Sooners Impress at Pro Day

NORMAN - Throughout last month's NFL Combine in Indianapolis, media reports insisted teams were wondering how Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts would feel about switching positions, perhaps to running back or wide receiver.

That's what was reported, but Hurts insists that's not what was asked.

"No team has asked me that," Hurts said emphatically on Wednesday, an hour after OU's Pro Day concluded.

But it was reported...

"No team has asked me that," Hurts repeated.

In an earlier interview session, Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley also was asked about Hurts potentially changing positions.

"I've spoken with a lot of teams about him," Riley said of Hurts, "and I have not had one question about it."

Riley added, "I'm not saying it couldn't happen. Who knows? You just never know who you're going to get drafted by and how things are going to play out, but I think Jalen is going to be a quarterback and I think 99 percent of the teams if not all 100 percent of the teams that are interested in him are to be at quarterback, and that's it."

Stepping in to replace back-to-back Heisman Trophy winners Baker Mayfield (2017) and Kyler Murray (2018) at quarterback, Hurts fell short of becoming the third straight Heisman winner to play for the Sooners, finishing runner-up to LSU quarterback Joe Burrow in 2019 Heisman voting.

After playing three seasons at Alabama, Hurts played as a graduate transfer last season at OU. He amassed a 38-4 record in 42 career collegiate starts, threw for 9,477 yards and 80 touchdowns and rushed for 3,274 yards and 43 scores. He played in seven College Football Playoff games (five starts) and helped Alabama to the 2017 national title.

A confident Hurts has remained steadfast in his quest to prove himself worthy of being an NFL quarterback and potentially a first-round draft choice.

With 55 scouts from 30 NFL teams (the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers being the lone exceptions) on hand in Norman, Hurts threw 72 passes he scripted himself, many coming underneath center. Only a handful of passes fell incomplete, with two untouched.

"Thought I could have done a little better," Hurts said. "I don't know what you guys (media) think. Doesn't really matter to me. Felt like I could have done some things better, but it was fun. It was good overall."

Afterward, Riley told the NFL Network, "It's funny, those who haven't seen him (Hurts) throw live always seem to make the comment, 'Wow, I didn't know he threw the ball like that,' and he does. He threw it with conviction today. The ball really came off his hand. Threw some beautiful deep balls."

Heisman winner Murray of the Arizona Cardinals and wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown were on hand Wednesday.

"It's true support and I'm very appreciative of it," Hurts said.

The ABCs on CeeDee

In the day's final drill, All-American wide receiver and projected first-round pick CeeDee Lamb was one of Hurts' receivers and failed to catch two deep passes despite heroic diving efforts.

Lamb is leaving after his junior season and played on three straight CFP teams while winning three Big 12 Championships. (The Sooners have won five straight conference crowns.)

His 19.0 yards-per-catch is the highest career average in school history among players with at least 130 receptions. Lamb also ranks first at OU with 24 career catches of 40-plus yards and six career games of at least 160 receiving yards.

"He's one of the more versatile ones that we've had from a route-running perspective," Riley said of Lamb, who hails from Richmond, Texas. "He's been able just to do a lot of different things. You haven't felt limited in any way with him, especially these last couple years. I would say (he has) the combination of elite feel for space, for setting people up, getting separation on routes, and also kind of that same feel for when he gets the ball in his hands and setting people up, combined with the body physically that he's been able to build here. He's made himself real exceptional after the catch. When you combine the versatility with the game-breaking explosiveness with the ball, the strength to run through arm tackles – you put that in one package, it's pretty good."

Basking in Basquine

Wide receiver Nick Basquine arrived as a redshirt walk-on from Norman North High School in 2014, did not play in 2015, was put on scholarship in November 2016, spent six seasons on the OU roster and overcame two Achilles injuries (one on each foot) in the process. He won five Big 12 championships and appeared in four CFP games.

"I persevered through a lot just to get to this moment, this opportunity," Basquine said of Pro Day. "I'm grateful for it, but I'm not satisfied. I had a pretty good day today, but I'm looking forward to the next chapter."

