2008 Woodie Awards
NFL Pro Day Comes To Storrs
Football
Kevin Duffy
Issue date: 3/27/08 Section: Sports
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Tyvon Branch
Branch did not participate in any timed workouts, but instead worked solely on positional drills.
Branch's size and speed were more than evident at the NFL combine in Indianapolis when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.31 seconds - the second fastest time of all combine participants - and pumped out an impressive 19 bench press reps, which was fifth among all cornerbacks.
To prepare for the combine, Branch worked out at Athletes Performance in California, where training specialists helped Branch maximize his upper body strength by having him do burnout bench sets with air machines. The staff also critiqued Branch's running form and showed him tape of how he could tighten it to elicit a better 40-yard dash time.
The impressive numbers he posted at the combine brought notable NFL personnel - including former Dallas Cowboys head coach Dave Campo, who now is the team's secondary coach - to Storrs to watch Branch participate in cornerback drills.
"I think my 40 time helped me the most," Branch said. "I think when people saw that number, they went back and looked at some film. And that's the key. If you don't have any film, you could be the best tester in the world, but you're not going anywhere."
Branch's size, athleticism, and versatility - he excels at covering and returning kicks - has him ranked as NFLdraftscout.com's No. 15 cornerback and No. 121 overall prospect and project him as a fourth-round selection.
Donald Thomas
A graduate of Career High School in New Haven, Thomas played basketball and baseball in high school and didn't pick-up football until he decided to walk-on at UConn. After struggling through injuries early on and going through a small off-the-field issue last season, all of the sudden, Thomas is being mentioned as one of the premier guard prospects in the draft.
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