Wednesday was a big day on the pro-day schedule, as players from Texas A&M and Ohio State worked out for the NFL, as did a handful of other schools. It was also a disappointing day, and I’ll explain why. Here’s a breakdown from the OSU, UCF, and Duke pro-day workouts.

OHIO STATE

The Ohio State pro day is being looked at as pretty much a bust. Despite a half-dozen general managers and several head coaches attending the event, only four players ran the 40, and a total of seven did any kind of testing. Not only did top players such as Arvell Reese, Caleb Downs, and Kayden McDonald do no testing at the combine or pro day, but neither did tight end Max Klare or defensive end Caden Curry.

Teams were baffled that players like Curry, who projects as a late-round pick, chose not to do any testing of his own volition. They thought it was equally questionable for Klare, who projects as a move tight end, not to get any numbers down.  Neither Curry nor Klare tested at the combine.

Where Does OSU Roster Still Lack Elite Talent?

Let Tony do the scouting, you just make the pick.

Pick your positions. Get Tony’s top 5:

C

CB

DE

DT

FB

G

ILB

OLB

P

PK

QB

RB

S

T

TE

WR

View Tony’s Picks

Three late-round/PFA prospects did perform for scouts, including CJ Donaldson, who also attended the combine. While it has been reported on the internet that the 230-pound hammer timed 4.71 seconds in the 40, I’ve been told several teams had him in the mid-4.6s. He hit 36.5 inches in the vertical jump, which is a terrific mark, and timed 7.2 seconds in the three-cone, better than expected.

Donaldson looked terrific catching the ball in drills, something he also did well at the combine, adding another element to his game. Donaldson caught 15 passes last season, which is understandable considering all the pass-catching targets on the field for Ohio State.

The San Francisco 49ers, Cincinnati Bengals, and Las Vegas Raiders have been meeting with and have shown interest in Donaldson. He’s a terrific fit for the Niners as a potential backup to Kyle Juszczyk, the soon-to-be-35-year-old with one year left on his contract.

Tywone Malone Jr., a sorely underrated defensive tackle prospect, timed 5.07 seconds in the 40 after tipping the scales at 305 pounds, almost 10 pounds heavier than expected. He looked terrific in drills and put himself into the late-round conversation.

This past season was the first one that Malone played football on a full-time basis, as he previously played baseball and football before transferring to Ohio State from Mississippi, where he was a 280-pound outfielder.

During a recent interview with Essentially Sports, McDonald sang Malone’s praises. McDonald and Malone had dinner with the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday. Malone then met with the Baltimore Ravens defensive line coach after pro day. Rarely spoken about outside of scouting circles, a full scouting report on Malone can be found on the Essentially Sports big board.

Offensive lineman Ethan Onianwa, who struggled with injury last season, looked terrific at pro day and continued the upward momentum on draft boards he started in January. Onianwa, who measured 6-foot-6 ¼ and 332 pounds at the Senior Bowl, timed 5.11 seconds in the 40 and looked very athletic in drills.

Onianwa was graded as a third-round prospect coming into the season after a terrific campaign at Rice in 2024, where he played left tackle. He was injured early in camp for Ohio State, then sidelined for the season after just a few games. He looked terrific for the Buckeyes in Week 1 against Texas, when he lined up at guard. Onianwa played extremely well during Senior Bowl practice, again at guard.

While no official 30 visits had been scheduled at the time of this posting, both the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints have shown interest in Onianwa. For the Jets, Onianwa would be a terrific day three pick as he’s a talented player with upside at a position they may need help.

CENTRAL FLORIDA

Teams at the UCF workout were primarily on hand for two edge rushers, Malachi Lawrence and Nyjalik Kelly.

Lawrence, who turned in an incredible workout at the combine, did not participate in the workout or take his sweats off, which rubbed many of the scouts in attendance the wrong way. I’m aware of almost a handful of teams that made the trip to Orlando that expressed their displeasure that Lawrence chose not to participate in the pro day.  None of the teams mentioned injury as the reason Lawrence stood on the sidelines in sweats.

Kelly, who was also at the combine, improved his 40 time. He measured just under 6-foot-5.5 and 263 pounds, then timed the 40 in 4.81 to 4.85 seconds, almost a full tenth faster than his best mark from Indianapolis. His fastest 10-yard split came in at 1.69 seconds, which tied his mark from the combine. He looked good in both linebacker and pass-rush drills.

Kelly met with the Cowboys extensively on Tuesday and has an official 30-visit scheduled with the team. He also had a Wednesday evening meeting with the New Orleans Saints set.

DUKE

Several late-round defensive line prospects impressed scouts during the Blue Devils’ workout, which took place on Monday, with tackle Aaron Hall leading the way. The star of Shrine Bowl practice, Hall measured just over 6-foot-4 and 297 pounds. He timed as fast as 4.92 seconds in the 40, 7.2 seconds in the three-cone, and 4.28 seconds in the short shuttle. Hall touched 32 inches in the vertical jump and 9-foot-7 in the broad jump. All were terrific marks.

Hall, who came to Duke as a 188-pound wide receiver, looked good in drills, showing a lot of athleticism and movement skills. Teams project him as either a three- or five-technique defensive tackle. Hall met with the Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos on pro day.

Wesley Williams, another star from Shrine Bowl practice who also participated in the combine, timed 4.87 in the 40 (an improvement of 0.3 seconds from Indianapolis) with a tremendous 10-yard split of 1.62 seconds. His three-cone mark was 7.13 seconds, and his short shuttle timed 4.47 seconds.

Williams also looked good in drills, showing a lot of athleticism and terrific movement skills. He met at length with the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers.