March 10, 2015
BEAUMONT, Texas - Several former Lamar football players, and some players from other schools, took to the field at Provost Umphrey Stadium Tuesday morning for the first of two scheduled Pro Days on the Lamar campus. Among those working out for the NFL scouts included former Lamar All-American receiver Mark Roberts, and former All-Southland players Caleb Berry, Keith Curran and Joe Okafor.
Scouts from the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs were on hand to run the players through numerous drills.
After an 8 a.m. check in, players were taken through several drills inside the Lamar weight room facility including a broad jump, vertical jump and bench press before moving onto the field. The rains stayed away long enough for the players to complete the 40-yard dash and several agility drills before Berry - Lamar's all-time leading quarterback - threw several passes to Roberts.
"It's not just me, but all of the guys who were here today have been working hard to get to this point in our careers," said Berry. "This is a childhood dream. Today is something that we've all seen being a part of this program watching teammates in previous years go through Pro Day workouts, so it wasn't very nerve racking. I've been fortunate to play with some talented guys throughout my career which I think has also helped prepare me for this moment."
Berry graduated as the school's all-time leading passer. When he walked off the field following Lamar's upset win at nationally ranked McNeese State, Berry had set new single-game, season and career school records for completions, passing yards, touchdown passes and yards of total offense.
One of the players who helped Berry achieve such lofty standards was Roberts. A former Houston transfer, Roberts did some rewriting of the Lamar record books as well by becoming the school's all-time leader in touchdown receptions in just two seasons with the program.
"It has been a grind to get to this point," said Roberts. "And once you get to this point, it is still a grind. This is not easy, it takes hard work to get to next level. That work ethic has to be there every day too. There might be some guys who you might be more talented than, but those guys might beat you out because they are willing to work every day. If this is a goal that you really want, then you have to be willing to work for it. That is what I'm trying to do."
Roberts was clocked with a time of 4.51 in the 40-yard dash, while several other players stood out in the weight room. Former All-Southland defensive end Joe Okafor did 26 repetitions in bench press, while Keith Curran did 25 reps.
Lamar football players will have one more Pro Day on Monday, Mar. 23, beginning at 9 a.m. For several of the Lamar players it will be the third workout in front of NFL scouts. Curran and Roberts took part in a regional combine in Houston, while Berry competed in one in Chicago.
-LAMAR-
