Arizona held its pro day for NFL scouts last week. Seventeen former Wildcats participated in one form or another. Here are some of the highlights from our conversations with four of the UA’s top-rated draft prospects:
DL-OLB REGGIE GILBERT
On doing defensive line and linebacker drills: “I know a lot of teams, they have me at different things. Some want me to stand up. Some want me to play with my hand in the dirt. Some even asked me if I could play inside. My mindset is just (to) come out here and do whatever they need me to do and show them they can put me anywhere and I can be effective.”
On not getting invited to the scouting combine: “I was a little disappointed. Since I started playing football when I was little, that’s something you dreamed of (doing), going to the NFL combine. It was a bummer that I didn’t get to do that. But I played at Arizona. I knew we were going to have a good showing at our pro day. I just tried to make the best of it. … In a sense, this became my combine. So that added a degree of seriousness to it.”
WR CAYLEB JONES
On the pre-draft process: “It’s everything I’ve been used to. My dad (Robert Jones) went through it. My uncle (Jeff Blake) went through it. My cousin (Emory Blake) went through it. … It’s very stressful is what people don’t understand. Especially the combine. They’re job interviews. It’s serious. It’s your future and livelihood.”
On the advice he received from his dad and uncle: “Really just to keep your head down and keep working. Don’t be discouraged off of what one person says or another person says. Know I have the ability and the confidence. I’ve worked hard enough to play in this league. I just stick with that.”
On his objectives before the draft: “Just proving people wrong in general. So many people doubt me. I’ve been doubted ever since I left UT (University of Texas). People said I’d never play again; I played well here. People are saying I’m not good enough to play in the league. ... I feel like the best is yet to come for me.”
DB WILL PARKS
On the importance of pre-draft workouts: “It’s not really about the pro day, it’s what you do leading up to pro day. If you’re nervous, then maybe you didn’t put in the work, you didn’t have the correct attitude or discipline.”
On his plans during the draft: “I won’t have a big celebration or anything like that. My family knew what it took to get here, so I’m not going to throw a big party. The party can come after. I’m not a big party guy anyway. It’ll be my dad, my mom, my brothers, everyone that stood by my side when I didn’t have good games or times hit me hard, when I didn’t have much, when I was sleeping on the floor. Everyone who stood by me through that will be at my house.”
LB SCOOBY WRIGHT
On his pro-day performance compared to the combine: “Indy was a whole different (experience). You can’t even simulate that. I got there a day before everybody. I remember one night I had to do two MRIs and six X-rays. I didn’t leave the hospital until 1:30 a.m., and I had to wake up at 3:45 a.m. to take a PED test. Then that whole day, we were up all day, had psychological tests, then meeting with the teams. I was up till 12:30. Then I was up at 5:30 again. I probably got eight hours of sleep in the four days I was there.”
On taking time off after his disappointing combine performance: “I went to San Diego. I was there with my girlfriend, my sister. We were talking and stuff. It was more went wrong, what I missed, just analyzing it. I knew I could do better. I wasn’t going to sit there, ‘Oh, this sucks, forget it, I just want to roll over and die’ or whatever. I just wanted to sit down, analyze what was going on and fix the problem.”
