TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- With the 2021 NFL Scouting Combine operating under a different format this year, pro day workouts are taking on a heightened importance this spring. Alabama and Purdue were among the schools that held their pro days on Tuesday, giving some top 2021 NFL Draft prospects a chance to make an impression on scouts and NFL executives.
Representatives from all 32 NFL teams attended the Alabama pro day. Among those spotted at the event: Bills GM Brandon Beane, Falcons head coach Arthur Smith, Jaguars GM Trent Baalke, Vikings GM Rick Spielman, Washington Football Team GM Martin Mayhew, Titans GM Jon Robinson and head coach Mike Vrabel, Steelers GM Kevin Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin and Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
Several of the Tide's most high-profile prospects did not work out on Tuesday, including C Landon Dickerson, RB Najee Harris, LB Dylan Moses, WR DeVonta Smith and WR Jaylen Waddle. There will be another pre-draft opportunity for the reigning national champions' prospects to show out in front of NFL evaluators, as Alabama will hold a second pro day on March 30, although Smith said he won't be participating that day, either.
How did the top prospects who did work out perform on Tuesday? Check out the quick rundowns below.
NOTE: Times listed below are unofficial.
Alabama
Ranking in Daniel Jeremiah's top 50: No. 41
Barmore participated in some of the physical testing at the pro day, including the 40-yard dash, three-cone drill, short shuttle and position drills, but passed on the bench press and jumping events. The defensive tackle could fill in some of those boxes at Alabama’s second pro day on March 30. He posted 40 times of 4.93 and 4.95 seconds, per Reese's Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy. Those are impressive marks for a player of his size. One scout clocked Barmore at 4.75 in the short shuttle, which would have ranked him in the bottom half among defensive linemen at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine.
The Crimson Tide's massive guard prospect has been hard at work on his weight. After weighing in at 364 pounds at the Reese’s Senior Bowl in January, Brown checked in at 344 roughly two months later at UA's pro day. He recorded a vertical jump of 27 inches and showed the improved conditioning that scouts wanted to see.
Ranking in Daniel Jeremiah's top 50: No. 34
Jones wasn't especially pleased with his throwing session at Alabama's pro day.
"I came out here and slung it around," said Jones during NFL Network’s Path to the Draft Pro Day Special. "Obviously, I wish I had a bunch of throws back, but it is what it is. I'll watch the tape and of course I'm going to be a little frustrated by the ones I missed.”
If you ask his private quarterback coach, the frustration had more to do with his competitive nature than his performance.
"I thought he did good. I've seen him throw better, but he doesn't want to miss one -- he's a competitive guy," said Joe Dickinson, a former Oklahoma assistant and Buffalo Bills quarterback consultant who has worked with Jones since age 11. "The question was, what kind of arm strength does he have? We answered some of those questions. The rest of it's been answered on film."
Jones' script included a heavy helping of deep balls, which he excelled at in his only season as an Alabama starter, while throwing to a five-man receiving corps that was missing Smith and Waddle on Tuesday. In physical testing, Jones jumped 32 inches in the vertical and was clocked at 4.85 seconds in the 40-yard dash, according to one of NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah’s scouting sources.
"I thought it was a solid workout," Jeremiah said. "... When you look (Trevor) Lawrence, (Trey) Lance and even Davis Mills at Stanford, I think they have a little more juice. A little bit more life on the football. Everything was smooth (for Jones). Everything was very comfortable and poised.”
Alabama's left tackle put on an impressive display of explosiveness in the jump events with a broad jump of 9 feet, 10 inches and a vertical of 34.5 inches. Those are exceptional numbers for a lineman weighing 312 pounds. Leatherwood also looked light on his feet in position drills and got positive feedback from scouts for much of his workout.
Ranking in Daniel Jeremiah's top 50: No. 14
NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks' top cornerback in the draft measured 6-foot-2 and 208 pounds, and put on a show in position drills with the sort of explosiveness and change-of-direction skills that could make him a top-10 pick. Surtain bench pressed 225 pounds 18 times, ran a 4.46 40-yard dash, posted a 39-inch vertical jump and turned in a broad jump of 10 feet, 11 inches.
"The fact that he ran in the mid 4.4s, to me, I think he answered any questions that existed about his speed," Brooks said during Tuesday’s edition of NFL Now. "This is a guy who is a plug-and-play player. I expect him to have immediate success at the next level."
Purdue
Moore measured 5-foot-7, two inches below his listed height at Purdue, but he wowed with his testing and workout on Tuesday. He posted a 4.29-second 40 and 42.5-inch vertical, per NFL Network's Stacey Dales, who was on assignment in West Lafayette, Indiana.
It was the kind of performance he needed after losing some buzz over the last couple seasons. After breaking through as a freshman, he played in just seven games from 2019-2020 and averaged fewer than 8 yards per catch this past year. Jeremiah projects Moore as a likely third-round pick with a chance to go late in Round 2.
"That 5-foot-7 size doesn't really show up when you can run away from everybody and that's what he did at Purdue," Jeremiah said. "So, you're buying the fact that he can return to what he was in 2018 and be healthy and dynamic and explosive. I think there's a lot of love on the streets for this guy around the league."
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