Claiborne, others workout at LSU Pro Day
By: Brandon Dunn
Updated: March 23, 2012
BATON ROUGE - Close to 100 representatives of coaching staffs from around the NFL, including the head coaches of the Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers, were on hand Thursday as LSU held its annual Pro Timing Day at the Charles McClendon Practice Facility.
A total of 24 former Tigers, including 21 from the 2011 squad, worked out for the NFL scouts and coaches. The players were measured and weighed and put through a series of tests, including the 225-pound bench press, 40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, the shuttle run and the three-cone drill.
Following the testing, players went through individual position workouts.
In addition to the NFL coaches and scouts on hand, it was also a reunion of sorts for former Tigers as many of LSU's NFL alumni were on hand. The list of former Tigers watching Pro Day included: safety Ryan Clark (Steelers), quarterback Matt Flynn (Seahawks), defensive tackle Kyle Williams (Bills), linebacker Kelvin Sheppard (Bills), cornerback Randall Gay (Saints - retired), running back Stevan Ridley (Patriots), cornerback/return specialist Patrick Peterson (Cardinals) and punter Donnie Jones (Rams).
"Anytime you can welcome this many representatives from the NFL to your campus to watch your players work out, it's a great day and speaks volumes about our program," LSU head coach Les Miles said. "We have every NFL team represented along with GMs and head coaches from several teams here.
"It's a lot of fun for me to sit back on a day like this and watch our guys get a chance to showcase their skill and ability.
Miles cited Morris Claiborne and Brandon Taylor as two players who benefited a great deal because of the program. Claiborne is expected to be the first cornerback taken in next month's NFL Draft, while Taylor is projected as a late round pick.
"Mo came to us as a high school quarterback, who also played safety," Miles said. "We told him when we recruited him that we wanted to try him at both cornerback and wide receiver. We started him out at cornerback and he never left that spot. He improved and got better each year and now he's in position to be one of the top five picks in the NFL Draft. He's going to be a great addition to any NFL team.
"Brandon came in as a cornerback and grew into a magnificent safety."
Claiborne ran the fastest 40-yard dash on Thursday with a 4.39 time. Wide receiver Rueben Randle was clocked at 4.42 in the 40. Other top performances at LSU Pro Day included Ron Brooks with a 38" vertical leap; Claiborne with a 35" vertical; Ryan Baker and James Stampley with 30 reps in the 225-pound bench press followed by T-Bob Hebert with 29 reps.
