Sports worldwide came to an abrupt halt last month amidst the COVID-19 outbreak—collegiate and professional athletics alike. One remarkable outlier has been the 2020 NFL Draft, which is proceeding on-schedule next week April 23-25. For Stanford's former standouts chasing their dreams of continuing their careers in the NFL, their pre-draft process has been turned upside-down, starting with the disappointing cancelation of our scheduled March 19 Stanford Pro Day.
"Originally I had planned to have Pro Day at Stanford, meet with teams and then hang out to train there and watch spring ball practices," says former Cardinal outside linebacker Casey Toohill. "Then I was going to come home to train and see friends. I would have had workouts with teams and meetings with them.
"It was frustrating at first, but I feel for the guys who didn't get the opportunities I did, like [Cameron Scarlett] and [Richard McNitzky] at Stanford Pro Day."
"It was most unfortunate for the Pro Day guys," says former Cardinal tight end Colby Parkinson.
Casey and Colby had the good fortune to compete and perform before all 32 teams in February at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Casey tested Top-5 among all EDGE prospects at the Combine in every category of field testing, including the top vertical jump (39.0) and 20-yard shuttle (4.21). Colby delivered a flawless receiving performance at his 6-foot 7 1/4 size.
For others like former Cardinal running back Cameron Scarlett and long snapper Richard McNitzky, Stanford Pro Day would have been an invaluable opportunity to perform in front of scouts, coaches and player personnel from across the NFL.
"There wasn't really anything you could do to prepare for this," says Cameron. "I was so excited for Pro Day and felt ready to perform."
Cameron has taken matters into his own hands, videotaping his own 'Pro Day' workout and sending it to all 32 NFL teams with the help of his agent. Just as important, he is maintaining a positive attitude while focusing on all that he can control.
"I try to look at the glass half full," says Cameron. "I know this is happening to the entire 2020 draft class, so nobody is getting a better opportunity than anyone else.
"I'm using this opportunity to keep myself mentally sharp. When we get back to football, it's going to be about who can learn an NFL offense best and who is physically prepared. I'm trying to watch as much football as I can, to stay crisp in my understanding of defenses and blitzes from my position. I'm staying disciplined in my training and pushing myself. Normally I would have other guys to train with, so it's helping my mental fortitude to do this by my lonesome. I still have access to gym equipment and a couple fields I can train on."
As events started to unfold in America earlier in the winter, Casey anticipated the closure of gyms and training facilities.
"I had some foresight," he says. "I bought a squat rack for home and borrowed weights from my high school, which it turns out are exorbitantly expensive."
Home remedies cannot replace the in-person NFL workouts that would have been conducted in recent weeks by your favorite former Cardinal. Videoconferencing has become the predominant activity to help draft prospects get evaluated by NFL clubs for their personality and football IQ.
"You can still talk football and watch film together," says Colby. "That's still beneficial. You can still get a good feel for someone through FaceTime and Zoom meetings, through the advancement and technology. It's the in-person workouts that you really miss."
"I would really have liked to have had the workouts," says Casey. "I enjoy meeting people in person, but we can still talk football and watch film. That has been good."
Prospects are not that different from the fans that follow the NFL Draft process, watching with fascination the hyper-analysis that is published all over the Internet and social media. Sheltering at home, these athletes also too much time on their hands reading the round-the-clock pre-draft news cycle. Like us, they cannot wait to get through the noise and back to football.
"It's hard to not get caught up in all of the media and reporters telling you how bad you are," says Colby. "Everyone has a negative opinion. Going to the Combine, being successful and having great interviews with teams is a healthy reminder that you are a great football player. You really have to put on the film and see it with your eyes."