March 17, 2017
THE FLATS – Nine former Georgia Tech football student-athletes performed for 30-plus professional football personnel during the Yellow Jackets annual Pro Day on Friday.
Center Freddie Burden, place kicker Harrison Butker, linebacker P.J. Davis, defensive lineman Emmanuel Dieke, defensive lineman Patrick Gamble, defensive lineman Francis Kallon, linebacker Tyler Marcordes, punter Ryan Rodwell and quarterback Justin Thomas went through a litany of measurements, exercises and drills for those in attendance at Bobby Dodd Stadium, the John and Mary Brock Indoor Football Facility and Rose Bowl Field.
In all, 20 National Football League teams and three Canadian Football League teams were represented at Georgia Tech’s Pro Day, including Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff. One Major League Baseball team was also in attendance, looking for athletes whose skills could potentially translate from the gridiron to the diamond.
Meeting of 🏈 minds: @GTPaulJohnson and @FalconsDQ huddling at #GTProDay pic.twitter.com/tWDW706Thl
— GeorgiaTech Football (@GeorgiaTechFB) March 17, 2017
Thomas easily had the busiest day of the nine players, as he was put through a gauntlet of drills to display his capabilities not only at quarterback, but also at wide receiver, defensive back and kickoff and punt returner. He wowed those in attendance by clocking his 40-yard dash in the 4.3-seconds range and making a one-handed catch while tip-toeing the sideline as a wideout.
Justin Thomas runs insanely fast 40 at @GeorgiaTechFB pro day, shows versatility: https://t.co/tDbT2D92sf #NFL #GTProDay pic.twitter.com/9HRx0Y5NfH
— 11Alive Sports (@11AliveSports) March 17, 2017
Davis also clocked an impressive 40 time, bench-pressed 225 pounds a whopping 26 times and showed versatility by participating in drills as a linebacker and fullback. Butker, who made 14-of-15 field goals earlier this month at the NFL Combine, turned in several more booming kicks on Friday, including a 58-yard field goal.
Harrison Butker, 58-yard field goal at #gatech pro day pic.twitter.com/4Qh46jogBr
— Ken Sugiura (@ksugiuraajc) March 17, 2017
Burden and Gamble were both limited while continuing to recover from injuries sustained last season. Burden, a 2016 ESPN first-team all-ACC honoree, is on track to be at 100 percent by May.
