Wyoming players go through pro day
LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - University of Wyoming senior wide receiver Dominic Rufran tweeted out that he was going on a job interview Thursday afternoon.
But instead of wearing a suit and tie and carrying a portfolio of his work, Rufran and 16 of his Cowboys teammates came to Thursday's job interview in T-shirts, shorts and cleats and showed off their "resumés" with their talents on the football field.
Wyoming held its annual NFL pro day workout at the UW Indoor Practice Facility. Scouts from the Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers worked out 17 UW football players eligible for this year's draft.
Players went through several agility drills, including the vertical and standing long jumps, 40-yard dash, three-cone drill and 60-yard shuttle before going through specific position testing in about two and a half hours.
"This is something that I've been dreaming about since I was a little kid," Rufran said. "Ever since then, I've said that this is what I want to do when I grow up.
"It's like being a doctor or a lawyer or anything; you show up for an interview, and you show them your resumé. Today, we stepped on the field and showcased our skills, and this is our resumé."
While times and distances were guarded very secretly by the NFL scouts in attendance, most of the Cowboys felt they performed well.
"I started getting some momentum and getting more energetic," UW senior cornerback Blair Burns told the Laramie Boomerang (http://bit.ly/1F8VQdS). "The day just became more fun as it went on. I actually asked the scouts if we could do more drills when we were done. It was a fun day."
Burns added that he's watched the senior classes before him go through pro day, so he knew what was coming in terms of the drills expected. Still, for all those involved, there was no denying that there were plenty of nerves prior to the start of the workout, just like a football game.
"I got out here kind of nervous at the beginning of the day," Burns said. "You wait your whole life to do this. Just to have a shot and have these teams looking at you and you getting to perform in front of them is a blessing."
Added senior linebacker Jordan Stanton: "I was just more so anxious. You train so long and so hard, and you want to do so well on this day. I just went out there confident and performed like I normally do. I looked at this just like another game day, going through mental preparations. I came out here the other day and did a walk through on what I was going to do."
Now comes the hardest part for all the UW seniors - waiting and hoping for more workouts. The NFL draft runs April 30-May 2, but until then, teams will hold regional workouts, as well as individual ones. Stanton is headed to Phoenix next week for the Arizona Cardinals super regional combine.
Most other Cowboys will continue to work at their craft and wait for that next call from their agent.
"You never know when you're going to get that call, so you have be training and be in shape and be ready at all times," Stanton said. "You never know when the phone is going to ring. When they call you back for that second interview, you have to be ready."
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Information from: Laramie Boomerang, http://www.laramieboomerang.com