The University of Utah football team held their annual Pro Day in Salt Lake City on Friday, as nine former Utes showcased their skills before 31 NFL scouts inside the Spence and Cleone Eccles Field House. The Los Angeles Rams were the only team not in attendance.
Two would-be headliners didn’t participate in Utah’s Pro Day. After being an NFL Combine standout, All-American Cole Bishop didn’t participate in the drills, but he did meet with teams throughout the day. All-American Jonah Elliss did not participate in the drills, considering he’s still recovering from a shoulder injury. Elliss also met with teams while at the Combine and today.
It’s yet to be determined if Elliss’ draft stock will take a dive, as he opted to leave early despite his injury. Had he been able to participate in one of the two events, he would have been able to show off his freakish skills.
Some bright spots in today’s Pro Day included former cornerback Miles Battle who didn’t receive a NFL combine invite. He may have improved his stock, although official numbers have not been released, it was reported he ran the fastest 40-yard out of Sione Vaki, Keaton Bills, Thomas Yassmin and Emery Simmons who participated.
The Ole Miss transfer noted that he’s been prepping for the Pro Day for the past three months and was excited that all his preparation helped him.
“I feel great. I ran some of the best times that I've been training at, and I just want to thank God for allowing me to be out here,” said Battle. I feel like if I was at the Combine and had to run them on the lasers, I feel like I would’ve did the same thing, so it’s just a special moment for me.”
Battle participated in almost every drill and expressed how important the day was for his draft prospects.
“It’s been great, I’m getting a lot more traction, talking to more scouts, setting up meetings and stuff, so it’s going to be a great opportunity for me,” Battle said.
After a strong NFL Combine performance, receiver Devaughn Vele continued to make sure he didn’t go unnoticed. Vele did not run in the 40 after running a 4.47 at the combine. He did however participate in drills showing his receiving and special teams skills.
The former walk-on — who worked himself into a starting receiver role becoming a go-to target for the Utes — met with a handful of teams, the Minnisota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals and the Detroit Lions. The 6-foot-5 and 210 pounder also believes his biggest opportunity at the next level will be on special teams.
“I feel like that is going to be my biggest foot in the door in the league right now, so I'm going to take advantage of that as everybody knows I had to do special teams when I first walked on here, so I'm excited to showcase it,” Vele said.
Offensive linemen Sataoa Laumea and Keaton Bills went through different drills, including flexibility tests and blocking drills. Laumea has been on scouts radar for awhile after completing the Senior Bowl, Combine and Pro Day. Throughout this process Laumea expressed that some NFL scouts have provided feedback and encouraged him to improve his football IQ, noting he’s been working with former San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Joe Staley to help improve that part of his game.
“I know some scouts are questionable on my IQ, so i’ve been working with Joe Staley doing a lot of board work and just understanding how different plays work zone, wide zone, all those little things,” said Laumea.
Sione Vaki improved his 4.62 40 time at the combine after not putting up near the numbers he’d hoped for. Although the team didn’t release official times, it was reported he ran a time Thursday over .10 better than during his combine performance. Vaki also dabbled in other drills for scouts including defensive and receiving drills with Cam Rising throwing the ball around to him, Vele, Simmons, and Thomas Yassmin.
Come the weekend of April 25th, Thursday’s Pro Day participants will find out if their work paid off. Between 5-7 Utes are expected to be drafted, with Bishop likely cementing himself as the headliner of the Utes’ 2024 group.
