Spencer Larsen was poked, prodded, quizzed and drilled at last month's NFL Combine with mixed results.
Today, Larsen and a dozen of his former Arizona Wildcats teammates will get a chance to impress NFL scouts on their own turf. Representatives from all 30 pro teams will be on campus this morning for the UA's annual timing day on the school's campus.
Combine participants like Thorpe Award winner Antoine Cason, defensive end Louis Holmes and cornerback Wilrey Fontenot will try to build off their past performances. Meanwhile, low-profile players like linebacker Dane Krogstad and offensive tackle Peter Graniello will try to make the most of their lone appearance in front of scouts.
Today's workout will be intense — pro careers are at stake — but nothing like the exhaustive Combine experience. The UA's top five prospects were subjected to on-field drills, physical exams and probing personality tests during the four-day event.
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"At the Combine, they get you on their own terms. They run you around between drills, interviews and a lot of other things," Larsen said. "Timing day is a day when we get them on our turf, where we can show them what we can do when we're at our best."
No player could use the comfort of home more than Larsen. By all accounts, he nailed the Combine's in-person interviews and performed well in linebacker drills.
But Larsen struggled in the 40-yard dash, arguably the Combine's most telling test of pro readiness. Larsen's time of 4.9 seconds was about three-tenths of a second slower than his previous average.
"I was thinking that if I had a horrible run, at worst it would be like a 4.7," Larsen said. "In all the other drills, I felt like I did really well. In the 40, I just didn't perform up to what I had been doing."
Larsen will run again today, and a good performance would undoubtedly help his pro stock. As a senior, Larsen led the UA — and the Pac-10 Conference — with 131 tackles. He recovered four fumbles and caused three others.
"Production at this level, you just can't ignore it. Any scout will tell you that," UA coach Mike Stoops said. "He's not a 4.6 guy or whatever that is, but I don't know what Tedy (Bruschi) runs, I don't know what Antonio Pierce runs. I know they're football players. They play with their hearts and their minds, and so does Spencer."
Time to run
The following UA football players will work out for scouts at this morning's pro timing day:
DT Yaniv Barnett
DB Antoine Cason
DT Lionel Dotson
CB Wilrey Fontenot
OL Peter Graniello
DE Louis Holmes
RB Chris Jennings
WR Anthony Johnson
LB Dane Krogstad
LB Spencer Larsen
LS Garon McHone
DE Jason Parker
FS Dominic Patrick
NOTE: Defensive Carlos Williams, who played at the UA from 2001 to 2004, is also scheduled to attend.
