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Cleve McCoy threw a few balls and then did what he had been expecting -- moved to wide receiver.
That's not to say the record-setting South Carolina State quarterback's passes were bad, actually, he was told he had good velocity on his ball. But, after McCoy, who measured in at 6-1 and 225 pounds, ran a 4.55 in the 40 and displayed a 35-inch vertical jump at South Carolina State's Pro Day at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium Tuesday, he became a very intriguing prospect at slot receiver. So, a Saints scout split McCoy out, gave him a few routes to run, and started slinging passes -- around 20 total -- in his direction. He didn't drop a one.
"I think I did pretty good today...I think I did pretty good today," McCoy said. "I had some good numbers. I worked out as a receiver with the (New Orleans) Saints guy. He said that he liked me, and that I am highly on their chart as a receiver with the times I had. He liked that I would be a big receiver that could potentially do two things (play receiver and quarterback), and I showed that I was an athlete which was a good thing."
McCoy said he was pleased with his 40, but felt that he could do better.
"They were saying that is good speed for my size," he said. "I run in the high 4.4s, but my take off was a little slow. Still, they said there isn't much difference between a 4.4 and a 4.5. So, I'm coming out of today feeling pretty good."
Scouts from three NFL teams -- the Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears and Saints -- showed up to workout the 25 athletes in attendance. McCoy did well, but South Carolina State's James Lee, the MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Year, shined.
Lee tied for the second most bench-press reps of 225 pounds with 26, ran a 5.2 40, and had a 31.5-inch vertical jump. He also turned in one of the days best broad jumps, 9'7".
"I feel like I went out there and made me some money today by increasing three of the six events, the bench, the broad and the vert, from last week in Athens," Lee said. "I talked to the scouts and they said they were impressed. I feel like I put myself in a better predicament."
Lee said he also had a strong workout with the Cleveland Browns Sunday, and that the Browns, Chiefs, Saints and Bears all want him to come in for private workouts.
"Especially with (Lee's) performance at Georgia and then today...that just solidifies his consistency," South Carolina State strength and conditioning coach Thomas Stallworth said. "(DeShawn) Baker's thing was film. He has proven what he can do and things of that nature. What hurts Cleve the most is that there were not that many scouts there. They were not able to see him run in person, but he should draw interest from that."
Baker, the final of SCSU's "big three" at the event, posted a 4.75 40.
"Running wise, he is a power back," Stallworth said. "He is not a blazing runner, but his explosiveness is in the 10 and 20 yard times and his short shuttle agility drills."
Stallworth said he was confident in the trio's performance on the day and said he felt like all three could make it, at least to a camp, at the next level.
Other notes from Pro Day -- Todd DeLamielleure, son of NFL Hall of Famer Joe DeLamielleure, showed up at Pro Day. DeLamielleure, who played linebacker at Duke and Hofstra, was drafted to play in the All-American Football League. He was also the subject of a July 2007 story on ESPN.com which featured him chasing his dream of playing professionally. The story also told of DeLamiellure's time as a fire fighter in Charleston and of the friends he lost in the Sofa Super Store Blaze -- one of which was former Summerville assistant coach Louis Mulkey. DeLamielleure posted the best bench press showing at the Pro Day, throwing up 32 .jpg of 225 pounds...Clemson star offensive tackle Barry Richardson, who is expected to be drafted in the upcoming NFL Draft, was on hand to support his brother, SCSU offensive lineman Nate Richardson...Former Clemson kicker Jad Dean chose to attend the SCSU Pro Day over attending a tryout with the Atlanta Falcons. Dean kicked in front of a Saints scout...Seattle Seahawks center Nick Jones was on hand to support Lee, his former teammate at the University of Georgia.
T&D Sports Editor Brian Linder can be reached via e-mail at blinder@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5553. Check out his blog, Welcome to Linderland, at www.thetandd.com.
You can also see footage of James Lee at Pro Day by clicking here.