Myles Garrett neither sought nor needed validation for his status as the 2017 NFL Draft's top prospect on Thursday at Texas A&M's pro day, but he participated more than expected in the event, anyway. And he came out of the workout as he came in.
"If he's not the first pick of the draft, folks, I really don't know who is," said NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock, who attended the pro day.
Garrett ran official 40-yard dashes of 4.57 and 4.62, per NFL.com senior analyst Gil Brandt, which underscored his competitiveness for the NFL scouts in attendance. The excellent 4.64 time he ran at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, at 272 pounds, was enough of a mic-dropper that he certainly didn't need to retest in that event. Call it confidence, call it showing off, call it pure determination -- whatever the case, the draft's most highly regarded prospect sank deeper roots into that perception Thursday.
A few other key points of interest at Texas A&M's pro day:
2. Hall-Smith comp. In playing opposite Garrett as Texas A&M's "other" defensive end, Daeshon Hall played in college football's longest shadow for pass rushers. He's emerging from it in the weeks before the draft. "I don't think he gets enough credit. He's about 6-foot-5, 260 pounds. He reminds me of Preston Smith from Mississippi State who was the second-round pick of the Redskins a couple of years ago," Mayock said. "This is a big base end, sets a physical edge in the run game and I really like him."
3. Broad appeal. Garrett did take one tiny step backward Thursday from his combine testing -- by just two inches, to be exact. He broad jumped 10-6 after testing at 10-8 in Indianapolis. So why was good enough (tied for second among combine DLs) at the combine not good enough for Garrett at the pro day? "That's not satisfactory to me," he told Mayock. At least the Houston Texans liked it enough to tweet video of the effort.
4. Evans makes his mark. Aggies S Justin Evans, A&M's second-best defender behind Garrett last year, needed a strong showing after being limited at the combine. He ran 40 times of 4.57 and 4.64, per Brandt, with a 41.5-inch vertical jump and a 10-9 broad jump. That vertical would have placed him third among safeties at the combine. Evans tested in the bench press only in Indianapolis.
5. Speedy, indeed. WR Speedy Noil lived up to his name with 4.45 and 4.47 official clockings in the 40. Noil is a gifted athlete but his lack of production and history of suspensions in the TAMU program will weigh in his evaluation from NFL clubs. ... WR Josh Reynolds ran 4.57 and 4.54, but dropped a few passes in positional work, per Brandt.
6. Don't sleep on him. A scout described OL Jermaine Eluemunor's workout as exceptional, and Mayock sees a lot of potential in the inexperienced guard prospect, as well. He started just one season at TAMU, but offers plenty of size at 6-foot-4, 334 pounds. "I think he has traits to be a starting guard in the NFL and I think some teams are starting to realize that," Mayock said.
Here are some things we learned from other pro-day workouts on Thursday:
Louisville: Steelers, Browns meet with Fields
Big draw:DE Devonte' Fields
Don't forget:S Josh Harvey-Clemons
The skinny:Scouts reportedly clocked Fields in the 40-yard dash at 4.68 and 4.73, unofficially, which would represent a small improvement from his 4.72 time from the combine. He spoke with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns after the workout, according to Scout.com. ... Harvey-Clemons reportedly clocked an unofficial 40-yard dash in the 4.6-range, impressive for a prospect of his size (6-foot-4, 217-pounds). He was not able to run the 40 at the combine. ... TE Cole Hikutini, who bench pressed only at the combine due to injury, was clocked by one scout at 4.78 and 4.81 in the 40-yard dash, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. He also recorded a 10-foot broad jump, per the school.
Boise State: NFC South teams schedule Vallejo
Big draw:RB Jeremy McNichols
Don't forget:LB Tanner Vallejo
Attendance:Colts coach Chuck Pagano attended the Boise State workout, among representatives from a reported 26 NFL clubs.
The skinny:McNichols, the Broncos' top prospect, underwent shoulder surgery following the combine and therefore wasn't able to workout on pro day. "(Getting healthy) is more important than working out right now," he said, according the Idaho Press-Tribune. ... Vallejo said he's set up private workouts with the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers, per the Press-Tribune.
Also in action Thursday: Ball State, California (Pa.), Chattanooga, The Citadel, Dartmouth, Georgia Southern, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Prairie View A&M, Sam Houston State, Western Illinois, Yale.
On deck for Friday:Indiana, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Texas Tech, West Virginia.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
