Former Griz set to shine for scouts on Pro Day

For the last three months, former Montana All-America linebacker Patrick O'Connell has been in Orlando, waking up at the crack of dawn six days a week for two-a-day strength and fitness training sessions at Tom Shaw Performance under the Florida sun. All in preparation for one. single. day.

The Montana football Pro Day.

On Tuesday, April 4, that day arrives for O'Connell and six other Grizzlies as they return to Missoula, looking to make dreams of playing at the next level come true by showcasing their athleticism, strength, and skills for pro scouts.

Also returning for Montana's Pro Day next week are defensive lineman Eli Alford, kicker/punter Adam Botkin, cornerback Jayden Dawson, receiver and return specialist Malik Flowers, cornerback Justin Ford, and linebacker Marcus Welnel.

Three players from NAIA teams in Montana will also be in Missoula to undergo testing. They include D-lineman Garrett Kocab from Carroll College, and offensive guard Noah Danielson and quarterback Jon Jund from Montana Western.

For O'Connell – another classic Montana football story of walk-on turned pro prospect – the sun-up to sun-down event-specific training for explosiveness, strength, speed, and agility drills has been a long-time coming.

His path to the pros, and the path of another former Grizzly in Justin Ford, began in January at the Hula Bowl All-Star game, where O'Connell led "Team Kai" in solo tackles with four, and Ford led the game with three pass breakups.

Since then, it's been a near-daily grind for the Kalispell native, and Tuesday is where the rubber meets the road.

"That's what's crazy about it. It's all that time for basically three or four hours of work. I'm super excited. I just want the day to come already because I've been waiting for a long time to put all the training into effect and give it my best go," said O'Connell.

"It's kind of a dream scenario for me after everything I've gone through, so it's I'm just really excited."

Pro Day Gets underway at roughly 9 a.m. with weigh-ins and measurements before moving to the testing phase for vertical jump, broad jump, and the 225-pound bench press in the Washington-Grizzly Champions Center.

Testing then moves into Washington-Grizzly Stadium (weather pending) for the speed and agility portion starting at roughly 10 a.m. and lasting until approximately 11 a.m.

Testing inside the Washington-Grizzly Champions Center is closed to the public and media. Testing in Washington-Grizzly Stadium is open to the public and media, with fans asked to observe from the stands, and media asked to observe from the sidelines.

Follow @MontanaGrizFB on Twitter for up-to-the-minute results, exclusive video and photos, interviews, and more. Fans can join the conversation by using the hashtag #GrizProDay.

The 88th annual NFL Draft takes place April 27-29 in downtown Kansas City.

THE PROSPECTS

Eli Alford: Alford made 51 appearances as a five-year letterman on the Grizzly defensive line, totaling 56 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks in his career. The nose guard also put the exclamation point on Montana's 2019 playoff win over Southeastern Louisiana with a safety in the fourth quarter. He's also a four-time Academic All-Big Sky selection.

Adam Botkin: Botkin joined the team as a walk-on in his final year at UM in 2022, adding excellent depth to the kicking and punting roster. A native of Frenchtown, Montana, he saw limited action with 13 total kickoff attempts for 771 yards with four touchbacks, and four made PATs on five attempts.

Jayden Dawson: An All-Big Sky selection as junior at Idaho State, Dawson transferred to Montana for his senior season and led the team in pass breakups with eight on the year and had one interception. As a junior he was second in the conference in passes defended behind Ford with 13 breakups and posted two interceptions. Also totaled 36 tackles as a senior with one TFL.

Malik Flowers: The best kickoff returner in Montana history, Flowers tied the NCAA D-I (FCS and FBS) record for most kickoff return touchdowns with seven in his illustrious career. He also finished his career with 2,659 kick return yards on 92 attempts for an average of 28.9 per return, the best average in Montana history and a top-six all-time Big Sky average.

Justin Ford: Ford led all levels of college football in interceptions with nine as a junior, becoming a two-time consensus All-American after his senior year. He was named the 2021 Big Sky Newcomer of the Year and finished fourth in the voting for the Buck Buchanan Award. He finished his career at UM with 11 interceptions, two fumble recoveries, two touchdowns, 74 total tackles and 5.5 TFLs.

Patrick O'Connell: The All-American, two-time first-team All-Big Sky pick, team captain, and third-place finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award finished his career at UM ranked sixth all-time among career leaders in both sacks and TFLs with 28.5 sacks and 45 TFLs. He also departed Montana as one of the top 40 tacklers in program history with 242 stops to his name.

Marcus Welnel: Welnel also finished his career among UM's top 40 all-time tacklers with 240 stops. He was also one of Montana's top-fifteen all-time leaders in sacks (16) and tackles for loss (32.5), and was second in the Big Sky in TFLs his senior year during the regular season with 11.5 to earn an all-conference honorable mention. He also earned all-conference accolades as a junior and is a four-time academic all-conference pick.

GRIZ PRO DAY SCHEDULE:
8-9 AM: Player check-in
(Washington-Grizzly Champions Center – Closed to public/media)

9 AM: Body Measurements – height, weight, hand, wing
(Washington-Grizzly Champions Center – Closed to public/media)

9:15-10 AM: Testing – vertical jump, broad jump, 225-pound bench
(Washington-Grizzly Champions Center – Closed to public/media)

10-11 AM: Outdoor testing – 40-yard sprint, pro agility, 3-cone L drill, 60-yard shuttle, position specific drills
(Washington-Grizzly Stadium – open to public in stands, media on sideline)

*Schedule tentative and subject to change

University of Montana Athletics

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