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DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University football program saw 14 of its former standouts, 12 from the 2016 senior class, put their speed, strength and skills on display to representatives of 18 National Football League franchises as NIU held its annual Pro Day at the Kenneth and Ellen Chessick Practice Center Friday.
Wide receiver Kenny Golladay (Chicago, Ill./St. Rita) highlighted the group that included fellow wide out Aregeros Turner (Akron, Ohio/Copley), quarterback Drew Hare (O'Fallon, Mo./Fort Zumwalt West), tailback Joel Bouagnon (Aurora, Ill./Aurora Christian), defensive end Ladell Fleming (Chicago, Ill./Julian), linebackers Sean Folliard (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) and Jamaal Payton (Bellwood, Ill./Proviso West), offensive linemen Lincoln Howard (Osceola, Wis./Osceola), Levon Myers (Franklin, Wis./Franklin) and Josh Ruka (Greenfield, Wis./Greenfield), and defensive linemen Mario Jones (Chicago, Ill./Hubbard) and Corey Thomas (Chicago, Ill./Lindblom Math & Science) that participated in the three-hour session. Members of the 2015 football team, defensive end Perez Ford and tight end Desroy Maxwell, returned to campus to take part in NIU's Pro Day as well.
Scouts from 18 NFL teams – Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers, San Diego Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Washington Redskins and Seattle Seahawks – were in attendance Friday.
The NFL hopefuls began their day inside the sports performance center of the Yordon Center with the vertical jump. Bouagnon set the bar for the rest of the group, jumping 34 inches. It was the second best performance by a Huskie on the day in the vertical jump as Fleming, who followed Bouagnon, jumped 34 inches.
Fleming also set the day's best performance in the next test of the day, the 225-pound bench press. The Huskie defensive end put up 225-pounds 26 times and was one of eight Huskies to rep 225 20 times or more. Folliard and Thomas each posted 24 reps, while Jones and Myers each had 23.
The scouts and athletes then headed into the Chessick Center for the remainder of the day for the field portion. After taking part in the broad jump, the dozen Huskies took their crack at the 40-yard dash. Turner topped the charts clocking a 4.57 40, while Bouagnon was right behind him with a 4.61. Peyton and Fleming each ran a 4.66, while Folliard posted a 4.79.
The Huskies also took part in the broad jump, three-cone drill and shuttle runs. Following testing, the players then took part in the skills portion of the day. For the first time since the 2014 NIU Pro Day, Huskie receivers caught balls from a quarterback they played with in this season as Hare threw to Golladay, Turner and Bouagnon.
Golladay, who didn't test Friday as he was at the NFL Combine last weekend, didn't have a drop all afternoon and made an incredible one-handed catch toward the end of the passing session.
"I felt good seeing all the work I put in the last few months unfold," Golladay said. "I just went out there and I did my best. I did everything else at the Combine. I just wanted to come here and make sure y routes were clean and caught every ball. I went out there and did that today."
Many members of the 2017 Huskie football team were in attendance, as were some past Huskies. Former NIU wide receiver and current New Orleans Saint Tommylee Lewis made it back to DeKalb for today's Pro Day to support his friends.
"I'm all for supporting my guys," Lewis said. "I was just here last year. It's pretty cool to watch them chase their dream."
Season tickets for all six 2017 NIU home games are on sale NOW online at NIUHuskies.com or by calling 815-753-PACK (7225). Season tickets are an even greater value in 2017 with the addition of the new $199 Family Pack featuring four tickets in sections A or G and a new, lowered $60 price for season tickets on the East Side with general admission seating. Reserved seats in sections A, B, F and G are now just $115 for the season, a cost of less than $20 per game.
http://niuhuskies.com/news/2017/3/10/for...o-day.aspx
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