MISSOULA — Eight Montana Griz football players got their chance to showcase their skills in front of NFL scouts on Tuesday morning.
The Griz held their 2022 Pro Day in Missoula where scouts from the Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks were in attendance.
Among those working out for UM was wide receiver Samuel Akem, offensive linemen Moses Mallory and Dylan Cook, kicker Kevin Macias, safety Gavin Robertson, cornerback Omar Hicks Onu, longsnapper Matthew O'Donoghue and quarterback Cam Humphrey.
Each player competed in a number of drills in front of scouts both indoors and outdoors in Washington-Grizzly Stadium even after Monday's wild snowstorm in Missoula, while current Griz players and coaches were in attendance to support their former teammates. The field needed to be shoveled beforehand, and players could be seen slipping in drills due to the wet and icy nature leftover from Monday night's storm.
Photos: Montana Grizzlies hold Pro Day
"Montana weather can be something else, that's pretty much it," Cook, a Butte native, said with a smile. "I was pretty prepared for everything that was going to be thrown at us but weather is so unpredictable we kind of just have to go out there and do what we can. I think it was really good, it was fun to get back out here and see my former teammates do their thing as well as me. It felt good to just get moving again in a football way."
While their time at Montana is over, each player was excited to showcase what they could do in front of scouts in hope of continuing their pro football careers at the highest level. Macias, who transferred to Montana from Arizona State, noted during the year that he wanted to use the extra season to prove he could kick at a high level, and Tuesday's performance in front of scouts was one more step to making his pro football dreams a reality.
"It felt really good. Definitely that season was very important," Macias said. "Winning the job that was a big goal for me and playing here definitely helped out. But showing what I can do in front of the scouts and coaches was a lot and whatever opportunity is there I want to take it."
Akem, who tied Marc Mariani's school record for career touchdowns with 29, noted how he's been working his way back to full form after breaking his collarbone against James Madison in the FCS quarterfinal round. After breaking it, Akem said the bone healed up in six weeks and from there it was all about strengthening back up to normal ahead of Tuesday's Pro Day.
"It would mean everything," Akem said about getting a shot to play in the NFL. "It's been like a quiet dream for me my whole life because my brother was the 4-star, my brother was the guy who was recruited by all of the schools close to home and stuff like that so it was one of my dreams but it was never something where I was like, 'Man, I'm going to the NFL, I'm going to the NFL,' but it would mean the world to me if I got that opportunity. I've worked my butt off and I think I deserve a shot for sure."
Mallory's 34 reps at 225 pounds in the bench press ranks ahead of all performers at the NFL Combine this year. Hicks Onu put up 21 reps which would've been first among cornerbacks. Akem's 14 reps would have been tied for second-most among receivers.
Hicks Onu's performance on the day stood out. His mark of 10 feet, 8 inches in the broad jump would've been tied for third among corners at the combine. His vertical jump of 36.5 inches would've put him fifth in that category.
Cook, a former college QB at MSU-Northern who walked on as an offensive lineman for UM, recorded a vertical jump of 32 inches which would've been tied for fourth among linemen at the combine.
Below are the results for each player who competed on Tuesday.
Samuel Akem — WR
Height: 6'3" 3/8
Weight: 220
Hand: 10 3/4 inches
Wing: 81 1/4 inches
40-yard: 4.69 seconds
Vert: 31.5 inches
Broad jump: 10.2 feet
Pro shuttle: 4.52 seconds
L-Drill: 7.34 seconds
Bench (225 pounds): 14 reps
Dylan Cook — OT
Height: 6'6" 1/2
Weight: 308
Hand: 9 3/8 inches
Wing: 81 5/8 inches
40-yard: 5.06 seconds
Vert: 32 inches
Broad jump: 8.8 feet
Pro shuttle: 4.8 seconds
L-Drill: 7.6 seconds
Bench: 20 reps
Omar Hicks Onu — CB
Height: 6' 3/4
Weight: 201
Hand: 8 7/8 inches
Wing: 74 1/2 inches
40-yard: 4.58 seconds
Vert: 36.5 inches
Broad jump: 10.8 feet
Pro shuttle: 4.28 seconds
L-Drill: 7.88 seconds
Bench: 21 reps
Cam Humphrey — QB
Height: 6'1" 1/2
Weight: 209
Hand: 9 5/8 inches
Wing: 75 3/8 inches
40-yard: dnp
Vert: dnp
Broad jump: dnp
Pro shuttle: dnp
L-Drill: dnp
Bench: dnp
Kevin Macias — K
Height: 5'10" 3/8
Weight: 202
Hand: 8 1/2 inches
Wing: 72 1/4 inches
40-yard: dnp
Vert: dnp
Broad jump: dnp
Pro shuttle: dnp
L-Drill: dnp
Bench: dnp
Moses Mallory — OL
Height: 6'1" 1/2
Weight: 359
Hand: 9 7/8 inches
Wing: 76 1/4 inches
40-yard: 5.5 seconds
Vert: 23.5 inches
Broad jump: 7.5 feet
Pro shuttle: 5.08 seconds
L-Drill: 8.52 seconds
Bench: 34 reps
Matthew O'Donoghue — LS
Height: 6' 1/4
Weight: 239
Hand: 9 1/2 inches
Wing: 73 inches
40-yard: 5.14 seconds
Vert: 27.5 inches
Broad jump: 8.2 feet
Pro shuttle: 4.7 seconds
L-Drill: 7.75 seconds
Bench: 10 reps
Gavin Robertson — S
Height: 6'1" 1/2
Weight: 200
Hand: 10 inches
Wing: 75 3/4 inches
40-yard: 4.66 seconds
Vert: 33.5 inches
Broad jump: 10 feet
Pro shuttle: dnp
L-Drill: dnp
Bench: 16 reps
