LOS ANGELES — Twenty UCLA football alumni converged at the Wasserman Football Center one final time on Monday afternoon for UCLA’s annual NFL Pro Day.
“It gives you that extra boost for sure,” linebacker Kain Medrano told reporters of being back at UCLA. “You’ve got all the support. You’ve got your teammates that you grinded with, blood sweat, tears out here.”
Medrano was following up a standout performance at the NFL combine, which ran from Feb. 27 to March 2 in Indianapolis. He clocked the fastest time out of all linebackers in the 40-yard dash with a time of 4.46 seconds.
“Very stress-relieving and surreal at the same time,” said Medrano, who did his training with Excel in Orange County. “You want to go out and perform the best that you can, and with that 4.46, that was the best that I could perform that day, and it was the best of linebackers.”
Medrano said he has met with or is scheduled to meet with all 32 teams. He completed the three-cone drill in 6.96 seconds on Monday and the shuttle in 4.1 seconds.
Fellow linebacker Carson Schwesinger did not participate in any drills due to a minor hamstring injury sustained during training, per his agent. He will be holding his own workout in early April.
Still, he was on hand at UCLA’s practice field to support his teammates after training in Arizona with Exos.
“It’s nostalgic just being in the area, seeing everything,” Schwesinger said.”Really great to see all the guys who are competing and even just old teammates and coaches. Definitely fun to be out here.”
Schwesinger, a former walk-on, recorded a 39.5-inch vertical jump and 20 reps in the bench press at the NFL combine. He has also been speaking with all 32 NFL teams throughout the meeting and interview processes.
“It’s definitely a little bit of a grind,” he said. “But sometimes, that’s one of my favorite parts is all the meetings. You get to talk ball. They’re getting a feel for you, but you’re also getting a feel for all these teams you’re talking to and trying to get an understanding of that as well.”
Oluwafemi Oladejo earned attention after a strong showing at the Senior Bowl in early February and Mel Kiper had him listed as a late-first-round draft pick at one point. He didn’t participate in any running drills on Monday but did take part in individual position drills and weighed in at 262 pounds.
Oladejo played at edge in his final year with UCLA football and is feeling at home in the outside linebacker position. He looked explosive throughout the day and knocked a pad out of former teammate Jay Toia’s hands in one drill.
“Femi is always one guy that taps in,” UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster said. “He wants to know everything. Femi wants to know about my draft process, the combine. I’m like, Femi, that was 20 years ago, and I barely remember all that.”
Foster lauded linebacker Joseph Vaughn for his performance at UCLA’s pro day. He logged a 41.5-inch vertical reach, a 10-3 broad jump, 21 reps on the bench press and a 4.5 40-yard dash time.
“I always tell guys: If you get drafted, you’re walking in the front door,” Foster said. “Joseph Vaughn’s a guy that can go through the back door, he can jump through the window, but he’s going to stick. It’s just great that he was able to showcase his talents and show what he can do.”
More results from UCLA Pro Day
Full results from UCLA’s Pro Day were not disclosed, but Foster did give several highlights to media:
DB Brian Addison: 4.55 40-yard dash, 36″ vertical, 10-7 broad jump
OL Josh Carlin: 28 bench reps
LS Travis Drosos: 17 bench reps, 34″ vertical
QB Ethan Garbers: 34″ vertical
DB Ramon Henderson: 4.38 40-yard dash, 38.5″ vertical, 10-9 broad jump
OL Spencer Holistic: 33 bench reps
RB Keegan Jones: 4.43 40-yard dash, 6.91 cone drill, 37″ vertical
LB Ale Kaho: 4.5 40-yard dash
DB Devin Kirkwood: 35″ vertical
LB Kain Medrano: 6.96 three cone, 4.1 shuttle
DB Kaelin Moore: 4.48 40-yard dash
LB Joesph Vaughn: 4.5 40-yard dash, 41.5″ vertical, 10-3 broad, 21 bench reps