NFL Draft 2023: Bryce Young, Myles Murphy are among those that need strong Pro Day showings

Nine players that need to impress for a variety of reasons

Pro Days are the next stop on the pre-draft impression tour. A player's performance on the field weighs most heavily in an evaluation but workouts are meant to confirm or deny what was seen. Prospects that may not have lived up to expectation or tested as expected at the NFL Combine have an opportunity to perform once again before their respective fates are left in the hands of NFL decision-makers on draft night. 

Here are nine players that need successful Pro Day showings:

Jordan Addison, WR, USC

TCU's Quentin Johnston tested off the charts as expected and Ohio State's Jaxon Smith-Njigba was among the other top performers at the position. Meanwhile, Addison measured in at just 173 pounds and scored relatively pedestrian in athletic testing. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.49 seconds with a vertical jump of 34 inches and a broad jump of 10-feet-2-inches. Those are not numbers of the potential first wide receiver off the board. He could still be a very productive NFL player but one would be naive to think that teams will not be expecting more of him at his Pro Day.

Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU  

Boutte ran the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds but his jumps were more disappointing. He posted a 29 inch vertical jump and a 9-feet-10-inch broad jump at 195 pounds. For reference, he would have finished 21st in the vertical jump and 2nd in the broad jump...among offensive linemen. The Louisiana native looked solid during the on-field portion of the event but this is a player that is capable of more athletically. He needs to test well at his Pro Day to stop his stock from plummeting. 

Andre Carter II, EDGE, Army

Carter is a prospect that has been propped up by the idea that he possesses great athleticism in a 6-foot-6.5-inch, 256 pound frame. The hope is that improved strength and power would come as he takes on a professional football-specific workout plan and diet. Carter did not run the 40-yard dash and his jumps (30 inch vertical, 9-feet-1-inch broad) were lackluster. Teams will want to see more speed and explosion from him to justify a Day 2 selection. 

Zach Evans, RB, Ole Miss

Evans did not do any testing at the NFL Combine and he weighed in lighter (202 pounds) than the standard for a feature running back (220 pounds) in the NFL. The TCU transfer is an incredibly talented player but has become overlooked in this class. With other running backs impressing at college all-star games and the combine, Evans quite literally needs to burst back on the scene to assert himself as a top-100 prospect. 

Myles Murphy, EDGE, Clemson  

Murphy had a respectable 25 repetitions on the bench press but did no more. In order to assert himself as a potential top-10 overall player in this class, the edge rusher needs to show up at Clemson's Pro Day and knock it out of the park. Iowa's Lukas Van Ness tested off the charts in Indianapolis and is encroaching on Murphy's claim to be the third edge rusher taken behind the likes of Alabama's Will Anderson Jr. and Texas Tech's Tyree Wilson.

Jaquelin Roy, DT, LSU

Roy was a top-50 prospect overall coming out of high school so his talent has always been evident. At the NFL Combine, he only tested in categories that indicate a player's ability to change directions. The output was disappointing for a player that measured 6-foot-3, 305 pounds and is expected to apply pass rush. Similar to his teammate, Boutte, there is a belief that Roy has more in the tank, so hopefully that is reflected at his Pro Day in Baton Rouge. 

Drew Sanders, LB, Arkansas

Sanders did not exactly win the weigh-in so that puts more stress on his athletic testing. The problem is that Sanders did not do any of the athletic testing at the NFL Combine. When he returns to Fayetteville for his Pro Day, he will need to restore faith in his ability to make plays in space and rushing the passer. The idea of him going in the first round relies on those traits.

Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois

Witherspoon has a slimmer build relative to some of his peers in this class but he plays much bigger. Oregon's Christian Gonzalez and Penn State's Joey Porter Jr. did not disappoint at the combine so Witherspoon, who was said to be sitting out due to a hamstring injury, has to put on his own show to maintain his position in the pecking order. 

Witherspoon is currently the No. 5 overall prospect on the CBSSports.com prospect rankings.

Bryce Young, QB, Alabama  

Young's spot on this list is similar to Witherspoon. Young wanted to work out in a controlled environment so now he has to crush it in order to stave off the momentum created by other top quarterback prospects such as Florida's Anthony Richardson, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud and Kentucky's Will Levis in Indianapolis. Young passed the weigh-in measuring 5-foot-10.5, 204 pounds so he no longer has to worry about carrying a certain weight through the remainder of his workouts.