SEC Network crew praise slimmed-down DJ Fluker working out at Alabama Pro Day

More than 10 years after he played his last game for Alabama, former Crimson Tide offensive tackle D.J. Fluker worked out at his alma mater’s pro day on Thursday as he eyes a return to the NFL. Fluker last played in the league in 2020 for the Baltimore Ravens.

And the former 11th overall pick showed up to Alabama in apparent peak condition, leaving the SEC Network crew providing commentary to marvel at the shape he was in. He might be in his early 30s, but Fluker surely left an impression on the more than 100 NFL front office and coaching personnel on hand.

“I mean just look at him. He looks the part,” ESPN and SEC Network draft analyst Jordan Reid said. “We’re talking about a guy who was a former first-round pick, too. So he’s been in the fire before, he’s been in that situation. And I can guarantee you there’s going to be a lot of executives, when they go get back on that private jet or that drive home, they’re going to be like, ‘My god, look at D.J. Fluker and how he looks.'”

D.J. Fluker looking JACKED 💪 @DJTheWarrior76 | @AlabamaFTBL pic.twitter.com/zgesfFyflR

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) March 23, 2023

Former NFL safety and SEC Network analyst Roman Harper, an Alabama alum himself, noted that time away from football likely served Fluker well in reshaping and healing his body. On top of that, the mental break can help, too.

“When you take a couple years off, your body will naturally heal up. And so he’s probably in the best shape he’s been in physically. He’s probably in a better place mentally. And now this is something that he wants to try and go out there and achieve,” Harper said.

Harper also gave Alabama plaudits for getting Fluker on the field in front of scouts, GMs and coaches.

“And I applaud him for coming back out there. I applaud Nick and the rest of the University of Alabama for allowing this young man to go back out there and say, ‘Hey, look, I still got a little something in the tank. Let me go out here and prove it while I’ve got 120-something executives or NFL people around me to watch me. I love this part of it,” Harper said. “But if it doesn’t work, he doesn’t get that call, just go to the WWE. I promise you, he’s got something to do with that network, at least.”

And amid jokes about how tight Fluker’s shirt fit on his slimmed-down, muscled-up frame, SEC Network host Dari Nowkhah shared some of Harper’s sentiment.

“This is really cool,” Nowkhah said. “These pro days are great, we often times see pro days where players from other schools who don’t have enough people to have their own pro day, they go and they participate here. We saw Cam Newton at Auburn two days ago, throwing. And by all reports, anyways, throwing well. Your former teammate on the Carolina Panthers. And then you have opportunities like this. “