Among the notable names at Washington’s Pro Day… GM’s – Brandon Beane, John Schneider & Marty Hurney HC – Pete Carroll OC’s – Brian Daboll, Brian Schottenheimer DC – Ken Norton — Omar Ruiz (@OmarDRuiz) April 1, 2019 Fans of both the Seattle Seahawks and the University of Washington Huskies will be happy to know general manager John Schneider, coach Pete Carroll, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, defensive coordinator Ken Norton and offensive line coach Mike Solari were spotted at the Huskies’ Pro Day on Monday. Pundits love to connect local college stars with the closest NFL team, which has resulted in a lot of former University of Washington players being tied to the Seahawks – this year more than ever. Safety Taylor Rapp and cornerback Byron Murphy are both expected to go in the late-first to the early-second round of the NFL draft, which has, of course, linked them to Seattle’s first pick at No. 21 overall. Additionally, versatile offensive lineman Kaleb McGary could be a target for Seattle, particularly with Solari in attendance. McGary has dealt with a ton of adversity in his life, and his size and strength would play well as a guard in today’s NFL. Besides the top prospects, the Seahawks are certainly taking a look at the rest of the former Husky players, including Jake Browning, Greg Gaines, Ben Burr-Kirven, Myles Gaskin and Jojo McIntosh.<doc-sep>WSU held their annual NFL Pro Day on Wednesday in Pullman, with three players taking center stage: Andre Dillard, Gardner Minshew, and James Williams. PULLMAN, Wash. — WSU held their annual NFL Pro Day on Wednesday in Pullman, with three players taking center stage: Andre Dillard, Gardner Minshew, and James Williams. We caught up with all of them today after the event, and highlight a few storylines for all of them below. ANDRE DILLARD 28 out of 32 NFL teams were at WSU’s Pro Day today, and most of them showed up to at least take a look at Dillard. Dillard opted to keep his numbers from the NFL combine and not do any tests, but he did do position drills for all the teams. The most interesting person watching Dillard today was the Panther’s GM Marty Hurney, who also spoke to Dillard after he did drills. “I was just honored for him to be here with us and it felt really good to put on a show for him,” said Dillard of Hurney being in attendance. “It’s great to meet him for the first time and felt really good to talk to him. It felt amazing to hear kind words from him.” GARDNER MINSHEW Like Dillard, Minshew opted to not redo any of his combine testing. He did throw today to a wide variety of receivers. There were some drops, but overall he felt pretty good about his performance. “I thought it was good, definitely could be better,” said Minshew. “Always feel like that no matter how well you do but we did good things. I think our receivers and running backs really helped themselves, I really helped myself so all in all it was a good day.” “I’m kind of working on everything right now,” said Minshew of what he’s looking to improve. “Trying to be the best I can be. I felt alright with how I threw the deep ball today. Our guys were a little tired and that’s just how this thing goes. Sunday we were 60-for-60. Today we only threw 46 and I’m not sure how many we completed, but we felt good about it. Definitely something I’ll continue working on.” JAMES WILLIAMS Williams did participate in a few testing drills today, including the bench press. Williams did not do the bench press at the NFL Combine because of a shoulder sprain. He completed 15 reps this time around. Williams also participated in running back drills, which the Saints’ Running Back’s coach Joel Thomas ran. Williams told the media after Pro Day that he met with the Saints last night. “It was intense. It was nerve racking,” said Williams of Thomas running drills. “I’ve got an NFL coach coaching me through drills, but everything went well.” “I’m glad all of this over because I’ve been stressing,” said Williams of getting one step closer to draft day. “I’m about to stress a little more, being curious of where I’ll end up. I don’t care where I get drafted, even if I don’t get drafted, I just need an opportunity. That’s all I need.”<doc-sep>On Monday, the Seattle Seahawks sent nearly their entire crew to the University of Washington’s Pro Day. While they normally have a big presence at the local event, this year made a lot of sense considering Seattle’s connection to a handful of UW players – including Byron Murphy, Taylor Rapp, Greg Gaines, Ben Burr-Kirven and even quarterback Jake Browning. Now that Pro Day is over, a handful of the results could have a considerable impact on Seattle’s upcoming picks in the draft. The biggest takeaway was the rough performance from safety Taylor Rapp, who only ran an unconfirmed 4.74 in the 40-yard dash – nearly 0.2 seconds slower than his time at the NFL scouting combine. Was told Taylor Rapp didn’t run very well today (4.74). He’s an excellent player but that’s going to impact his stock. — Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) April 1, 2019 Rapp has been mocked around the late first round, but if his performance at Pro Day bumps his stock down into the second, it could benefit Seattle. The Seahawks are notorious for trading down in the draft to acquire more picks, something that seems like a formality considering they have a league-low four picks this season. If Rapp is someone Seattle is interested in, the Seahawks could theoretically trade down, maybe even twice, and still get the guy that they want. While Rapp’s underperformance was the biggest takeaway, it is also notable how well Browning looked. The biggest knock on him has been his arm strength, something that he worked very hard to improve and showed off at Pro Day. Browning is considered a potential undrafted free agent, where he would be a nice target for coach Pete Carroll to bring into camp to compete alongside Paxton Lynch to back up Russell Wilson next season. His nice performance at Pro Day could make him a late-round draft pick, a price the Seahawks are unlikely to pay and currently don’t have, with their final pick coming in the fifth round. It’s certainly not a guarantee Seattle ends up with any Huskies on the team next season, but the Seahawks’ strong presence at Pro Day and the plethora of draftable assets could form a hometown hero in the Emerald City next season.