By Will Woodbery, Correspondent
KNOXVILLE — After missing most of his senior season with a wrist injury, Brad Cottam is looking to make up for lost time leading up to the NFL draft.
The 6-foot-8 former UT tight end ran a 4.69 40-yard dash at Wednesday's pro day at the University of Tennessee’s indoor football complex. In addition, Cottam had a 36 1/2-inch vertical jump
That's compared to his performance at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis last month, where he had a 4.63 40 and a 33-inch vertical, both of which were top-five rankings among tight ends.
Overall, Cottam said he was pleased with the work outs.
“The biggest thing for me today was running routes and let them see that I could break out of my cuts, because I didn't get to go through that at the combine. I think I did well. I think I still helped myself.”
Still, Cottam said he could improve in some aspects of his game.
“I think the biggest thing is probably blocking. I think they (already) know that I'm fast and that I can run routes,” said Cottam, who finished the 2007 season with five catches for 125 yards with one touchdown.
Despite limited playing experience in college, Cottam's solid performances at the Senior Bowl and the combine have raised his stock in the draft. Early projections by ESPN have him being selected as early as the third round.
“It's hard because I only played five games,” Cottam said. “I think I'm a good enough athlete to get drafted. I think if I would have played the whole season I could have gone in the first round.”
Cottam was one of 14 former UT players who participated in Wednesday's pro day. Linebacker Jerod Mayo, who decided to forgo his last year of eligibility at UT, had 22 reps on the bench press and an impressive 40 1/2-inch vertical jump.
His appearance Wednesday follows an impressive showing at the NFL combine. There, he had the third best time among linebackers in the 40-yard dash at 4.54 seconds. Mayo did not run the 40 at pro day.
“I think I did show my versatility and my explosiveness today,” Mayo said. “I showed my ability to run and jump and show the athlete that I am.”
Fellow linebacker Ryan Karl posted a 40-yard dash time of 4.76 seconds and a solid time in the three-cone drill with 6.87 seconds.
“Overall I think I did pretty well,” Karl said. “I showed the ability that I can play safety at the next level. It just depends on who looks at me and who likes me.”
Other notable participants at the workout included Jonathan Hefney, J.T. Mapu, Xavier Mitchell and Chris Brown.
Justin Gatlin, the reigning 100-meter Olympic gold medalist, also worked out Wednesday. Gatlin, who received an eight-year ban for doping violations — later reduced to four years, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds and had a 40 1/2-inch vertical jump.
E-mail Will Woodbery at sports@timesfreepress.com
