Yesterday, it was 100 NFL personnel in Sheakley Athletic Center for the Bearcats Pro Day. For somebody who has attended a few previous Pro Day’s yesterday was crazy to see in the flesh, from seeing Steve Smith, Sr. in the NFL Network crew setup shop to seeing the Bengals Zac Taylor, Steelers Mike Tomlin, Bears Lovie Smith, Commanders Ron Rivera and countless others. It was harder to move around than most, but when you have 13 players from the College Football Playoff team being eligible for the draft you would get that kind of turnout.
Last year their were double digit scouts on hand as the Bearcats did get four guys drafted (James Hudson, Darrick Forrest, James Wiggins and Gerrid Doaks). If you went to previous Pro Day’s minus the 2020 because of Covid, it wasn’t the same and to see what Luke Fickell has turned this program into during his team has been quite amazing. Cincinnati will have at least eight players drafted and it could be more. Fickell addressed the growth of the program when he talked to the media on Thursday and you could see the happiness in his eyes while he was talking about it. This wasn’t a normal Pro Day for everyone involved, Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner didn’t have to anything but interview, Desmond Ridder just had to throw, Bryan Cook is still nursing an injury, but a lot of people are high on the multitalented safety, Darrian Beavers boosted his stock showing off his athleticism, Jerome Ford showed off his pass catching abilities, Myjai Sanders proved the weight loss was a fluke and Coby Bryant improved on his 40 yard dash time. Michael Young, Jr. looked good as well, Curtis Brooks, Marcus Brown and Vincent McConnell.
Having a top tier quarterback helps bring out the scouts and having a player that could possibly go Top 5. I knew this program was on the rise and Pro Day’s were going to get bigger and bigger, but I didn’t know it would look like yesterday, it was crazy to see in person and dope to see the growth, it just proves if you come to Cincinnati you have a chance to keep the dream alive and that’s all a young man can ask for at the end of the day.
