Ohio State Wrap Up

Were finally settled in and with a full stomach I'm now ready to give you the wrap up on the Ohio St pro day as promised.

With work outs scheduled to start at 10am in the morning it had to be disheartening for those who came to get their first glimpse of WR Ted Ginn when they saw him strolling into the Woody Hayes Athletic Center just minutes before the players started drills. We were able to catch up with Ginn who avoided scouts and media for the most part to ask him how hard it is not to put on a show for scouts this time of year. Perhaps more discouraging then not seeing Ginn on the field was the way he addressed the issue. Ginn classified his status as a "relief" saying he can not do anything about the injury. I was left wondering just what was the relief. The relief of not having to run a 40 and not live up to the expected times or the relief of not getting the chance to show scouts that he's not just a speed guy and can actually play the position. Forgive me young man if I find it difficult to swallow the fact that your about to be handed millions by some NFL team but can't find the guts to take the field and show your skills or even more so at least act like it bothers you. I know more then one NFL scout felt the same way after Ginn turned down numerous requests to field balls stationary.

Ginn may have felt as if he did not need this opportunity but several others did in what became a important pro day for many in front of Representatives from all 32 teams.

The man who threw the ball to Ginn last season, QB Troy Smith put on a impressive work out. He displayed great accuracy and showed he could make all throws as he consistently connected with Ohio St WR Anthony Gonzalez and Roy Hall. Smith even took some time to work one on one with Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Mike Martz who came away impressed. In a interview with Beacon Journal writer George Thomas Martz was asked if Smith had the tools needed to play in the NFL, Martz answered with an emphatic ``yes.'' Smith did not field question after the workout but was seen speaking to Representatives of the Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders.

One of the best performances put on this day was by WR Roy Hall. It was the kind of day that could earn Hall having his name called on draft day. Not invited to the combine Hall took advantage of this opportunity and has drawn the attention of several NFL teams. Hall posted a 4.40 by our clocks in the 40 and was reported by some to be sub 4.0. Measuring in at 6'2" and 229 pounds combined with that speed is certainly going to put some teams on notice. Roy looked fluid running routes but did have some issues with letting the ball into his body, something that can be coached. The Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots and New York Giants showed the most interest but almost every team tried to make time to get some one on one with Hall.

DT Quinn Pitcock continued to confuse scouts as he decided to sit on his numbers from the combine and did not take part in positional drills. He did take part in the bench press but did not help himself by recording 23 reps. General consensus among scouts from what we gathered is Pitcock was working his way into a late day 1 selection. A few I talked to said they felt he had a down year and did not display the consistency they looked for while others had him rated as a round 1 prospect with round 3 production. This work out could have really helped him and he disappointed more then a few teams.

Another Ohio St player who could have separated himself from the pack is RB Antonio Pittman who chose only to weigh in and stand on the rest of his combine numbers. While tit will not effect his stock much many were hoping to see Antonio attempt to make a statement and back his belief that he is a round 1 prospect. Word has it Pittman did impress during his interviews and was seen in lengthy conversations with representatives from the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers.

All in all 16 players took part in this pro day in one form or another. All but Ginn and Pitcock improved their draft stock according to most scouts.