Matt Scott impressed at the NFL Combine a few weeks ago, particularly in a few of the timed agility drills, and he will try to impress scouts again at Arizona’s Pro Day on Thursday.
He won’t be alone, either.
Other former Wildcats joining Scott, an All-Pac-12 quarterback for the UA in 2012, include receivers Dan Buckner and Gino Crump, fullback Taimi Tutogi, center Kyle Quinn, kickers John Bonano and Alex Zendejas and more.
Of them all, Scott will probably be the only one to hear his name called come April’s NFL Draft.
In 2012, Scott passed for 3,620 yards, 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions and ran for another 506 yards and six scores. At the combine, Scott ran a 4.69 40-yard dash, a combine-best 6.69 second 3-cone drill and an all-time combine record 3.99 second 20-yard shuffle.
If last year’s Pro Day proved anything, it’s that a solid performance here can help catapult a player into NFL employment.
Former Wildcats receiver David Douglas ran a blistering unofficial 4.45 40-yard dash and had a 36.5 inch vertical. He parlayed that into a practice squad spot with the New York Giants and eventually was signed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster.
Defensive back Rob Golden was an undrafted free agent of the Pittsburgh Steelers and played in 15 games for them last year.
That’s not to mention quarterback Nick Foles, receiver Juron Criner and corner Trevin Wade getting drafted in the third, fifth and seventh rounds, respectively.
In this group, Buckner, Quinn and Tutogi probably have the best shots of either being drafted in the late rounds or being picked up after.
Buckner, a former Texas transfer and five-star recruit, played at the UA for two years, and the 6-foot-4 wideout had 103 catches for 1,379 yards and seven touchdowns in 25 games.
Quinn played 39 games at center for the Wildcats, and Tutogi played 26 games mostly at fullback.
Last year, head coach Rich Rodriguez had Tutogi playing some defensive end, too.
In his career, he had 38 rushes for 121 yards and five touchdowns, 27 catches for 225 yards and two touchdowns, plus nine total tackles and sack on defense.
Crump, who caught 65 balls for 610 yards and two touchdowns in 2011, participated in last year’s Pro Day, too. He received a training camp invite to the Arizona Cardinals, but didn’t make the final cut when the season started.
Here’s a list of who will be participating on Thursday:
*Last played at UA in 2011, **in 2010, ***in 2009, ****in 2007
2012
Matt Scott, quarterback
Dan Buckner, receiver
Kyle Quinn, center
Dominique Austin, defensive end
John Bonano, kicker
Kyle Dugandzic, punter
Mark Watley, safety
Drew Robinson, tight end
Elliot Taylor, running back
Christian Upshaw, defensive end
Shane Zink, offensive lineman
Gino Crump, receiver*
Alex Zendejas, kicker*
Travis Cobb, receiver**
Brandon Tatum, safety***
B.J. Dennard, receiver****