Basquine excelled in the measurables with 10 feet, 2 inches in the broad jump, a 35½-inch vertical, a 4.50 40-yard dash, a 4.50 in the shuttle drill, a 7.28 in the 3-cone drill and 19 repetitions on the bench press (225 pounds).

Basquine said the two biggest questions asked of him entering Pro Day were his strength and athleticism. "I think I answered it today," he said.

Riley actually arrived at OU after Basquine in 2015 and marveled at what Basquine has achieved.

"Just mentally to come back from two Achilles, the mental toughness it takes to come back from that and produce the way he has, (he) really has become a complete player," Riley said. "A player like (fellow walk-on receiver) Lee (Morris) who excelled on special teams, I think that's going to be a huge factor for him (Basquine) going forward. And you have to believe his best ball is ahead of him as he continues to get further and further from those injuries and finds the best version of himself. Awesome to see where he came from and here he is working out in front of entire professional football world here today and doing a great job of it."

Getting Downright Defensive

Though the Sooners consistently have had one of the nation's premier offenses since Riley's arrival, half of the 14 Pro Day players came from a previously maligned OU defense in linemen Neville Gallimore, Kenneth Mann, Marquis Overton and Dillon Faamatau, linebacker Kenneth Murray, safety Kahlil Haughton and cornerback Parnell Motley.

"It's very important," Riley said of the defense being represented in front of NFL personnel, "because it's another true illustration of where we thought this thing could head defensively and where we think it's headed. Kenneth, Neville and even Parnell – you take those three guys right there – Kenneth was maybe a second-team all-conference guy the year before, Neville was probably an honorable mention, maybe a third-team (guy). Parnell probably wasn't anything. Now all the sudden you're talking about guys who had elite years that are at the top of their classes at their respective positions. And that change happened in a matter of months.

"Those guys and their commitment to it is obviously the biggest factor, but the job (OU defensive coordinator Alex) Grinch and our staff has done in such a short amount of time is a contributing factor, too. The exciting thing for our young players, our recruits, is if they (coaches) can make that much of a difference in a few months, what does it look like for me for two, three, four years? That's kind of been the mindset and this is further proof that's not just a dream way out there. It's happening right in front of us, right now."

Motley Has His Day

Although Motley did not get an invitation to Indianapolis last month, he knew an opportunity awaited him Wednesday in Norman.

Asked if he was upset about not being invited to the Combine, Motley said, "I was kind of disappointed, but God's got a plan for all of us, so I wasn't too worried about it. That's why you've got days like this for people like us."

Motley tied running back Marcelias Sutton and Basquine for the day's best 40-yard-dash time at 4.50 seconds. Motley also had times of 4.47 seconds in the shuttle and 7.20 seconds in the cone drill, plus a 30-inch vertical jump.

"I could barely sleep because I was so much thinking about today and stuff like that," Motley said. "I had to force myself to sleep. Once I got out there and things slowed down, man, I got back to my usual self and treated it like it's a game day."

NFL scouts are always on the lookout for cornerbacks who excel in man-to-man press coverage.

"I love to press," Motley said. "I love to challenge the guy in front of me, nothing easy. Anybody can play zone and sit there and just do things. It's hard to press and cover the guy that's in front of you. There's a very big chip to my shoulder.... I'm just a football guy, man. I love to play football. That's what I do best."

Measuring Up

Though he goes 6-foot-2 and 302 pounds, Gallimore turned plenty of heads at the NFL Combine when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.79 seconds. He also bench pressed 225 pounds 23 times.

Understandably, Gallimore did not partake in the 40 or the bench press on Pro Day, but he did impress with a 30-inch vertical leap (same as Motley) and a 9-4 in the broad jump.

Morris, Haughton and Sutton also had impressive measurables (see chart). R.J. Proctor had 29 reps on the bench, most by anyone on the day.

The ABCs on CeeDee

Basking in Basquine

Getting Downright Defensive

Motley Has His Day

Measuring Up

Players Mentioned

Nick Basquine

Dillon Faamatau

Neville Gallimore

Jalen Hurts

CeeDee Lamb

Kenneth Mann

Parnell Motley

Kenneth Murray

R.J. Proctor

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics