Football season is long over but Duke players Philip Alexander, Chris Sprague, and Ronnie Elliot were running, jumping, and lifting like the big game was just around the corner. The three put forth all they had at the Yoh Football Center Thursday afternoon for one reason-they want to be professionals.
Scouts from the Washington Redskins, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants and others watched as the Blue Devils engaged in various athletic tasks in a "last interview" for the draft during Duke's pro-day. Players were asked to perform a vertical jump, a horizontal jump, a 40-yard dash and bench press repetitions.
All eyes were particularly on defensive end Alexander, whose 2003 breakout season put him on the radar. Despite a past leg injury, his power total-which is a statistic computed by adding the number of bench reps plus vertical height plus broad jump distance-was over 70. Punter Sprague and wide receiver Elliot also represented the Blue Devils.
"I felt like this was positive for Duke Football," Sprague said. "It shows that we deserve respect as far as the pros are concerned. Scouts need to start looking at Duke for players because there are some quality athletes in the Duke program."
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