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Duke Calhoun impresses at U of M Pro Day
Tigers receiver runs 4.4 40; other players suffer injuries
By Phil Stukenborg
Posted March 27, 2010 at midnight
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Photo by Mark Weber
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/mar/27/calhoun-impresses-at-pro-day/
At pro day, Memphis receiver Duke Calhoun, above celebrating a TD against Marshall, had "an all-around good day.''
If their senior seasons weren't filled with enough disappointment and frustration, Curtis Steele, DajLeon Farr, T.J. Pitts and Carlos Singleton experienced added misfortune Friday.
At the University of Memphis' Pro Day at the Murphy Athletic Complex, Steele, Farr, Pitts and Singleton were hoping to impress 15 scouts before next month's NFL draft. While the four had their moments, they were unable to complete the nearly three-hour workout before coming up lame.
Steele and Singleton suffered hamstring injuries. Farr and Pitts pulled groin muscles.
Receiver Duke Calhoun, who with running back Steele is considered the most likely to be drafted, avoided a setback. He got through the workout without incident and boosted his status in the process.
Calhoun, the school's career receiving leader, ran a 4.4 40-yard dash, was impressive in pass-catching drills and earned an invitation from the Seattle Seahawks to visit early next month.
''I ran well, I caught the ball well -- it was an all-around good day,'' Calhoun said. ''I've got to get even better from this day on.''
Calhoun was timed at 4.44 seconds in the 40-yard dash and he bench-pressed 225 pounds 12 times.
''I just wanted to show the scouts that they may have missed someone during the (NFL) Combine,'' Calhoun said of not being invited to the annual midwinter, invitation-only workout in Indianapolis for top prospects. ''I wasn't invited to the East-West All-Star Game, any of those (postseason all-star) games, either. They left me out. I had a chip on my shoulder. I feel I proved I belong today.''
Graylan S. Crain, Calhoun's Houston-based agent, said his client ''definitely helped himself; he solidified himself as a draftable player.''
''Before, teams were kind of curious about him and heard that he ran fast and was a decent athlete. They got to see it firsthand today.''
In addition to Seattle, Calhoun has a visit set next month with the Minnesota Vikings.
''A lot of the area scouts knew about him; that's how we found out about him,'' Crain said. ''We're in Houston and represent a lot of Big 12 and Texas guys. But we started getting calls at the end of the season saying 'Hey, you ought to check out this guy at Memphis. He's good, he can run and he's a good kid.'
''So we dug into it a little more and all the scouts were saying the same thing. That's why everybody was scratching their heads about him not going to an all-star game or to the Combine.''
Crain said he told Calhoun to concentrate ''on the big picture'' and realize the process is a marathon, not a sprint.
''I've told him to focus on the big picture,'' Crain said. ''We've had guys play in the Senior Bowl and go to the combine and not get drafted. I think he's got a good head on his shoulders. I think he keeps it all in perspective.''
Steele and Calhoun endured a 2-10 senior season, one that ended with the Tigers losing their last six games and their head coach. During Friday's workout, Steele, who had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, injured himself at the end of his first 40-yard dash. He ran it in 4.55 seconds.
''I had been running mid-4.4s in the 40,'' Steele said. ''But on my first one I stumbled and then, at the end, I got myself caught up with my afterburst. At at the end, instead of letting my momentum slow me down, I tried to slow down myself and I felt (my hamstring) pop.''
Steele, the third-leading rusher in U of M history behind DeAngelo Williams and Dave Casinelli, said he felt good about every other aspect of pro day, including 16 reps on the bench press. Next week, he has a visit scheduled with his hometown NFL team, the Tennessee Titans. He's also heard from the Oakland Raiders, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars.
''Pro Day is huge,'' Steele said. ''My agent told me to just go out and do what you do and put up good numbers. Show that you work pretty hard off the field, too. Hopefully, I caught enough eyes with my bench press.''
-- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543
Tigers receiver runs 4.4 40; other players suffer injuries
By Phil Stukenborg
Posted March 27, 2010 at midnight
.EmailDiscussShare »
DiggFacebookLinkedIn ******* PrintAAA.
Photo by Mark Weber
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/mar/27/calhoun-impresses-at-pro-day/
At pro day, Memphis receiver Duke Calhoun, above celebrating a TD against Marshall, had "an all-around good day.''
If their senior seasons weren't filled with enough disappointment and frustration, Curtis Steele, DajLeon Farr, T.J. Pitts and Carlos Singleton experienced added misfortune Friday.
At the University of Memphis' Pro Day at the Murphy Athletic Complex, Steele, Farr, Pitts and Singleton were hoping to impress 15 scouts before next month's NFL draft. While the four had their moments, they were unable to complete the nearly three-hour workout before coming up lame.
Steele and Singleton suffered hamstring injuries. Farr and Pitts pulled groin muscles.
Receiver Duke Calhoun, who with running back Steele is considered the most likely to be drafted, avoided a setback. He got through the workout without incident and boosted his status in the process.
Calhoun, the school's career receiving leader, ran a 4.4 40-yard dash, was impressive in pass-catching drills and earned an invitation from the Seattle Seahawks to visit early next month.
''I ran well, I caught the ball well -- it was an all-around good day,'' Calhoun said. ''I've got to get even better from this day on.''
Calhoun was timed at 4.44 seconds in the 40-yard dash and he bench-pressed 225 pounds 12 times.
''I just wanted to show the scouts that they may have missed someone during the (NFL) Combine,'' Calhoun said of not being invited to the annual midwinter, invitation-only workout in Indianapolis for top prospects. ''I wasn't invited to the East-West All-Star Game, any of those (postseason all-star) games, either. They left me out. I had a chip on my shoulder. I feel I proved I belong today.''
Graylan S. Crain, Calhoun's Houston-based agent, said his client ''definitely helped himself; he solidified himself as a draftable player.''
''Before, teams were kind of curious about him and heard that he ran fast and was a decent athlete. They got to see it firsthand today.''
In addition to Seattle, Calhoun has a visit set next month with the Minnesota Vikings.
''A lot of the area scouts knew about him; that's how we found out about him,'' Crain said. ''We're in Houston and represent a lot of Big 12 and Texas guys. But we started getting calls at the end of the season saying 'Hey, you ought to check out this guy at Memphis. He's good, he can run and he's a good kid.'
''So we dug into it a little more and all the scouts were saying the same thing. That's why everybody was scratching their heads about him not going to an all-star game or to the Combine.''
Crain said he told Calhoun to concentrate ''on the big picture'' and realize the process is a marathon, not a sprint.
''I've told him to focus on the big picture,'' Crain said. ''We've had guys play in the Senior Bowl and go to the combine and not get drafted. I think he's got a good head on his shoulders. I think he keeps it all in perspective.''
Steele and Calhoun endured a 2-10 senior season, one that ended with the Tigers losing their last six games and their head coach. During Friday's workout, Steele, who had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, injured himself at the end of his first 40-yard dash. He ran it in 4.55 seconds.
''I had been running mid-4.4s in the 40,'' Steele said. ''But on my first one I stumbled and then, at the end, I got myself caught up with my afterburst. At at the end, instead of letting my momentum slow me down, I tried to slow down myself and I felt (my hamstring) pop.''
Steele, the third-leading rusher in U of M history behind DeAngelo Williams and Dave Casinelli, said he felt good about every other aspect of pro day, including 16 reps on the bench press. Next week, he has a visit scheduled with his hometown NFL team, the Tennessee Titans. He's also heard from the Oakland Raiders, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars.
''Pro Day is huge,'' Steele said. ''My agent told me to just go out and do what you do and put up good numbers. Show that you work pretty hard off the field, too. Hopefully, I caught enough eyes with my bench press.''
-- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543