NFL prospects excel at campus held workout

March 26, 2004

Last Wednesday seniors William Andrews and Jim Maxwell were given the opportunity to work out in front of NFL scouts for the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins.

The athletes took advantage of the opportunity with a display of speed and superior coordination. Maxwell finished with a blazing 4.55 40-yard dash and a 6.91-second, three-cone agility drill.

The three-cone agility drill time placed Maxwell only behind one other linebacker that worked out at the combine.

Andrews finished the three-cone drill with a time of 6.61 seconds, which was better than any player tested at the NFL Combine this year.

Ravens scout Jeremiah Washburn, one of two scouts who attended the workout, is a native of Shelby, where he attended Shelby High School.

Washburn explained the process scouts go through to recruit players and what they hope to accomplish by holding workouts for a college athlete.

"You already got your film work on the guy, you just want to see if in person is what you saw on tape," said Washburn. "You also want to see certain intangibles that you can't get on tape work."

This was not Maxwell's first workout. He did say, however, that the workout at Spangler Stadium was a little more relaxed than others that had a larger amount of athletes.

"There are so many athletes doing the same thing we're doing, but you hope your numbers stick above the other people out there," said Maxwell.

Maxwell has worked hard on preparing for workouts and attended a camp called Xplosive Speed, where he works with a trainer.

"He's been training with trainer Scott E. Pucek in Raleigh," said Maxwell's agent, Ron Del Duca. "[Del Duca] been working on his weight and coordinating these workouts.

Both Washburn and Dolphins scout Chris Grier also worked with Andrews.

"We're watching his hands, how his feet are and the 40 times," said Grier. "William has been a productive workout and people know about him."

If given the opportunity to play in the league Andrews would more than likely stay at receiver, yet there is talk of Maxwell switching over to tight end or special teams.

"Most likely, he'll be a real good special teams player in the early part of his career," said Del Duca.

The Dolphins were the team most interested in the possibility of Maxwell playing tight end. "We wanted to see how his hands are," said Grier. "Athletically he stacks up with anyone across the country."

Obviously, the two Gardner-Webb athletes hope to get drafted, yet if they do not, there is still the chance of getting signed in free agency.

"I would love to get drafted, but I just hope to get invited to camp," said Maxwell. "I would like to have a shot and to prove that just because some athletes come from small schools like Gardner-Webb doesn't mean they can not hang in there with players from bigger schools."

Andrews hopes that each work out brings him closer to his goal. "It's always been a dream of mine to play in the NFL, and with each workout I just hope I can come closer to accomplishing that," said Andrews.

Both Andrews and Maxwell had another chance to prove themselves to NFL scouts in another workout held on 1 p.m. March 26 in Spangler Stadium. This time, there were about five to ten scouts on the field.