It was Yannick Ngakoue’s turn to perform, so the former Terrapins defensive end ripped off his gray Under Armour long-sleeved shirt in preparation for the drills ahead. As NFL scouts, family and friends looked on, Ngakoue, along with two other former defensive linemen, took to the Maryland Stadium field for a variety of position-specific workouts and fitness tests.
Earlier in the afternoon, former cornerback Sean Davis, another draft hopeful, trained in front of many of the same personnel plus former wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Davis, just as he did during his time with the Terps, donned the number 21 in homage to the late Sean Taylor, who played safety for the Washington Redskins.
Davis likely will have a chance to play professionally like his idol.Ngakoue, according to several pundits, has a solid chance of being drafted, too.
Yesterday afternoon, the duo highlighted a group of 11 former Terps who participated in the program’s Pro Day, one of the final chances for prospects to showcase their skills before the NFL draft in late April.
Nine of the participants were members of last year’s squad.
“It’s been pretty good because those are guys I came in with,” Ngakoue said. “Some of those guys are definitely older than me, and they just took me under their wing when I first got here. So it’s just a blessing to grind with them and just compete with them one last time in [Maryland] Stadium.”
Of last season’s starters, Ngakoue and defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson were the only ones to leave school early. Former kicker and 2014 Lou Groza award winner Brad Craddock, offensive lineman Andrew Zeller and running back Brandon Ross worked out, too.
Ngakoue said the draft process has been as he expected — “very busy” — but the intensity of the drills he went through yesterday caught the program’s single-season sack leader by surprise.
Nevertheless, he relished the opportunity to show scouts his toughness and his heart. CBSSports.com currently has the 6-foot-2, 255 pound Ngakoue pegged as a sixth-round pick.
Experts at the website have Davis as a fourth- or fifth-rounder. It was a light day for the Washington native, who did not go through any fitness tests after competing at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis in February. He said he was satisfied with his results, which included top performances among cornerbacks in the bench press, three-cone drill and the 20-yard shuttle.
“It’s like a dream come true, man,” Davis said. “I’ve been dreaming about this. I’m finally in the midst of it, and now it’s finally hitting me that in less than a month I’m about to be a professional football player.”
Zeller’s and Ross’ futures are less clear. Neither player was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, so both viewed Wednesday as their main chance to impress scouts.
Both players were content with their performances. While Ross wanted to do better in the broad jump, he said scouts praised his ball-catching skills and his 40-yard dash. Zeller, who started the past two seasons for the Terps at right guard, said he thought scouts were surprised at the numbers he put up.
Zeller has also participated in a regional workout, and he has a session with the Baltimore Ravens scheduled for Friday morning. He’s one of many former Terps who just want a chance to compete at the next level.
“It’s really just important to show your skill set,” Ross said. “Somebody’s going to fall in love with you.”
Due to a reporting error, a previous version of this story incorrectly referred to Andrew Zeller as Miller on a later reference. This story has been updated to reflect the correction.
