Appalachian State’s Ronald Blair sacks Chattanooga’s B.J. Coleman.The opportunity to increase their NFL draft stock began Monday for two Chattanooga natives.
Former McCallie School and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga quarterback B.J. Coleman and former Tennessee Tech wide receiver Tim Benford from Red Bank High are in St. Petersburg, Fla., this week for Saturday’s East-West Shrine Game at Tropicana Field.
“It’s a business trip,” Coleman said Saturday. “I’m going to meet a lot of different people, a lot of scouts, and it’s going to be exciting. … It’s a big, big, big week.”
Coleman arrived in Florida on Saturday after spending the previous three weeks training in Hattiesburg, Miss. On Sunday all of the players visited the Shriners Hospital for Children in Tampa, while Monday’s schedule began with player measurements before the East and West teams practiced in the afternoon.
At UTC’s junior pro day last spring, Coleman was measured at 6-foot-3, 222 pounds. He weighed in at 234 on Monday.