Fourteen former WSU Cougars players and NFL hopefuls took part in the Pro Day on the Palouse. By all accounts, the event went well. Representatives from 28 NFL teams appeared in Pullman to take a look at the finest prospects WSU had to offer.

Carolina Panthers general manager Marty Hurney and Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll were among the representatives taking in the sights from the WSU Pro Day.

Most of the talent evaluators came to see offensive tackle Andre Dillard, who is WSU’s highest projected prospect in this year’s draft. Dillard came into the event already viewed as a guaranteed first round pick. He did nothing to hurt his stock in the on-field drills. In fact, he probably cemented himself as a Top 15. However, the NFL personnel didn’t mind seeing the 6-5, 315-pound prospect put on a show.

This is where WSU LT Andre Dillard’s speed translates to run blocking. Watch how quick he is out of his stance. pic.twitter.com/ANmSEvGn6h — Rob Rang (@RobRang) April 3, 2019

Meanwhile, quarterback Gardner Minshew also drew a lot of attention. He went through the throwing sessions at the NFL Combine, and did so again at his pro day.

A few highlights of Gardner Minshew’s throwing session that just wrapped up in the practice bubble. He was great on the short routes, above average on the intermediate ones and inconsistent on the deep ones. pic.twitter.com/Moazc37Ymv — Theo Lawson (@TheoLawson_SR) April 3, 2019

According to Rob Rang, the Bills, the Green Bay Packers, and the Seattle Seahawks were among the many teams closely paying attention to Minshew’s workout.

Running back James Williams also turned heads at the WSU Pro Day. He went through on-field drills as well, and by all accounts, he looked really good. In fact, he came into the event already knowing that he intrigued some teams. He met with the New Orleans Saints on March 2 and talked with the Bills the morning before the Pro Day.

Other prospects like Peyton Pelluer and Logan Tago performed well too. However, to be honest, the NFL representatives mainly came to see the three prospects in Dillard, Minshew and Williams. That fact was highlighted in this short NFL Network report by Omar Ruiz:

Enjoyed my time in Pullman for the @WSUCougarFB pro day. A wrap up with notes on OT Andre Dillard, QB Gardner Minshew & RB James Williams👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/RGW9v1uI5r — Omar Ruiz (@OmarDRuiz) April 3, 2019

Despite the focus being on those three players, a prospect always has the chance to unexpectedly catch the eye of a scout. Rang suggested Tago’s stock rose from his Pro Day performance in his WSU and University of Idaho Pro Day recap.

“While Dillard, Minshew and Williams were clearly the Cougars’ “big three” as Combine-invites, the player who likely boosted his stock the most Wednesday was defensive lineman-turned linebacker Logan Tago, a 6-3 (and 3/8”), 242 pounder who showed impressive fluidity operating in reverse, as well as intriguing raw explosiveness in the vertical jump (30.5”) and bench press (19 repetitions).”

Rang compared Tago to former Cougar Frankie Luvu, who did not get drafted, but made the New York Jets roster.

Clearly, the WSU Pro Day drew noticeable attention. Hopefully, the solid NFL crowd the event generated leads to more WSU players getting drafted. Unfortunately, only two Cougars in Cole Madison and Luke Falk got drafted last year.