March 20, 2015
Video | NFL Pro Day | Bears in the Pros | 2015 Season Tickets
SPRINGFIELD - With a chance to put their skills on display in front of National Football League scouts, several Missouri State University football players capitalized on the chance to keep their professional dreams alive here Friday morning at MSU's annual Pro Day at Robert W. Plaster Stadium.
Among them were Bears' standouts Caleb Schaffitzel (S, Fair Grove, Mo.) and Gannon Sinclair (TE, Eden Prairie, Minn.) who are both using multiple pro day opportunities this month to get ready for the upcoming NFL Draft, April 30-May 2 and the ensuing free agent signings.
"It's been a lot of fun," said Schaffitzel who was a consensus Division I FCS All-America selection the last two seasons. "I stayed here and trained at Missouri State, and it's been a dream to do this every day. I'm also going to Missouri Western's pro day next week, so hopefully I can continue to help my stock and continue to improve."
Schaffitzel posted a 38.5-inch vertical jump, a 9-foot-11 broad jump and registered 13 reps in the 225-pound bench press during the indoor portion of the testing. He then clocked 4.15 in the shuttle drill, 11.48 in the 60-yard shuttle and 7.00 in the "L" drill.
Sinclair's 4.22 time in the pro agility drill and 12.86 in the 60-yard shuttle were all improvements on his previous pro day at the University of Minnesota.
"I felt it went pretty good," said Sinclair. "I did Minnesota's pro day while I was home, and was able to come out today and improve my times a little bit."
Also turning heads today was Julian Burton (WR, Cordova, Tenn.) who turned in a 4.44 40-yard dash and 42-inch vertical to complement his 4.10 pro agility drill time.
According to MSU assistant coach Sean Coughlin, who helps coordinate MSU's pro day each year, representatives from the Chiefs, Ravens, Redskins, Falcons and Panthers were in attendance at today's event. A select list of 10 former Missouri State players that also included standouts Kierra Harris (QB, Texarkana, Ark.) and Andrew Beisel (LB, Fenton, Mo.) went through the rigors of the evaluative event that began with private testing and weight-room skills.
The NFL Pro Day series puts NFL staffs on the road throughout the month of March to scout talent up close and personal on college campuses. The evaluative events give NFL Combine participants an opportunity to improve their times and marks, while providing a venue for under-the-radar players to demonstrate their skills and make a name for themselves prior to the Draft and free agent signings.
The Bears held their inaugural Pro Day in 2010 when All-America tight end Clay Harbor improved on his NFL Combine time in the 40-yard dash and parlayed his on-campus performance into a fourth-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2011, offensive lineman David Arkin upped his stock at Pro Day and jumped to a fourth-round selection by the Dallas Cowboys on draft day. Other former Bears -- Kolby Hurt (Saints), Jake Duron (Jets), Jermaine Saffold (Browns), Chris Douglas (Bills), Randy Richards (Chargers) and Anthony Grady (Jets) -- all turned enough heads at Plaster Stadium over the last three years to garner NFL free agent contracts with their respective clubs.
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