A large crowd gathered at Missouri's pro day to watch Michael Sam bench. (Via Twitter)
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All 32 teams were accounted for at Missouri's pro day in Columbia on Thursday, when pass rusher Michael Sam got his chance at a redo of his disappointing workout at the Scouting Combine last month.
After completing one 40-yard dash in an unofficial 4.73 seconds, Sam was sidelined from his second attempt by a right hamstring strain. He did go on to post a 30-inch vertical, a five-inch improvement from Indianapolis, and gutted his way through linebacker drills.
The 40 time is faster than he posted in Indianapolis (4.91) but leaves many questions unanswered for a player likely being evaluated as a niche pass rusher who would play only a part-time role in the NFL, in addition to special teams. The linebacker drills were the most important of the day for Sam as he attempts to show NFL teams running 3-4 base defenses that he's a potential stand-up pass rusher despite struggling with that transition at the Senior Bowl.
Between the Senior Bowl and the combine, Sam announced he is gay, and he is expected to become the first openly gay male athlete to play in the NFL.
Sam and defensive end Kony Ealy, who had a strong session in Indianapolis highlighted by a three-cone drill result that matched the time of wriggly Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, shared the spotlight Thursday but it was Ealy who most impressed scouts.
Sam was up two pounds -- to 263 -- from his combine weight, where he posted below-average results including a 4.91 40-yard dash, 26 1/2-inch vertical, 9-5 broad jump, 7.8 three-cone and 17 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press.
He did 19 reps Thursday in the center of a considerable gallery of observers.
The crowd to watch @MikeSamFootball bench at Missouri's pro day pic.twitter.com/OKVTNCLl10
— Joe Barkett (@JoeBarkett) March 20, 2014Sam is currently projected as a mid- to late-round pick by NFLDraftScout.com, and the No. 183-ranked prospect overall.
Ealy ran in the mid-4.6s on Thursday, a vast improvement over the 4.92 time from the combine. One report had Ealy timed at 4.57 seconds, which would be a personal record.
NFLDraftScout.com's No. 22 overall prospect, he could be in play as early as No. 10 to the Detroit Lions, where head coach Jim Caldwell could form a tag team of edge rushers in Ziggy Ansah and Ealy in the mold of his Colts tandem, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis.
The Chicago Bears (14) and Dallas Cowboys (16) would also be natural fits for Ealy. NFLDraftScout.com's Rob Rang projects Ealy to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 20, while fellow analyst Dane Brugler has him going to the Denver Broncos at No. 31 in their current Mock Drafts.
Wide receiver L'Damian Washington verified his sub-4.4 40 projections from NFLDraftScout.com with two sprints under 4.8 seconds.
According to NFL Network, every team aside from the Redskins were represented at the workouts.
As it turns out, 31 of 32 teams made it to Missouri Pro Day. The Redskins are the one that didn't get here.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 20, 2014Follow Jeff Reynolds on Twitter @ReynoldsJD
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WR Mario Manningham returns to Giants
Mario Manningham was drafted by the Giants and played for them from 2008-11. He was serviceable if not outstanding during his time in New York. His best numbers came in 2010, when he caught 60 passes for 944 yards and nine touchdowns.But the 2011 postseason -- and more specifically, one unbelievable catch down the sideline late in Super Bowl XLVI -- made Manningham some money. He signed a two-year deal worth more than $7 million less than two months later with the 49ers. However, Manningham's two years with them were largely forgettable and headlined by a devastating knee injury in December 2012 that caused him to miss most of the 2013 season.So, with his contract up again, Manningham is heading back to where he started. The Giants brought Manningham back on a one-year deal Tuesday, according to Pro Football Talk.
I look at this signing similar to the Patriots' inking of Brandon LaFell: A veteran brought in for depth purposes. The Giants' top three WRs are Victor Cruz, Rueben Randle, Jerrel Jernigan. Or at least, that's who the team hopes are their top three, given that the young guys continue to develop. Manningham is a player head coach Tom Coughlin is familiar with, even if Manningham isn't familiar with the Giants' new offense. He'll vie to be New York No. 4 wideout and has microscopic fantasy value.
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