As the road to April’s NFL Draft continues, Mississippi is hosting their 2017 Pro Day in Starkville on Wednesday morning in the Leo Seal Complex.

The nineteen participants that will perform include members of last year’s squad such as Fred Ross, Justin Senior, and Richie Brown. In addition, Boobie Dixon, Josh Robinson, and Jay Hughes will be among the former Bulldogs in attendance to showcase their skills in front of NFL scouts.

Info

• Closed to public.
• Some footage will be shown on SEC Now.
• MSU Social Media will have “all access coverage”.
• FWtCT will post updates here.

Notable Participants

• Boobie Dixon is perhaps the greatest running back to ever suit up for the Maroon and White, rushing for 3,994 yards and 42 touchdowns during his career. Dixon was a 6th-round selection in the 2010 NFL Draft, playing a secondary role to Frank Gore in San Francisco from 2010-2013 under Jim Harbaugh. After a brief stint in Buffalo, Dixon is looking to make his return to professional football.
• Like Dixon, Josh Robinson is one of the more decorated backs in Mississippi State history. A main contributor for the historic 2014 team, the “Bowling Ball” opted to declare for the NFL Draft as a junior, where the Colts drafted him in the 5th-round; however, things never went as planned and Robinson is hoping for another opportunity.
• Fred Ross came to Starkville as a high-level 4-star recruit from the lonestar state and left as one of the program’s best receivers ever. Ross was one of Dak Prescott’s favorite targets during the 2016 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year’s time in Starkville, catching for 1,496 yards and 10 touchdowns during his sophomore and junior seasons. With Nick Fitzgerald as the new face of the offense in 2016, Ross caught 72 passes for 917 yards and 12 scores. Given a 5th-round grade by Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller, the Texas native is looking to improve his stock and establish himself as a solid mid-round pick for NFL teams looking for a wideout.

Pro Day Tracker

*Data found from hailstate.com, @HailStateFB, and @BobCarskadon, among other media members

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Updates

• Fred Ross and A.J. Jefferson will only perform in positional drills.
• Boobie Dixon will not run the 40-yard dash.

Two of Mississippi State’s two best running backs at Pro Day:

Washington Redskin Preston Smith and Oakland Raider Gabe Jackson were some of the former Bulldogs watching State’s Pro Day:

Fred Ross

Position: WR
Measurables: 6-2, 205

Per Clarion Ledger’s Will Sammon, Fred Ross says he will meet with the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots on April 4th. It’s no secret that many State fans would love to see Dak and Ross reunite in Dallas, but a Tom Brady-to-Fred Ross connection isn’t too shabby.

Justin Senior

Position: OT
Measurables: 6-5, 310

Ranked as the 220th prospect in the upcoming draft, Justin Senior is hoping that his performances last season, at the NFL Combine, and during Pro Day will be enough for a team to take a chance on him late.

Richie Brown

Position: LB
Measurables: 6-2, 240
Vertical: 37”
Broad Jump: 9’8”
Unofficial 40: 4.66
Brown addresses his Pro Day:

Richie Brown seemed to be one of the most intelligent football players on the field during his career in Starrkville. Whether it was his three-interception game against Kenny “Trill” in 2014 or all his tackles, Brown always seemed to be near the football. His vertical and broad jump should only intrigue scouts more heading into April.

A.J. Jefferson

Position: DL
Measurables: 6-3, 280
Jefferson had shoulder surgery in December and mentioned he may “have my own Pro Day next month.”

Jefferson’s shoulder seemed to bother him all season and the surgery prevented him from playing in Mississippi State’s bowl game this season, but the big defensive lineman made his prescent felt while he was on the turf.

Johnathan Calvin
Position: DL
Measurables: 6-2, 272
Unofficial 40: 4.82

The JUCO transfer showed flashes of his talent during his two-year career in the Maroon and White. The athletic defensive lineman will be missed next season.

Will Coleman

Position: DL
Measurables: 6-5, 250
Unofficial 40: 4.86

Kivon Coman

Position: DB
Measurables: 6-2, 205
Vertical: 39.5”
Unofficial 40: 4.52

Ashton Shumpert

Position: RB/LB
Measurables: 6-2, 218

Nelson Adams

Position: DL
Measurables: 6-3, 305
Unofficial 40: 5.17

Jamaal Clayborn

Position: OL
Measurables: 6-4, 315
Unofficial 40: 5.69

Nick James

Position: DL
Measurables: 6-5, 323
Broad Jump: 8’5”
Unofficial 40: 5.13
Bench Press (225): 29 reps (!!)

Torrey Dale

Position: DL
Measurables: 6-6, 277
Unofficial 40: 4.73

Brandon Holloway

Position: RB
Measurables: 5-8, 165
Vertical: 38.5”
Broad Jump: 10’2”
Unofficial 40: 4.31 (!!)

Holloway’s time would have been the fastest by any of the running backs at the 2017 NFL Combine. Although Holloway is not someone that should be used for runs up the middle, the speedster out of Tampa has blazing speed that NFL exectives should be drooling over. In the right system, Holloway has the ability to showcase his track speed in the open field.

DeAndre Ward

Position: LB
Measurables: 6-1, 219

Ward is most known for recieving a scholarship after spending some time as a walk-on for the Bulldogs. The Wetumpa, Alabama, native was able to work himself into the linebacker rotation last season.

Deontay Evans

*transferred to MTSU, but will particpate

Position: DB
Measurables: 6-2, 207
Unofficial 40: 4.66

Boobie Dixon

*Mississippi State RB (2006-2009)

Position: RB

Josh Robinson

*Mississippi State RB (2012-2014)

Position: RB
Unofficial 40: 4.7

Jay Hughes

*Mississippi State DB (2011-2014)

Position: DB

Fred Brown

*Mississippi State WR (2013-2014)

Position: WR
Unofficial 40: 4.46

Dan Mullen talks about Mississippi State’s Pro Day:

Special thanks to @HailStateFB, Bob Carskadon, Will Sammon, Brett Hudson, and other Mississippi State media members for providing clips and data from today’s events.

The 2017 NFL Draft will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from April 27th to April 29th. Mississippi State has had at least one player selected every year during the Dan Mullen era.