Nine players participated in the UCA hosted Pro Day March 11, 2015 with aspirations of being one of 224 picks in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Former Bears place kicker Eddie Camara, offensive linemen Cole Caruthers and C.J. Simon, running back Willie Matthews, defensive lineman T.J. Randall and wide receivers Dezmin Lewis and Damien Watts were the participants for UCA.
Seniors tight end from the University of Arkansas—Monticello Matt Pearce and quarterback Kiehl Frazier from Ouachita Baptist University also participated in the Pro Day.
Following measurement and weigh-ins, the seniors participated in a series of drills for representatives of the NFL’s St. Louis Rams and New Orleans Saints.
Drills included a 40-yard dash, 225-pound bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, 20-yard shuttle and a three-cone drill.
Following the physical drills, Pro Day participants ran receiving routes, blocked or threw passes.
Pearce is a former Bear, who transferred to the University of Arkansas — Monticello a couple years ago.
Frazier started his college career at Auburn University, transferred to Ouachita Baptist University in during his collegiate career.
Lewis was invited to this year’s North-South Senior Bowl and the NFL’s Combine in mid-February, so he didn’t participate in the measurement, weigh-in and bench press portions of the event.
However, he had a strong showing, improving his 40-yard dash time from 4.58 seconds at the NFL Combine to 4.41 seconds at UCA Pro Day.
In various mock drafts, Lewis is projected to be picked in the middle rounds of the NFL Draft, and one as high as the fourth round, which would be the highest draft pick for a UCA player in NFL history.
Two-time Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year and former Bears’ defensive lineman Larry Hart was the 143rd pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, which is the current highest.
Tune in to the three-day NFL Draft, which starts April 30 and concludes May 2 to see how the Bears do and look in the March 18 edition of The Echo for a more in-depth look at the Pro Day.
