Pro days are the last official chance for players to impress every team in the NFL prior to exclusive workouts and pre-draft visits being scheduled by any amount of the 32 clubs.
This week has definitely lived by the motto "business is boomin'" as plenty of top-notch programs have held workouts for their best stars and draft hopefuls. One of the pro days that may have gone unnoticed by the general NFL fans though is that of Ashland University, where potential early-round draft pick Adam Shaheen was ready to show off his skills as a tight end to entice one team — or multiple — to make him a selection come late April.
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The potential steal of the draft did not disappoint with the teams in attendance, and there are reports his draft stock is just continuing to rise. To learn more about the drills Shaheen performed, how he performed, and how his performance matters to his draft rating, check below.
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Shaheen's Pro Day Regimine
The former basketball player at Pitt-Johnstown started off his pro day at a local high school close to Ashland by first stating he would be resting on the numbers for drills he did at the combine such as the 40-yard dash and three-cone drills. If you are interested in how Shaheen measured and how he did against his tight end competition, you can check those numbers below.
| Workout | Value | Tight End Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 40-Yard Dash | 4.79 sec. | 11th |
| Bench Press | 24 reps | T-1st |
| Vertical Jump | 32.5 in. | 10th |
| Broad Jump | 10.1 in. | T-7th |
| Three-Cone Drill | 7.09 sec. | T-6th |
| 20-Yard Shuttle | 4.38 sec. | 7th |
| 40-Yard Shuttle | 12.38 sec. | 6th |
The above numbers demonstrate that Shaheen roughly compares toward the middle of the pack physically with other tight ends in an extremely deep position class for 2017, but the most important number was the 40-yard dash number that the redshirt-junior posted.
At 6-foot-6 and 278 pounds, Shaheen is no small body at the position, and his speed is what is attracting most teams to him as he can fly down the field better than most men his size. But the questions that needed to be answered at his pro day were on-field drills that could separate the D2 talent from other players.
Adam Shaheen running routes at Ashland pro day this morning!#AshlandProDay #EagleNation pic.twitter.com/hak0H5MkQP
— Ashland Football (@AshlandFB) March 22, 2017
Though no official workouts have been reported, many are reported to be impressed by what was shown, as said by NFL.com's Gil Brandt. Tight end coaches from the Bears, Lions, Raiders, Saints, and Steelers were included among 16 teams represented at the event, and each put Shaheen through a rigorous workout.
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What The Pro Day Did For Shaheen
Now, instead of asking what Shaheen did for his pro day, we flip the equation to see how the pro day affected the tight ends further pre-draft activities.
First off, Brandt reports that the leader amongst all tight ends in touchdowns in 2016 for the entire NCAA has set up official workouts with the following teams: Arizona, Cleveland, Dallas, Philadelphia, Tampa, Tennessee.
Each of those teams are in need of extra offensive weapons, and the most interesting are the Browns, Titans, and Cowboys. Cleveland is the local team who already has former Ashland player Jamie Meder on the roster, and they could use Shaheen immediately at the tight end spot.
Tennessee would not need Shaheen to start immediately as he could sit behind Delanie Walker — a fellow D2 alum from Central Missouri — and become a weapon for Marcus Mariota in the future. The same could be said in Dallas, but the Cowboys would give Shaheen the best opportunity to sit and learn behind Jason Witten, a future hall-of-famer who has a couple years left maybe.
More visits to team facilities will likely be scheduled soon, but with about a month until the draft, the above six teams seem to be the front-runners for who wants Shaheen the most — at least publicly.
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Shaheen's Draft Stock
Stock for this dynamic tight end is only going up as we draw closer to the draft. At this point, he could be the third tight end off the board, and the second round does not seem out of the realm of possibility.
Even Gil Brandt had some strong feelings on that possibility, saying "I think Friday morning of draft week… there will be teams vying to get near the top of Round 2 to take this tight end."
Through my scouring of the many mock drafts on the web, I have seen Shaheen go anywhere from the second round to the sixth round, and I think that is honestly the best guess anyone could have right now. Nobody knows exactly how big boards are made up by teams, and the official workouts Shaheen takes could hurt him if a team does not like what they see.
But so far, this early declaration has turned from a head-scratcher into one of the biggest surprises of the draft process. Shaheen has hit almost all the right notes, and it seems unlikely he would do anything but as we enter the month of April.
Be prepared NFL fans, Adam Shaheen is ready to become the latest D2 alum to tear up the NFL.
