of us.”
Clayton was one who took advantage. Working out with linebackers, the position at which he started his last two seasons after moving from safety, Clayton stuck out.
One of seven Sooners to run the three-cone drill, he was easily the fastest, at 6.85 seconds. Nobody else — among Mike Balogun, J.R. Bryant, Matt Clapp, Brian Simmons, Adron Tennell or Trent Williams — broke 7 seconds.
Clayton also tested out in the 40-yard dash and ran a swift-enough 4.57 seconds. Dominique Franks may have helped himself with a 4.47. Next fastest was Adron Tennell at 4.50.
Though they didn’t do a lot, mostly sticking to untimed position drills, the trio of McCoy, Gresham and Jackson remained a topic of high interest.
“They’re an incredibly talented group that could be first-round guys,” OU coach Bob Stoops said. “But more than that, they’re leaders … Everything you could want in a young man, they’ve got it.”
Gresham, who measured out at 6-5.3 and 259 pounds, and appeared completely recovered from knee surgery performed last September, neglected to be interviewed, yet did say “I’m getting better and better every day.”
McCoy, who measured 6-4 and 280 pounds, didn’t mind talking. Only there wasn’t much to say.
“Here, you know what you’re going to be tested on, but you don’t know what they’re going to do for position drills, so you just have to be ready for anything.”
He figures he’s probably not done working out.
“Some teams will want to do individual workouts and I’ll be ready for that,” McCoy said, adding, “it’s just like a college visit.”
Both McCoy and Gresham looked good in motion and standing still. So did Williams, who measured out at 6-4.4, 314 pounds.
One Sooner has yet to work out: Sam Bradford.
The former Heisman Trophy winner will have the world watching March 25, when he’s put through the paces, also at the Everest facility.
Clay Horning 366-3526 cfhorning@normantranscript.com
