LOS ANGELES — UCLA’s top NFL Draft prospects who put their skills on display in front of scouts at Pro Day on Tuesday noted a common theme: How impressed NFL teams are by their preparation.
Players heaped praise upon head coach Chip Kelly and his pro-style offense, as UCLA welcomed a large group of players and guests at its Pro Day on campus at Spaulding Field on a partly cloudy morning.
Participants included offensive lineman Sean Rhyan, tight end Greg Dulcich, wide receiver Kyle Philips, defensive lineman Otito Ogbonnia and defensive back Quentin Lake, all of whom also took part in the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis earlier this month. The Bruins don’t have any projected first-round selections, but those five players could see their names called on Day 2 or later.
On-field activities at Pro Day included the 40-yard dash, a shuttle drill and cone drill, along with position drills.
Philips, who declared for the draft after his redshirt junior season, said Pro Day under the Southern California sun had a different energy than the combine.
“Absolutely, cause you just feel back home,” Philips said. “There’s no nerves, just completely comfortable, surrounded by a bunch of good people you’re close with.”
UCLA hasn’t had a receiver drafted higher than the fifth round since 2014, but the slot receiver could change that. Philips led the Pac-12 last season with 10 touchdown catches and finished his UCLA career fourth on the program’s career receptions list. He thanked Kelly and the rest of the UCLA coaching staff for preparing him for the process of interviews with NFL teams.
“With the way Coach Kelly runs this place, we all felt extremely prepared for the bowl games, for the combine, talking to teams, talking about football and all,” Philips said. “In the moment, it’s really tough. But when you look back through it he prepared us so well, so it was awesome.”
For instance, Philips pointed to Kelly’s “48-hour question game,” where two days before a game day, players would be called upon by coaches to stand up in front of the team and explain in detail the scheme for the upcoming game.
“That was honestly more nerve-wracking than anything I’ve had to do with (NFL) teams so I felt very well prepared,” Philips said.
Philips said he spent a lot of time meeting with the Bills and the Eagles, which was a joint meeting with Dulcich.
Dulcich could be the second Bruins tight end to be selected in the third round or higher in the last three drafts, after Devin Asiasi was selected by the Patriots in 2020. It would be another triumph for Dulcich, who went from making the team as a walk-on receiver to being a semifinalist last season for the John Mackey Award, given to the nation’s top tight end.
“A lot of teams appreciate that work ethic and it gets a lot more buzz around me, which is cool,” Dulcich said on his journey.
Dulcich agreed with Philips that NFL teams have been impressed with UCLA’s offensive scheme.
“It’s a pretty pro-style look, the things that we run,” Dulcich said. “You talk to teams that are like, ‘You wouldn’t imagine how many guys we talk to and they just don’t really have as good of a grasp as you guys.’ And that’s a credit to Coach Kelly.”
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Other participants in Pro Day were: running backs Brittain Brown and Ethan Fernea, linebacker Jordan Genmark Heath, defensive back Obi Eboh, offensive lineman Paul Grattan Jr., defensive lineman Datona Jackson, defensive backs Cameron Johnson and Qwuantrezz Knight and offensive lineman Alec Anderson.
Two UCLA alums – defensive back Rahim Moore (2008-2010) and linebacker Tyree Thompson (2018-19) – also took part in Pro Day, as did two guests: former Washington State quarterback Anthony Gordon (2018-19) and Azusa Pacific defensive back Lee Pitts (2019).
The NFL Draft is scheduled for April 28-30 in Las Vegas.
Even players on the periphery of being drafted extended platitudes toward their former coach. Fernea, who also spent time on special teams, called Kelly “one of the smartest coaches in the business.”
“They throw it on you quick, I’ve heard, in the NFL,” Fernea said. “But that’s how we conduct our business here at UCLA. That’s how we learn plays. So I think Coach Kelly really prepared me on that end.”