Myers suffers injury during workouts for pro scouts
Well prepared and ready to go – that’s how scouts described the handful of USU football players that participated in the Aggies NFL pro day last Friday.
“The kids were well prepared in general and they competed hard,” said a scout for the Indianapolis Colts. “I go to a lot of places and these guys were, from an over-the-top observation, boom, boom, boom ready to go and prepared. They were wonderful.”
The scout said most teams were there to watch former tight end Rob Myers and safety De’von Hall, but five other Aggies showcased their talents as well.
Roy Hurst, Marquise Charles, Joshua Taylor, Caleb Taylor and Otis Nelson all took part in a series of skills and weightlifting tests. Those tests included the 40-yard dash and shuttle drills as well as the bench press and vertical jump.
Myers was having a good showing for the scouts – who represented 17 NFL teams – until the tight end pulled up lame near the end of his workout.
“I guess it was all right until I pulled my freaking hamstring,” Myers said. “I felt like I did good in the 40, I mean, I felt like everything went well and it was just a freak accident. I don’t even know how else to explain it.”
Injury has been a continuous problem for Myers who missed his entire senior season after having surgery on a toe injury. Despite that setback, he’s been able to stay on teams’ radars after a junior season where he had 21 catches for 320 yards and three touchdowns and led the nation’s tight ends with a 15.2 yards per catch average.
“The tight end (Myers) has got a lot of good stuff going for him. He’s a smart guy, he’s fast, athletic and has real good hands. His biggest problem is obvious: He’s got to stay healthy,” the scout said. “They come here to find numbers, and his numbers were damn good. He ran well, he changed direction well … what he does best is run fast and catch the ball. Other than the way that it ended, he was having a damn good day.”
Despite the scouts praise, Myers knows how another injury looks.
“Everybody basically says the film speaks louder,” he said. “I think I helped myself a little bit, but obviously that doesn’t look good – the fact that I missed a whole season with a toe and then I just pulled my hamstring out there.”
The whole situation has left Myers with a feeling of what’s going to happen next?
“I’ll probably drive home and then get a flat tire and then get hit by a car, that’s pretty much next on the list,” Myers said jokingly. “Tell people to pray for me.”
There is, however, no time to dwell on the past. Myers has a workout with the Atlanta Falcons scheduled in a little over a week.
“It’s been a tough road since day one and it’s not getting any easier,” Myers said.
Hall also had a good day in front of the scouts from teams that included the Colts, San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers and others.
“The safety’s got high weight speed, he’s been a four-year starter and he’s got real, real good numbers – his numbers are freaking outstanding, so he had a good day too,” said the Colts scout off Hall’s performance on the day.
Both Myers and Hall each posted good 40 times for their respective positions. Myers ran a 4.60 and a 4.61 while Hall came in at 4.42 and 4.43 on his two attempts.
Now the players must play the waiting game. The 2009 NFL draft will take place at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25-26.
–t.olsen@aggiemail.usu.edu