Wildcats showcase skills for NFL scouts at Arizona Pro Day | News

TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) – With the NFL Draft just over a month away, Arizona Football held its annual pro day.

14 Wildcats showcased their skills in front of 31 NFL teams and 2 Canadian Football League (CFL) teams. The L.A. Rams were the only team not in attendance. 

Scouts and coaches watched the Wildcats go through standard drills like broad jump, high jump and the 40-yard dash. Players also participated in several individual position drills. 

Among the Cats in attendance, Offensive Lineman Jordan Morgan. The Marana native is projected to be a late first round pick. He led all athletes with 27 reps on bench press. No results for other drills were announced. 

Michael Wiley, Jacob Cowing and Tanner McLachlan also took the field during pro day. Like Morgan, the trio was invited to participate in the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. McLachlan said he was thrilled to have another chance to impress scouts. 

“They got their first opinion on me there,” he said. “Then the guys who were able to come out here and see me perform again, just really shoring that up and showing them what I can do on the field.”

McLachlan was the best tight end at Arizona since Rob Gronkowski. His 79 career receptions actually passed Gronkowski’s record. McLachlan’s skill shined through at Pro Day. He didn’t drop a single pass, a goal he set for himself coming in. 

“I think I showed them my athleticism in the passing game,” he said. “I think if someone’s going to end up drafting me I think that’s the reason they’re going to do it. I think I have sure hands.”

For the other 10 players, Arizona’s Pro Day was their first (and likely only) chance to work out in front of a group of NFL scouts and coaches. 

“To be able to go out there with my teammates and just enjoy it, go out there and do our thing and embrace the moment inside this stadium. We had a ball,” Martell Irby said.

Irby played a variety of positions at Arizona and for four years at UCLA. He said his versatility will help him fit in with any team. 

“This season being able to play linebacker, box safety, free safety, the four core of special teams, I’m going to bring that same thing to the next level, whoever gives me the opportunity,” he said.

Irby said he’s open to playing in other leagues besides the NFL. He just wants to keep lacing up the cleats. 

“I just feel like God’s not done yet,” he said. “I got a lot left to give, a lot left in the tank.”

Irby said he isn’t trying to dwell on the future, but rather enjoy the moment. 

“I can control what I can control,” he said. “I don’t know what’s coming next. I feel like I did all I could’ve done, whether as a teammate, a friend, a captain and a young man, being the young man that God is calling me to be. I feel like I set myself up well, though.”

Irby and McLachlan’s teammates were right there cheering them on. Several players like Noah Fifita, Tetairoa McMillan, Tyler Loop and Gunner Maldonado sat in the stands. 

“Oh you can hear them, you can hear them after they time your 40,” Irby said with a smile. “They try to tell you what it is. That’s just the culture we’ve built here.”

“I love being Wildcat,” McLachlan said. “I bleed the red and blue. To be back in front of my brothers, they were able to watch today as well as the guys competing. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

The NFL Draft begins April 25 in Detroit.