CARROLLTON, Ga. — This year’s pre-draft process has been anything but normal. Prospects weren’t able to meet and workout for teams and most had their biggest job interview – their pro day – canceled.
John Hurst, a wide receiver from the University of West Georgia, was one of the few who did have the chance to workout in front of pro scouts.
“We were lucky enough to have our pro day,” Hurst said.
Hurst says around 23 pro scouts showed up to West Georgia for pro day. Which is a big deal for small schools that don’t get the same exposure as Power 5 schools.
“The big school guys have the whole season where scouts can watch them, teams can watch them, they’ve got the combine and all-star games,” Hurst said. “Small school guys, the pro day is huge to show their athleticism.”
But recently West Georgia hasn’t had a problem staying on the NFL radar.
“Going there I didn’t know they had that NFL exposure,” Hurst said. “Throughout the years I saw guys like Dylan Donahue and Alex Armah get drafted and I was like dang we’re producing some NFL talent.”
And now it’s Hurst’s turn to have a shot at the pros and show the kind of talent West Georgia can produce.
“I get compared to Wes Welker and Julian Edelman, those Patriots slots, all of the time, but that’s not the kind of player I am," explained Hurst.
He opened some eyes with a 4.45 40-yard dash at his pro day and his performance peaked the interest of a couple NFL teams.
“They want to get me out to visits, but obviously the circumstances don’t allow for that right now,” Hurst said. “You’ve got to control what they can control. If they want to Skype, Google Hangout, phone call, Facetime, whatever it is, I’m all for that.”
This year’s pre-draft process was not your typical one, but guys like John Hurst made it work and are looking forward to their shot at the pros.
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