College football players work out for NFL scouts

The best college football players in the Philadelphia area arrived at Franklin Field yesterday with aspirations of earning themselves an NFL job.

The third annual Pro Football Day is a combine used by scouts and teams to better judge the talent and ability levels of those hopeful of playing their football on Sundays.

"We've already seen game film of these players and seen them play live, by now we're just trying to better judge the athleticism of these players as they go through the different stations," pro scout Ray Walsh said. "Sometimes they have playing strength or what seems to be playing strength, but they don't really and they've just gotten by based upon their size. So you adjust for some of those things that will help to verify what you may have thought of the players before."

For Penn seniors Ben Noll and Mike Powers, the combine was an opportunity to show off some of the athleticism that does not often come to mind when thinking about big offensive linemen.

"We had seen tape on them and they performed a little better here than we had thought that they would," Walsh said. "On film they didn't stand out with their athletic ability but they did here."

Both players participated in the running exercises that were available, including the 40-yard dash, the shuttle run and the cone run.

The running activities for all players present at the combine were made extremely difficult by the rain overnight. Players frequently slipped and slid all over the slick astroturf, causing the participants to repeat their runs on multiple occasions.

The slippery turf was not only frustrating for the players but also for the scouts, who could not get an accurate gauge of the speed and agility of certain players.

"We usually throw out the bad times and you can see when a player is slipping and sliding so you just make quick notes to yourself," Walsh said. "Really all you're looking for in these conditions is for someone who can put up a really astonishing time, but other than that you just have to consider the conditions and try to judge performances from a different point of view."

One former Penn player who was showing off his abilities for the scouts was Vince Alexander. After playing the preseason with the New York Jets last year, Alexander was cut from the team.

Attendance at the combine allowed Alexander another opportunity to impress pro scouts and possibly join up with another organization.

Scouts were also able to watch the players work out in the weight room to get a first hand glimpse at the size and strength of the players.

"We found out that Noll is a little bit bigger than we had him listed as, so that was good," Walsh said.

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