Yardbarker visits USC Pro Day

What's up, Yard?

I spent today at USC's Pro Day, where Sedrick Ellis, Keith Rivers, Thomas Williams, John David Booty, Lawrence Jackson, Fred Davis, Sam Baker, Chilo Rachal, Terrell Thomas, and others, worked out for NFL scouts. Below is a bit of what I learned after watching the drills, and also from speaking to coaches and scouts.

These are the five guys who I watched most closely. I shot some video and a bunch of photos; between now and the Draft, we'll release some of the video, and I'll post some of the photos here in the comments.

- Dewey

CHAUNCEY WASHINGTON (RB): One scout said to me that on film Washington looks like a 4.73 guy. No one expected him to run a 4.35 forty. But he did. Surprise of the day. The stadium erupted when his official time was announced.

SEDRICK ELLIS (DT): Sedrick Ellis is a beast, and fast too. Five seconds flat in the 40. But most impressive was his quickness out of the stance. The guy fires up and into his blocks. I don't think he'll last past Cincy at #9.

KEITH RIVERS (LB): 42" inch vertical today. He literally out-jumped the machine designed to test vertical leaps. He had to do it again so that he could be measured properly. Rivers had nothing to prove today, but he worked out anyway.

THOMAS WILLIAMS (LB): Maybe the smartest guy on the field. Scouts with whom I spoke love his intangibles and also his work ethic. He's not the same caliber as Rivers, but he helped himself today. I spoke with his teammate Rey Maualuga, who in a nutshell said that Williams was the most impressive guy at Pro Day, and that he made himself some money with a bump in draft stock.

SAM BAKER (OT): He's a value pick in the second round, and a steal in the third round. He doesn't fare well on the quote-unquote measurables (i.e. he's slooooooooow) but in position drills he looks like a first-rounder. He's a football player, not a 40-yard-dash runner.