WPDE Sports Director Rich Chrampanis has attended every Coastal Carolina Pro Day. He shares his observations from the workout on Tuesday morning on campus
A Record Turnout
This was by far the biggest Pro Day Coastal has held. Joel Turner, agent for Tyler Thigpen, Mike Tolbert and Quinton Teal, suggested inviting all of the small Palmetto State schools and coach David Bennett ran with the idea. Newberry, Furman, Wofford, Charleston Southern, Mars Hill and Benedict were represented.
Which Teams Were There
18 NFL squads had a respresentative as well as the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL:
New York Giants, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers
Who Worked Out
Eleven CCU players:
DL Rob Balkunas
LS Danny Bonifas
S Keon Cunningham
S Dominique Davenport
RB Racheed Gause
QB Zach MacDowall
RB Eric O'Neal
OL Seth Smalls
LB Chris Walls
WR Brandon Whitley
WR Marquel Willis
In addition, WR PJ Gore of North Myrtle Beach (Mars Hill) was a local product who got an opportunity. Seven small college All-Americans were on hand including Phillip Ashley (Newberry), Pat Illig (Wofford), Tommy Irvin (Wofford), Max Lerner (Furman), Adam Mims (Furman), Ron Parker (Newberry), Gerald Stevenson (Charleston Southern)
NUMBERS
The most impressive stat of the day was from DL Rob Balkunas who repped 43 times at 225 pounds. Coach David Bennett sneaked a peek over a scouts shoulder and saw Brandon Whitley burn a 4.54 time in the 40.
PRO PROSPECTS
Dominique Davenport and Zach MacDowall are considered the top pro prospects among the 11 CCU combine attendees. It's unlikely that they will hear their name on draft day, but Mike Tolbert and Quinton Teal have proven that you can go from undrafted free agent to making an NFL roster.
YouTube: Dominique Davenport Highlight Reel
YouTube: Zach MacDowall 2010 Highlight Reel