On the same day Jayson Tatum, a sure-fire lottery pick, declared for the NBA draft after just one season, nine Blue Devil seniors tried to make an impression on NFL scouts at the team’s annual pro day with hopes of getting drafted at their sport’s highest level.
But with most of the participants completing speed and agility drills in front of a crowd of about 30 scouts on Duke’s indoor practice field at Pascal Field House, the Blue Devils’ best pro prospect could only stand on the sideline and watch with a clipboard in hand.
Safety and kick return specialist DeVon Edwards is still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered Sept. 24 against Notre Dame. With six kick returns for touchdowns in his college career—the most in program history and one shy of the NCAA record—Edwards will likely get consideration from NFL scouts, but he only participated in the bench press Wednesday and could not show off his speed to pro teams.
“I encourage those guys to continue to watch the tape.... He’s put together three and a third seasons on tape that may be as good as you can find in college football,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. “Whomever ends up taking him, and it could be somebody sees a reason to draft him, it could be as a free agent, we will be watching DeVon Edwards play football next year on Sunday. I believe that deep in my heart.”
Cutcliffe started the day by addressing the scouts in the team meeting room and brought Hap Zarzour, executive director of athletic medicine, with him to provide an update on Edwards and running back Jela Duncan, who tore his Achilles’ tendon during the game against Georgia Tech last October. Duncan also only participated in the bench press.
Edwards said he started running a couple of weeks ago and expects to be 100 percent in another month or two with hopes of landing in training camp somewhere in the fall.
“It hurts. It’s hard being patient,” Edwards said. “This plays out in a lot of different ways, so stressing about it is not going to make it any better.”
Duke’s healthy NFL hopefuls had the benefit of having more than three months to prepare for Wednesday, training with head strength and conditioning coach Noel Durfey. Wide receiver Anthony Nash was unofficially clocked between 4.35 and 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash, the fastest of the day, and safety Corbin McCarthy also impressed with his speed, running it in 4.40 seconds.
“It’s very different training than training for a season,” McCarthy said. “There’s no point in running a 40 when you’re training for a season much, but Coach Durfey did an absolutely incredible job in preparing us all.”
The wide receivers and defensive backs, a group that also included cornerback Breon Borders, safety Deondre Singleton and wide receiver Ryan Smith, also did a 60-yard shuttle run followed by a few pass-catching drills, with former Georgia Tech quarterback and Durham native Vad Lee also working out for the NFL teams and throwing passes to the former Duke players.
“I just wanted to enjoy it, smile my way through it, do a few laughs when I mess up,” McCarthy said. “I messed up a few times, but that’s life, so I really just wanted to stress the importance of just having fun.”
Offensive lineman Casey Blaser, defensive tackle A.J. Wolf and long snapper Thomas Hennessey rounded out the Blue Devils’ pro day participants.
Most are still long shots to hear their names called in next April’s draft—Duke had 10 players participate in pro day last year and none got drafted—but some could sign as undrafted free agents or join practice squads next fall.
“I tell our players all the time, ‘You better try this because nobody pays as well as they do,’” Cutcliffe said. “We’ve had a number of people, whether they’re drafted or free agents, make it in the National Football League. Not only because of how well they’re doing these things we’re seeing behind me, but also who they are as people, so it’s extremely important to give these young men this opportunity.”
And if they don’t make it, Cutcliffe added that he is proud they will be equipped to go in a different direction with their Duke degrees. But the nine Blue Devils on the field Wednesday did not want to give up hope of a football career just yet.
“I hope to be in a training camp somewhere and trying to make a roster,” McCarthy said. “If not that, I’ll end up back in California with a job where I’m from and become a regular person, which I hope is delayed for a few years.”
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