Pro Day comes to even small schools

ELLENSBURG, Wash. (AP) -They tested vertical leap with wide-eyed students on stationary bikes a few feet away.

They used one side of a jogging track in the student recreation center to time 40-yard sprints, tested for strength among students lifting weights between classes and commandeered a basketball court for the shuttle run.

Even when "Pro Day" comes to a Division II school, it still carries a small feel.

"It wasn't Indianapolis," deadpanned Mike Reilly, referring to last month's NFL combine.

Reilly, a strong-armed quarterback, and tight end Jared Bronson were the reason Central Washington was holding a pro day event Monday. The duo are likely to become the first players drafted from the Division II school, about two hours drive east of Seattle, since the NFL draft went to 12 rounds back in 1991.

The fact scouts braved difficult mountain pass conditions to reach this town of 15,000 and see a few small-college stars perform isn't all that extraordinary. It actually continues a recent trend of the NFL taking a look at players from the lower divisions of college football.

When now-Dallas Cowboys quarterback Jon Kitna finished his record-setting career here in 1995, the only tryout he received was thanks to a teammate being related to then-Seattle Seahawks coach Dennis Erickson.

These days, NFL teams are mining the talent at schools which don't have BCS attached to their conference affiliation. Two years ago, Kevin Boss was a no-name prospect from Western Oregon. By the end of his first year with the New York Giants, Boss had a Super Bowl ring. Danieal Manning left Abilene Christian after his junior season and landed in the secondary of the Chicago Bears.

In all, 24 players from Division II colleges or lower have been taken in the NFL draft since 2005.

"I would definitely say you're going to see more guys spending more time at small schools, more than they have," said Seattle Seahawks scouting assistant Aaron Hineline. "More guys are going in there and visiting the guys."

The reasons there are good players to be found in the lower divisions varies.

Some wanted to play instantly, like Bronson and Reilly. Both started out at Division I schools - Bronson at Washington, Reilly at Washington State - and found their ways to Central Washington when their careers at the big schools started on the bench and prospects for moving onto the field were slim.

They found a haven at the Division II level, where each started from the time they stepped on campus. Both aspired to play professionally when they first arrived at Central Washington, yet believed the opportunities to impress scouts would have to come at a larger, more prestigious school during one of their pro day events.