Upcoming BYU Pro Day gives Tejan Koroma, Jonah Trinnaman, and others a chance to impress NFL personnel

BYU center Tejan Koroma is one of several NFL hopefuls who will particiapte at Pro Day on March 30 (Mark A. Philbrick, BYU).

The BYU Cougars' Pro Day is scheduled for one week from today. Fred Warner was the only senior from the 2017 squad invited to the NFL Scouting Combine that took place earlier this month. He had a very impressive showing. For strategical purposes, he probably won't participate at Pro Day. For the rest of BYU's seniors with NFL aspirations, this will be their chance to show how they stack up against the competition.

Each year NFL teams draft several players who did not go to Indianapolis for the combine. However, the odds are strongly against it happening. Well over 300 players were invited to the combine, and far less than 300 players are selected by the 32 NFL franchises in their seven round draft. An impressive Pro Day goes a long way in helping a prospect beat those odds.

Who will impress NFL scouts and general managers the most at Pro Day next week? A definitive answer to that question is hard to find. Scouts and GMs don't easily or honestly divulge this kind of information. Fans, on the other hand, are happy to opine and speculate about such things. Therefore, Blue Cougar Football posed this question to site visitors and Twitter followers to find out what they thought. The official results are below.

Official Results
6% Micah Hannemann
7% Handsome Tanielu
81% Tejan Koroma
6% Other

Four-year starting center Tejan Koroma ran away with the vote. There are some good reasons for that. As noted, he has a ton of playing experience. It doesn't get a lot of attention, but offensive line is a very challenging position group. Of that group, center is the most difficult position to play. There is a lot more to it than just blocking the guy in front of you. It speaks volumes of Koroma that he came in as a freshman and immediately started.

Source: @DarnellWrites on Twitter

Koroma was named second team All-American as a senior by Pro Football Focus (PFF), which bodes well for his NFL hopes. PFF uses analytics to grade players and isn't a popularity contest like many of the other All-American lists. PFF graded Koroma as a top four center his junior season. That is the kind of player NFL teams are looking for.

Plus, he's got those arms. There is little doubt that he will put up a mind blowing number of reps on the bench.

Height is what held Koroma back from getting attention from a lot of P5 schools out of high school, and has probably pushed him down on NFL draft boards. He stands just six feet tall. He wasn't invited to any of the post season All-Star games, but with this opportunity to have important NFL personnel as a captive audience, Koroma could really stand out.

Speaking of those All-Star games, Micah Hannemann, Tuni Kanuch, and Jonah Trinnaman were invited. Due to their participation in those events and the exposure they brought, Hannemann and Kanuch probably won't impress as much at Pro Day. They are more of a "known commodity" to the NFL team representatives who will be in Provo. Hannemann, however, has always been known in BYU circles as a fantastic athlete. Perhaps, with impressive results on Pro Day, he can move the needle far enough in his favor with the teams that have been keeping an eye on him.

Trinnaman, on the other hand, was ill during the week of his All-Star game and could not participate. He has great speed and underrated athleticism. If he can exceed the expectations that the scouts and GMs have, then he might walk away from Pro Day as the big winner.

Handsome Tanielu was a hot commodity coming out of junior college two years ago. He had a four-star rating, and was ranked the third best defensive tackle and 18th best junior college prospect. He didn't have the career he or Cougar fans were hoping for at BYU, but that hasn't stopped NFL teams from drafting and turning into stars players like Tanielu. In order for that to happen, Tanielu would need to demonstrate at Pro Day he has the necessary abilities that a good coaching staff can exploit. 

Defensive lineman Kesni Tausinga, offensive lineman Keyan Norman, punter Jonny Linehan, tight end Tanner Balderee, and defensive back Kamel Greene are other potential Pro Day participants who could be the most impressive and create opportunities for themselves.

Thank you to everyone who voted. A breakdown of the votes from each polling source is below. Please vote in this week's poll: Will Tanner Mangum be healthy enough to seriously compete for the starting job in 2018?

BCF	Vote Breakdown	Twitter
4% (2)	Micah Hannemann	8% (4)
7% (4)	Handsome Tanielu	6% (3)
87% (46)	Tejan Koroma	76% (39)
2% (1)	Other	10% (5)
100% (53)	Total	100% (51)

The Editor appreciates all feedback. He can be reached via email at bluecougarfootball@gmail.com