World Diary: Lonnie Pryor enjoys NFL Combine experience
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Former FSU fullback Lonnie Pryor is prepping for a career in the NFL, and Warchant.com will follow the 2013 Orange Bowl MVP's progress in his World Diary. This is the third entry from Pryor as told to Warchant.com's D.C. Reeves.
When it came to the NFL Combine, I didn't really know what to expect. I was just going in there with an open mind. But it was tiring. The only thing you really see on TV is just us running and a couple of other things, but so much other stuff is going on like meeting with doctors and getting a physical takes like five hours. Then there's meeting with coaches, so it was a long process but I enjoyed it while I was there.
When training for the 40 yard dash out at Fischer Sports in Arizona, my goal has always been to get down near 4.5. At the Combine, I felt really good with the 4.59 on my first one, but I did terrible on the second one, I think it was 4.75. For the official time, it was marked at 4.7. So I was happy with the first run and if my official time was better than a 4.7 then I would have been happy. But I feel like the scouts saw me run a 4.59, and I'm also going to re-run my 40 at my pro day (at FSU on March 19). just want to be anywhere in the 4.5 area. I know I'm faster than that 4.7.
I did everything at the combine. I weighed in at 227 and I didn't want to be lower than 225. The only thing at my Pro Day that I'm going to re-do is my 40 and my bench press (Pryor benched 225 lbs 17 times at the Combine) and then do my positional drills. Everything else went great. I'm glad it's over, but overall I was happy with most everything I did in Indianapolis.
There were two different types of meetings, there were informal meetings with the head coach, the GM and other coaches and I didn't have any of those. Then there were also these quick rotation of meetings with NFL position coaches - it was kind of like speed dating. All the running back coaches were in this big room and you'd talk to a coach for like 15 minutes and you go to the next coach.
I didn't really get any really crazy questions, nothing too serious like 'have you been in jail?' or anything. The funniest was one of the coaches asked me if I had a girlfriend and I said 'Yea I've got one.' And then he asked me 'Does she have any hot aunts?' I told him that if I find one I'd let him know. Every coach was really different but it was a great process.
I'll stay out here in Arizona until FSU's pro day on the 19th, then I'll just be in Tallahassee until just before the NFL Draft and when draft day comes I'll head down to Okeechobee.
As far as where I stand or where I'm rated, I try to not pay attention to any of that. At the Combine you talk to coaches and they give you an idea of what position they're looking at you for and what you could do at the next level but I don't get too caught up in that. My girlfriend looks at that stuff like where I'm rated and all of that. I don't pay attention but she always kind of brings it up to me so I hear it some. But those are just people talking, so you can't go off of that. If you handle your business, you should be good.
My whole mindset going into the combine was that if I did everything right and I just got one coach to like me, I don't care what round I go in, as long as I get picked up by a team and get an opportunity, that's all I can ask for. I don't worry about what round I go in, I just hope one team out there likes me in the end.
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