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OGDEN — Weber State's football team came off a 10-3 season, which included a program-record 6-0 start to the season, and saw the team advance to the second round of the FCS playoffs.
At the conclusion of the season, head coach Jay Hill moved south to take the defensive coordinator position with BYU, and the Wildcats entered a new era with the promotion of Mickey Mental from offensive coordinator to head coach. Along with Hill's departure, Weber State said farewell to a number of seniors who helped build the program up in the last few years.
Four of those seniors participated in a Pro Day event on Wednesday to showcase their talents in front of NFL scouts in the hopes of continuing their football careers in the professional rankings.
Receiver Ty MacPherson, tight end Justin Malone, running back Josh Davis and safety Desmond Williams performed in various drills to highlight the skills they used to win games throughout their time in Ogden.
Representatives from the Las Vegas Raiders, the Green Bay Packers and the Super Bowl champs Kansas City Chiefs were on hand to put the four players through combine drills. The drills included the bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, 40-yard dash and agility cone drills.
All the players completed the bench press, but Williams opted not to do anything else due to a leg injury he sustained near the end of the season and only recently got cleared from.
Pro Day results
Perhaps the biggest story of the Pro Day was MacPherson's performance due to the fact that his wife gave birth to their first child, a little girl, three days prior on Sunday. Even with all the training the receivers had been through since the season ended, MacPherson had extra motivation to come out and perform well.
"When you're doing pro days, unfortunately, it's mostly for yourself," MacPherson said. "Obviously, you have the guys you're doing it with and you're representing your school, but at the end of the day, it's my future. So that's my team, my wife and my daughter, and that's the most important team you can have."
MacPherson completed nine reps on the bench press, had a 35-inch vertical, recorded a 10-foot-2 broad jump, and ran an unofficial 4.57 40-yard dash.
But MacPherson's best performance came in the three-cone drill, which tests burst speed and agility. The new father ran an unofficial 6.55 seconds, which would have been the top time at the NFL combine by 0.02 seconds.
"I was a little upset with my time, but they (the scouts) had me at a good time," MacPherson said. "I thought I could run a little faster. That was the one I knew coming in that I was going to be good at, so I felt good about it."
After all the drills were finished, MacPherson and Malone ran routes and caught passes from veteran quarterback and likely 2023 starter Kylan Weisser. On the indoor practice field, the receiver and tight end showcased a variety of routes and pass-catching abilities and put on a good show overall.
Davis participated in every event, but he only caught one pass in the throwing portion before ending his day. The graduate from Alta High dealt with leg and ankle injuries during the course of the 2022 season and likely didn't want to re-aggravate anything.
Davis completed 10 reps on the bench press, jumped 38 inches vertically, which would have tied him for third best among all NFL combine running backs, a 10-foot-2 long jump, which would have been in the top 10 of his position, and ran an unofficial 4.63 40-yard dash. Despite being somewhat undersized at 5-foot-9, 195 pounds, Davis was a bruising back often called upon in crucial yardage situations.
Malone had the least starting experience of the four Pro Day participants but still showed well in the various drills the scouts put him through.
He had 15 reps on the bench, a 34.5-inch vertical jump — also top 10 among NFL combine tight ends — a 9-foot-10 broad jump, and an unofficial 4.7 40-yard dash. The tight end struggled with some of the agility drills, likely due to the slippery nature of the indoor turf, and had a few dropped passes during the throwing portion.
Despite only completing the bench press, Williams put up the best performance of the four Weber State participants with 21 reps, which would have been good for fifth best among NFL combine safeties.
With Weber State's Pro Day in the books, MacPherson and company begin the waiting game for the NFL draft from April 27-29. While none of the participants are projected to be drafted, their showing to the scouts could lead to opportunities down the road as undrafted free agents.
"Just be patient," MacPherson said about the feedback the players received from the scouts. "The process for the next month is kind of nerve-wracking and, you know, with the draft and free agency mini camps and all that, so just feedback wasn't much except for just great job."
Weber State's had success in the recent past with guys like Rashid Shaheed who went undrafted in 2022 but made the New Orleans Saints' roster and contributed in big ways when given the opportunity during the season. But for now, all these players can do is stay in shape and hope for the best.
