Penn State Pro Day: McGloin unfazed by long odds
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Quarterback Matt McGloin, a walk-on who eventually won the starting job at Penn State, prepared in Los Angeles before working out for NFL scouts Monday at Penn State's pro day. As typical of McGloin, he said he isn't worried numbers: "It only takes one team to fall in love with you."
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Former Penn State quarterback Matt McGloin said the numbers and measurements captured at a pro day Monday at Penn State weren't going to make or break his chances at a professional career. As if his point hadn't been made enough, he said he wouldn't even pay attention to them.
"It really doesn't matter, good or bad," he said. "It only takes one team to fall in love with you."
It was what one would expect from McGloin. Always somewhat anti-establishment, always describing how he had to attack the odds at Penn State, he's now attempting to maximize that football career and make it to the NFL.
Whether he wanted to acknowledge it or not, Penn State's pro day was a big deal. Scouts clad in their NFL team colors watched players such as McGloin, Jordan Hill, Sean Stanley, Gerald Hodges and Matt Stankiewitch so they could time and measure them and then report the data back to their bosses. Very important eyes were staring at the former Nittany Lions for the first time since November.
McGloin has worked for this since then. A few days before Penn State's final game against Wisconsin, he explained to his family his life was about to get really busy.
Soon, they were meeting with agents. A few weeks later, he moved to Los Angeles to work out, waking up every morning at 7 to lift and throw and master the nuances necessary to succeed at the drills NFL teams recommend.
McGloin wanted to get faster and better at throwing the ball. For the second part, he increased his arm strength by exercising his shoulders, core and legs, and said he has felt markedly stronger. On Monday, he said he ran his 40-yard dash in 4.89 seconds and felt comfortable throwing. Former Penn State wide receiver Derek Moye, who graduated a year ago, came back to catch McGloin's passes.
Of the feedback he received as he prepared for his NFL opportunity, McGloin was mum. According to his father, Paul McGloin, agents have said the strong play of shorter NFL quarterbacks such as Russell Wilson and Bruce Gradkowski would help McGloin, who is about 6 feet 1.
A few months ago, McGloin said he would play football until they told him he couldn't anymore. Now, with the draft about a month away, his plans haven't changed.
"Whatever happens, happens, and he beat the odds," Paul McGloin said. "He really did. We can't control the future."
Hill improves
Hill, a defensive tackle, wanted to perform better than he did at the recent NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. There, he ran a 5.23 40-yard dash and completed a broad jump of 8 feet, 7 inches. On Monday, he said he ran a 4.97 40 and jumped 9 feet, 3 inches.
He is set on getting drafted in the first three rounds, and said he would be disappointed and angered with a selection any later. Hodges, a linebacker, echoed that sentiment. He performed two drills Monday, recording a 4.25-second shuttle and a 35-inch vertical jump.
Hodges and Hill likely will be Penn State's two highest-drafted players. Both are regarded as third- to fifth-round picks.
"All the stress is off now, all the numbers and testing," Hill said.
Faster than fiction
The best reminder that numbers from NFL combines and pro days aren't always accurate came from cornerback Stephon Morris. He said a scout timed one of his three 40-yard dash times in 4.16 seconds. He then said he did a second in the 4.2-second range. After a minor hamstring pull, Morris said he ran his third 40 in the 4.3 range.
To put this in perspective, prorated 100-meter dash times for championship-level sprinters such as Usain Bolt, Carl Lewis, Asafa Powell and Maurice Greene have been estimated to be between 4.21 and 4.32 seconds.
Farrell's numbers
Shady Side Academy graduate Mike Farrell, an offensive lineman, said he ran a 5.08 40-yard dash and completed a broad jump of 9 feet, 1 inch. He said he hopes to have individual workouts with teams over the next month as the draft gets closer.
First Published March 12, 2013 12:00 am
