RB Carey improves

Ka'Deem Carey could fall to the third round in the draft. (USATSI)

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Arizona running back Ka'Deem Carey proved faster during his on-campus Pro Day than he was at the Combine but the improvement was minimal, confirming his lack of ideal speed, rather than eliminating questions about how his collegiate success translates to the NFL.

Scouts were certainly curious as to what he could do. Representatives from 31 of the NFL's 32 teams were on hand for the workout. One team clocked him at 4.66 seconds in the all-important 40-yard dash, a slight improvement from the 4.70 he was credited with in Indianapolis.

Carey did show significant improvement in a second test measuring explosiveness, recording a 35.5-inch vertical Thursday -- an improvement of three inches from his Combine leap. Carey elected not to run the 3-cone drill or the other shuttle drills. He matched his 19 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press and caught the ball well during positional drills.

The workout wasn't flashy but neither is Carey. He's a gritty back who plays faster than he tests and fights through contact to generate extra yardage. Carey finished second nationally to Boston College's Andre Williams with 1,885 rushing yards in 2013 -- a year after leading the country with 1,929 yards.

There is no denying that some of his production was inflated due to head coach Rich Rodriguez's up-tempo spread offense but the Wildcats featured more pro-style looks in 2013 and Carey's production remained impressive, including against highly athletic defenses like Oregon, whom Carey tore apart for 206 yards and four touchdowns.

Carey's poor showing in workouts could push him into the third round or even later. He's a pro-ready back with very good hands and the toughness for pass-blocking, however. If he falls too far based on his 40-yard dash time, some lucky NFL club is going to get a steal.

While Carey was the star attraction, a couple of teammates actually enjoyed the more impressive workouts.

Neither cornerback Shaquille Richardson nor outside linebacker Marquis Flowers was invited to the Combine but each was clocked in the 4.4s and looked very good during their positional workouts.

The only team not represented at the workout was the New Orleans Saints.

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