Maryland and Western Michigan Pro Days report: Taulia Tagovailoa struggles to make an impression, OL prospects stand out
Offensive linemen stand out at Maryland.
The final big individual pro day on the calendar was completed Friday, as prospects from Maryland worked out for NFL scouts. The Big 12 pro day continues to take place, and next week Yale players perform for scouts, which ends the schedule for 2024.
Notes from Maryland Pro Day
The Terrapins have a half dozen players who will be drafted or signed as PFAs after the seven rounds are complete, and all worked out for scouts Friday.
Offensive line coaches for the Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets and New England Patriots were on hand for Delmar Glaze and Gottlieb Ayedze. Both players sat on their combine numbers, but they did run the shuttles and participated in position drills.
Glaze drew a lot of praise from scouts, who feel he’s a versatile lineman who can play tackle, guard or center. While he did not snap during Friday’s workout, the belief is that Glaze has the intelligence to man the pivot. Ayedze, on the other hand, is viewed as a zone-blocking guard.
Teams left the workout believing Glaze could sneak into the late part of Day 2, but he’s more likely a fourth-round choice. Ayedze, on the other hand, will fall into the second half of Day 3.
Glaze has three official-30 visits on his upcoming calendar, including the Baltimore Ravens.
Safety Beau Brade, who has struggled with a hamstring injury since the Senior Bowl and more recently an oblique injury, timed 4.63 seconds in the 40, 6.89 seconds in the three-cone and 4.23 seconds in the short shuttle while completing 15 reps on the bench.
Cornerback Ja'Quan Sheppard, a combine snub, timed as fast as 4.52 seconds in the 40 then pulled up with a hamstring issue on his second run. He hit 10-foot-1 on the broad then gutted out position drills, which were run by the New York Giants. Sheppard has a pair of official-30 visits with the Green Bay Packers and Las Vegas Raiders.
Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa threw for scouts and has received tepid reviews. Tagovailoa showed little arm talent, and his deep passes displayed little speed and even fluttered according to those on hand. The quarterback, who was not invited to the combine, did no testing Friday.
Notes from Western Michigan Pro Day
There’s a new leader in the clubhouse. Earlier this week, I reported on Northern Iowa defensive tackle Khristian Boyd, who has 15 official-30 visits.
That number has been beaten by WMU pass rusher Marshawn Kneeland, who has 16 visits on his calendar. That’s a huge number, especially for a player who participated in the combine and Senior Bowl.
Among the teams Kneeland has already visited or will make the trip to see are the Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Bucs, Indianapolis Colts and Washington Commanders.
Looking at that list and the fact that Kneeland’s perfect weight stands around 275 pounds, it seems most teams project him as a 4-3 defensive end.