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Pro Day watch | Caleb Williams, JJ McCarthy show off their arms

Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams throws during the NCAA college football team's NFL Pro Day, Wednesday, March 20, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams throws during the NCAA college football team's NFL Pro Day, Wednesday, March 20, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

We're getting closer to the NFL Draft starting in Detroit on April 25, and while the scouting combine has come and gone, prospects aren't done trying to convince teams to draft them.

Colleges across the country will host Pro Days for prospects to work out in front of scouts, coaches and general managers from NFL teams. Some will do more on-field work than others, but it's a chance for them to either raise or cement their draft stock after their performances in Indianapolis. For those who weren't invited to the combine, it's an opportunity for them to get noticed by scouts in a final effort to join a team this summer.

This week, 33 schools hosted NFL scouts to show what their student-athletes are capable of before taking the next step in their careers. Here are some of the highlights from the last few days.

-- After electing not to throw at the combine earlier this month, USC quarterback and presumptive No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams finally showed off his arm to teams. The results were what most people expected, meaning that Williams' poise, arm strength and accuracy added even more credence to the ever-growing belief that the Bears will take him with their pick.

NFL Network national reporter Steve Wyche said that there wasn't anything fancy to the 50 throws, most of which were in the pocket, Williams had in front of scouts from the entire league. Instead, Wyche said it seemed like Williams wanted to show that he can deliver when things are on schedule and in his control.

-- Edgerrin Cooper is the premier athlete in Texas A&M's pool of draft prospects this year, and he showed again why he's worthy of the near perfect 9.26 out of 10 relative athletic score. His movements were fluid during bag drills saying after that he was "just trying to show what I can do on the field." He also improved his 40 time to 4.47 compared to the 4.51 he ran at the combine. Check out the video below to see for yourself.

-- Likely first-round cornerback Quinyon Mitchell did not participate in Toledo's pro day, electing instead to cheer on his teammates. He did, however, speak to reporters after workouts and said he was satisfied with what he accomplished at the Senior Bowl and combine.

The two-time All-American ran a 4.33 40-yard dash along with a 38-inch vertical and a 10-foot-2 broad jump, so it's hard to blame him for wanting to let those results speak for him.

-- As always, there was a bevy of top-tier talent at Alabama's pro day with names like Chris Braswell, Kool-Aid McKinstry, JC Latham, Justin Eboigbe and Dallas Turner, who did not participate in drills. McKinstry did not run at the combine because of a Jones fracture in his right foot. He still managed to record a 4.47, which should help improve his draft stock a bit.

-- It should not come as a surprise to anyone that Marvin Harrison Jr. opted out of participating at Ohio State's pro day. That might rub some people the wrong way, but it doesn't sound like he needs to participate. He's already considered the second-best player on analysts' big boards and will likely be the first receiver taken. He's made it clear that he's focusing on preparing for his rookie season. We'll see how much that work will pay off in a few months.

-- We'll wrap things up with Michigan's JJ McCarthy, who has slowly risen in popularity among teams since the combine. The initial knock on McCarthy came from how little he was asked to do in Michigan's offense compared to some of the other quarterback prospects, but that hesitation seems to be evaporating each week. McCarthy showed off his ability to scramble and use his legs during his pro day, but the moment that got everyone's attention was a 60-yard shot to the end zone near the end of the day.

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