Jeremiah Davis is no stranger to  finding young talent. He has been scouting college football players since the 1980’s.
On Wednesday, Davis saw something he didn’t expect to see so easily from college seniors, hoping to catch his eye. Discipline.
Eleven Warhawk football players chased their dreams, and impressed NFL scouts Wednesday in the Pro Day workout at Malone Stadium.
Davis, New York Giants executive scout, said he came to test the guys’ measureables. But the players’ work ethic and desire to put on a good workout for the scouts stood out most.
“Following directions is really important,” Davis said. “It gauges the intelligence, which is really important in the NFL and anything in life.”
Players who attended the Pro Day were: receiver Luther Ambrose, tight end Ronnie Anderson, cornerback Nate Brown, defensive end Ken Dorsey, defensive end Troy Evans, linebacker Jason Edwards, linebacker Lincston Jones, offensive lineman Anthony Montgomery, defensive end Jordan Landry, receiver Anthony McCall and safety Darius Prelow.
“This is a good group of kids, and they worked hard for us today,” Davis said. “They were enthusiastic, and I am impressed with the class.”
NFL teams in attendance were: the New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Oakland Raiders and the New York Giants, the defending Super Bowl Champions.
The Jaguars showed interest in the Warhawks after the 2010 draft when they signed defensive end/outside linebacker Aaron Morgan.
“We like a few of your guys in this class,” said Chris Prescott, regional scout for the Jaguars. “You have guys on the defensive side of the ball who are for sure, and your receiver ran super fast in the 40-yard dash.”
Ambrose impressed the scouts with his 40-yard dash time of a 4.31 seconds, but everyone who had a stopwatch in hand knows he is capable of running faster.
“I was a little disappointed with my time. It’s not like me,” Ambrose said. “ I need to work on the technical things. I relied on speed and not technical work and it showed.”
Ambrose’s goal was to run in the 4.2-second range, but he said the scouts know what he is capable of.
Other than Ambrose’s blazing speed, the players wowed the scouts with brute strength.
Edwards went into beast-mode in the 225-pound bench press. He had the high number for the day with 24 reps.
“I just gave it my all,” Edwards said. “I cleared my all and just went at it. God had it all under control so I’m happy with it.”
Edwards’ goal coming in the day was to get at least 30 reps on the bench press.
At the end of the day Edwards said he had fun and “that’s all that matters.”
The scouts kept their eyes on Prelow who is known for his in-game awareness. But at the workouts, he seemed anxious.
“It feels like I could have done better, but things will work out,” Prelow said. “I did the best I could, and I’m satisfied with how I came out here.”
Evans also caught the eye of a few scouts in the workout. He put up solid numbers in the shuttle drills, and the scouts liked his lateral movement.
“I did everything I expected,” Evans said. “It’s all natural. I’ve been doing this for so long, and I feel I did good with it.”
Prescott added, “There are some guys we are seriously interested in, and the NFL would be also.”
With the 2012 NFL Draft nearing fast on April 26, Davis ended his day with a firm handshake and look to the eye. Until next year.