We talked more about the NFL Draft last offseason when the Irish had Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate in the running for first round contention. But today a crop of Irish seniors worked out for NFL scouts, headlined by tight end Kyle Rudolph, who is fighting to be a first round draft pick as he rehabilitates from a hamstring surgery that robbed him of much of the season.
Rudolph was joined by teammates Armando Allen (also rehabbing hip injuries), Robert Hughes, Duval Kamara, Kerry Neal, Kyle Rudolph, Brian Smith, Chris Stewart, Darrin Walls and Ian Williams at Loftus today, where they went through nearly three hours of drills, sprints, interviews and prodding in anticipation of the upcoming NFL Draft.
If you’re looking for all the results, Tony Krausz at the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has you covered. If you’re looking for a guy that impressed, look no further than cornerback Darrin Walls.
It was mildly surprising that Walls wasn’t invited to the Combine, and Walls confirmed that by putting up a 4.39 in the forty-yard dash as well as a 6.88 in the three-cone drill, times that would’ve had him in the lead pack at the combine.
All reports on Rudolph’s workout seem to be positive, with his 4.7-4.8 forty time not really hurting him, especially considering he’s recovering from hamstring surgery. (Rudolph is incapable of not impressing in sweatpants.)
Chris Stewart’s continued commitment to fitness should also be a surprise as he weighed in today at 317 pounds, a fraction of what he once weighed and down significantly from the 358-pounds he played at this year.
Armando Allen weighed in at slightly over 200-pounds and ran in the 4.5s, Ian Williams ran a 7.75 in the three-cone drill, and Brian Smith also helped his cause.
For more, check out the coverage from UND.com or hunt down one of the dozens of draftniks moving Irish players up and down their big boards.