<doc-sep>If you've followed Washington Huskies football at all over the past four years, you've probably heard about Jake Browning's arm strength. In case you haven't, I'll fill you in: the general consensus is that Browning lacks an NFL-caliber arm. In fairness, the criticism isn't entirely unjustified. There were often times where the four-year starter would underthrow his target, or leave the ball behind a receiver crossing the field. That perceived lack of arm strength has been the proverbial monkey on Browning's back – despite setting UW records for yards (12,296) and touchdowns (94) as well as holding a solid 65% career completion mark, the former Husky isn't considered to be one of the top quarterbacks in this year's draft class. To understand just how big of a deal NFL scouts consider arm strength, look no further than former Mizzou signal-caller Drew Lock – another four-year player. Lock's numbers are nearly identical to Browning's with Browning holding a slight edge. When you look at completion percentage though, the Missouri product's 56.9 mark is significantly worse. But because he's seen as having an NFL-type arm, Lock is being talked about as a potential first-rounder. Meanwhile, Browning has been projected as a late-round pick, or an undrafted free agent. RELATED: Seahawks' offseason workout program dates announced The California native spent two months working on improving his arm with 3DQB – a group of quarterback trainers who have worked with NFL stars like Tom Brady – before throwing at the NFL Combine. The consensus among those watching the game was that while his throws looked better, it wasn't enough to give his draft stock much of a boost. Today, Browning threw again at Washington's Pro Day – with a bevy of scouts and coaches in attendance. With the Draft just weeks away, it was his last chance to make a good impression. So how did he do? Pretty well, actually. The ball was coming out of his hand with a nice amount of zip, and he showed good touch on several deep throws. It's tough to compare without actual numbers, but Browning's velocity looked noticeably improved compared to the 2018 season. With that in mind, it's worth examining Browning's NFL prospects. Unfortunately for him, another good throwing display isn't likely to suddenly propel him up scouting boards. Throwing at the Combine and Pro Day takes place in a non-game, indoor setting. Teams will likely trust four years of film over a couple recent showcases. That being said, Browning likely could still have a career in the NFL – as a backup. He brings high football IQ and leadership to the table and should be capable of making short to intermediate-range throws. He's a capable, drama-free player, which is exactly what teams want in a backup signal caller. Look for him to be picked in the seventh round. ALSO: How'd the Huskies do at the 2019 NFL Combine? Other notes from Pro Day: •Taylor Rapp ran the 40 after skipping it at the Combine due to injury. We didn't get official times, but I heard 4.7 being thrown around. While not ideal, it was pretty well known that Rapp isn't a speed demon – and he flashed his lateral quickness and agility at the Combine. Still, it could drop him down boards. In any case, seeing him go any later than the second round would be pretty surprising. • Drew Sample could prove to be really similar to Will Dissly, in that he's mainly profiled as a blocking tight end but has good hands and catch ability. With the other hyper-athletic TE prospects in this class, he's not likely to draw much attention. As a result, he could be a real steal as a late-round player or UDFA •Myles Gaskin ran between and 4.5 and 4.6, which is about what he did at the Combine. While he brings excellent vision and toughness as a runner, teams probably wanted to see more speed from a smaller back. Despite valid concerns about his size, Gaskin's patience and craftiness should translate well to the NFL – if a team is willing to take a chance on him •Ben Burr-Kirven, like Gaskin, is undersized for his position at the NFL level. Still, teams would be foolish to overlook his production and skillset. Even during workouts today, his motor is always running at 110 percent. You want guys like that on your team. •Byron Murphy has been getting most of the pre-draft love, but Jordan Miller could be a late-round star. His long arms and speed will intrigue scouts in search of developmental prospects. It's worth remembering that the pre-draft process isn't much more than hype and guesswork. Combine and Pro Day stars have gone on to be flops in the NFL, while players who didn't do much at those events became stars. My advice? Watch film. Years of tape is going to show you much more than a series of drills ever will.<doc-sep>
Showing Their Skills Just up the road and across Lake Washington, a few important figures from the Seahawks coaching staff stood attentively inside the Dempsey Indoor Center watching the (now former) Huskies show their physical prowess and agility. April 1 marked NFL football Pro Day for the University of Washington and there was quite the crowd present to take a look at the potential professional prospects. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and John Schneider were in attendance watching the young athletes show their skills. Both offensive and defensive coordinators Brian Schottenheimer and Ken Norton Jr., respectively, as well as offensive line coach Mike Solari, joined Carroll and Schneider. Pro day workouts act as excellent opportunities to scout the top talent. Although the workouts are said by NFL.com to be "not as all-encompassing as the combine, (they) are important enough for key decision-makers in the league to travel around the country for more than a month to watch the talent up close and in person." Football experts and local media note a few names to keep an eye on once the draft comes around, including former Husky quarterback Jake Browning, running back Myles Gaskin, defensive linemen Greg Gaines, offensive lineman Kaley McGary, and defensive backs Byron Murphy and Taylor Rapp. Reports say that Rapp and Murphy are both likely to go in the late-first to early-second round of this year's NFL draft. A recent mock draft published by NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter has the Seahawks drafting Murphy as their first-round pick at No. 21 overall. In addition to scouts and coaches, there were some current NFL players in attendance visiting their alma matter to watch their former teammates workout. The extensive list of UW grads included San Francisco 49ers WR Dante Pettis, Cincinnati Bengals WR John Ross, Green Bay Packers cornerback Kevin King, and Seahawks tight end Will Dissly.