15 Bulldogs put in Pro Day work weeks away from NFL Draft

With the NFL Draft mere weeks away, Starkville was host to all 32 teams again on Tuesday as Mississippi State hosted its annual Pro Day on campus.

15 former players worked out for NFL teams led by linebackers Jett Johnson and Nathaniel Watson along with defensive backs Decamerion Richardson, Marcus Banks and Shawn Preston, defensive linemen Jaden Crumedy and Nathan Pickering, offensive linemen Kwatrivous Johnson, Kameron Jones and Nick Jones and wide receivers Tulu Griffin and Freddie Roberson.

Most of those players had unique experiences at MSU. The majority went through COVID-19 with the Bulldogs and had two coaching changes which led to a lot of different philosophies and experiences in their time. All of them stuck it out and played through adversity.

Griffin certainly had to adjust on the fly. After being recruited by Joe Moorhead, Griffin would end up playing for Mike Leach and in the Air Raid offense. He rewrote the record books as a returner and had some good moments as a receiver and that’s opened some eyes on the NFL early. 

“I adjusted very well but I think it helped me overall because I’ve been in two different offenses,” Griffin said. “It’s not going to be a problem adjusting to the NFL so I’m ready for that. I always tell them I’m a very versatile player that uses his speed and knows the game very well. It’s just a matter of time before they see me in their uniform.”

Griffin already performed at the NFL Combine earlier this month in Indianapolis and ran a 4.43 40-yard dash. He felt comfortable in his numbers as he didn’t take part in the entire Pro Day event, including sitting out the 40-yard dash.

The Philadelphia native said he has heard from 20 teams already and has visits schedule for the Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings.

Along with Griffin at the combine was Watson, Richardson and Crumedy. All three were also in Starkville on Tuesday taking part in a few drills as well.

Watson had a 4.63 40-yard dash and a 31” vertical in Indy and mentioned that he’s dropped 15 pounds to move around better for his position. The Associated Press’ SEC Defensive Player of the Year has spoken to the Browns, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks with visits on the way.

“My drill work speaks for itself and all of the interviews that I’ve had have been phenomenal so far,” Watson said. “I know I have plenty more coming and I  have a couple of visits coming up so I look forward to all of them.”

Johnson wasn’t invited to the combine and you wont find the Tupelo native on many mock drafts, but there weren’t many players in the conference close to the tackling production as him the last two seasons. Only Watson had rivaled Johnson on tackles as he was steady for the Bulldogs all the way.

After spending the last several weeks working out in Miami, Johnson felt like his work at Pro Day and in interviews has helped elevate his stock to give himself a chance in April.

“Obviously you want to perform well in front of the scouts and I was happy with my position drills,” Johnson said. “My numbers are going to be what they are going to be, but I controlled what I could control, ate right, worked out and trained really hard so I think (Tuesday) was a success.”

Tuesday could be on the final times that both Johnson and Watson spend time putting in the work on the field that has put them in this position to play on the biggest stage.

From starting together all the way back in 2018 to each player paying their dues and working their way to the top of the SEC, Watson and Johnson handled their business the old school way. They combined for 665 tackles their last three seasons and now are working to accomplish a dream in the NFL.

“It’s just a brotherhood between me and him. Loyalty at the most,” Watson said. “With NIL and stuff coming around and everybody hitting the transfer portal, me, him and (Crumedy) all stuck it through and wanted to finish the job here. We waited our turn and now we’re here. We have to take advantage of it.”