March 22, 2010
Iowa Football Pro Day Photo Gallery (Monday, March 22)
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — Jeff Bauer was in town today, trying to uncover the next Shonn Greene or Matt Kroul. Luke Driscoll wanted to see if the University of Iowa had another Bradley Fletcher. Seth Turner had his stopwatch ready to time another Rob Bruggeman.
It was Iowa’s Pro Day on Monday, March 22, that annual date when NFL scouts converge on the Hayden Fry Football Complex to measure, weigh, time and talk to the Hawkeyes who are eligible for the upcoming draft. Greene, a running back, and Kroul, a defensive lineman, are now with Bauer’s New York Jets; Fletcher, a cornerback, was a third-round draft choice by Driscoll’s St. Louis Rams; Bruggeman was signed as a free agent by Turner’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but now he is in camp with the Atlanta Falcons as an offensive lineman. Yes, the Falcons had a scout in Iowa City, too…his name is Bob Kronenberg and he was taking quite a liking to former UI offensive linemen Bryan Bulaga, Kyle Calloway, Dan Doering, Rafael Eubanks and Dace Richardson during an individual workout session.
This is the third time that Ed Lambert, scout for the Houston Texans, has been to Iowa’s Pro Day. He also visits practice in the fall…early fall, he laughs, to beat the cold weather.
“It’s very personable here,” Lambert said. “You can talk to the coaches one-on-one, which a lot of staffs don’t allow you to do that. Because I’m familiar with coach Ferentz, (defensive coordinator) Norm Parker, (recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach) Eric Johnson, (defensive backs coach) Phil Parker and (wide receivers coach) Erik Campbell, you get a chance to interact with them and talk to them about the players. I think that’s a big positive for scouts.”
Former Minnesota Viking all-pro linebacker Scott Studwell is now director of college scouting. Two former Hawkeyes — Chad Greenway and Albert Young — are current players for the Vikings.
“Typically (with Iowa players) we get the kind of character and work ethic and dedication and football intangibles,” Studwell said. “It runs so deep in this program and it’s preached to these players and the majority of players that you get out of this program are going to come into your program and not miss a beat. That’s a tribute to Kirk and his staff and (strength and conditioning coach) Chris (Doyle) and his staff and to the players.”
Ten former Hawkeye players were available for evaluation at Pro Day on Monday: Pat Angerer, Bryan Bulaga, Kyle Calloway, Dan Doering, A.J. Edds, Rafael Eubanks, Tony Moeaki, Dace Richardson, Amari Spievey and Trey Stross.
Twenty-seven NFL teams had scouts in attendance. Four teams — the Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars and San Diego Chargers — each had two scouts apiece.
“Typically the more scouts you see, the better the prospects are,” Studwell said. “I’ve been coming here for a number of years and there’s always a good turnout because we’re very well received here, which is conducive for us getting our work done.”
“It’s a reflection of the whole program, the coaching staff and the way they treat you,” Lambert added. “They open up their facility to you, plus you guys have a lot of good football players.”
The NFL Draft will be held April 22-24. Last season Greene (third round, New York Jets), Fletcher (third round, St. Louis Rams), offensive lineman Seth Olsen (fourth round, Denver Broncos) and tight end Brandon Myers (sixth round, Oakland Raiders) were drafted, while Bruggeman, Kroul, Mitch King and Andy Brodell signed free agent contracts immediately following the draft.