Rodgers Gives NFL Scouts Sneak Peak (At football Skills, that is)

By JAY HEATER

Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif.)


BERKELEY, Calif. - A group of about 25 NFL scouts gathered in the middle of the Memorial Stadium field Tuesday afternoon as Aaron Rodgers slipped off his sweatshirt.

Already scheduled to throw for NFL coaches and scouts March 17 at Memorial Stadium, Rodgers wasn't expected to give the scouts anything to write home about Tuesday.

The scouts expected the quarterback merely to be a spectator while they tested and examined several other Cal players, such as defensive tackle Lorenzo Alexander, defensive end Ryan Riddle and tight end Garrett Cross, who hope to be drafted.

But toward the end of the workout session, Rodgers decided to join his former teammates in the short shuttle drill, an explosion exercise where a player runs 5 yards to his left, then 10 yards to his right, then back another 5 yards to where he began.

Rodgers whipped through a couple shuttle runs while the scouts scribbled notes. "We didn't get to run that shuttle drill at the (NFL scouting combine)," said Rodgers' agent, Mike Sullivan. "It is just a matter of completing his resume."

The final piece of Rodgers' resume will be completed March 17. "We want Aaron to show his level of accuracy and his quick release," Sullivan said. "That's what will separate him from (Utah quarterback) Alex Smith."

On March 17, Rodgers will be the only player on the field being tested. "We wanted a firm schedule so Aaron can prepare," Sullivan said of the private workout. "When there are 20 other guys, there is not a focus.

Rodgers has been focused on preparing himself for the various testing drills since the Bears ended their season at the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 30. He said the process is beginning to wear on him. "It's mentally fatiguing," Rodgers said. "I feel like I've been training for a year. I'm ready to start playing some football."

It's way too early to tell where Rodgers will land in the NFL. Several mock drafts have projected Rodgers as the first overall pick on April 23, and that selection belongs to the 49ers. Sullivan, who represents former No. 1 picks Michael Vick and David Carr, doesn't expect to hear anything from the 49ers soon.

"Each situation is different," Sullivan said. "With Vick, the Chargers contacted me the Monday before the draft. With Carr, the Texans contacted me at the end of March. But I can tell you that it won't be early this year."

Sullivan said he would be surprised to hear anything until the week of the draft this year.

While Rodgers can be certain that he will be a first-round pick, his former teammates were trying to secure a spot somewhere in the draft.

Alexander ran a 5.04 40-yard dash, which he believes showed the scouts his mobility for an inside defensive tackle. Alexander said Tuesday's workout probably will be his final one for the scouts before the draft.

Cross probably helped himself with his workout. He weighed 245 pounds, which was seven pounds more than he weighed at the East-West Shrine Game. He pumped out 20 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press to show scouts that he is increasing his strength.

"He didn't get invited for the combine because he played at 233 pounds," said Sullivan, who also will represent Cross. "They are looking for much bigger guys."

But with a workout program that has built him up in a short period of time, Sullivan said Cross is showing scouts that he is headed in the right direction.

"He is going to be drafted," predicted Sullivan. "He is a quality West Coast tight end."