You’ve probably auditioned for something somewhere along the line, a school play or the marching band or some such. You’ve certainly gone to a job interview.
Pretty stressful stuff. But with the possibility of something special at the other end.
Which brings me to Monday’s NFL Pro Day at Duke, one part audition, one part job interview. No pads, no helmets, shorts, T-shirts, running and jumping and lifting and lots of men measuring these to milliseconds and millimeters.
Nine former Blue Devils followed their dream. Some are household names if your household follows Duke football, some are defying the odds for one last chance.
Offensive lineman Andre Harris, defensive back Datrone Young and long snapper Evan Deckers were among the participants. Duke even had a visitor from a small school in West Virginia.
And make no mistake: it was stressful.
“It’s just a relief,” safety Darius Joiner said, “just getting it over with after a whole three months. I’m just glad that they came and I could show what I can do. It’s all mental. I feel like every day training it’s all you versus you. You just fight your demons inside just to keep your head down and keep working. It’s a big relief to have this out of the way. I know it’s over now and I can’t do anything about it.”
Remember this is from an All-ACC safety who didn’t exactly suggest to the media that self-confidence was an issue.
Offensive guard Chance Lytle shared those apprehensions but also the opportunity.
“I’ve been waiting for this day. It was kind of surreal to be a part of it. In football you have 12 games, maybe more and you have so many plays. So, if you mess up, you can redo. But you have this moment where everything you’ve built up for a few months, really for your whole career, kind of culminating in one or two runs, one or two reps. It’s very intimidating but kind of surreal. This is the moment. It was wonderful, a dream come true.”
Lytle tweaked a hamstring running the 40 but shouldered on and said he made his case.
“The numbers I put up were good, better than I expected. I fought through the drills and did a great job.”
Joiner said that his experience on special teams should be an asset going forward.
“I love special teams. I’ve been doing it ever since I stepped on campus at Jacksonville State University and that’s not going to change when I get to the NFL.”
Lytle played mostly guard at Duke but he also has experience at tackle and says that should help him find a landing spot.
“I’ve been working a ton at tackle and both sides at guard and so when it comes to versatility,I think I’m going to be capable and happy to play whatever they decide to put me at. I love hitting people. I think that’s what offensive line is really about.”
Former Duke linebacker Shaka Heyward may have had a different perspective. Heyward was the only Blue Devil invited to the NFL Combine, held in Indianapolis a few weeks ago.
But Heyward said he had some unfinished business.
“Just in case the scouts had any second questions, second guesses about me, that I proved I’m a fluid linebacker that can move like a DB. I got good feedback from the combine. No weaknesses as far as the drills and everything but they wanted to see me learn the game more, just be a student of the game.”
Heyward added that he had heard from the Denver Broncos “a lot,” and also mentioned the Vikings, Cardinals and Packers.
The draft starts April 27 in Kansas City and runs through April 29. Duke isn’t likely to have a lot of players drafted, maybe not anyone. But NFL teams fill out rosters with undrafted free agents every year and former Blue Devils like Lucas Patrick have turned UFA status into solid NFL careers.
Measurements and timings can be found on Duke’s website at
https://goduke.com/news/2023/3/27/football-duke-completes-2023-pro-day.aspx