Dior Mathis and Tony Washington said they were shocked. It was likely the exact elicited response from every member of the 2014 Oregon football team.
The reason: On Feb. 6 when the NFL announced the full list of players invited to the Scouting Combine, defensive back Erick Dargan, Oregon’s leading tackler (95) and team-voted Most Valuable Player on defense, wasn’t on it.
Among the 22 safeties invited to the event, Dargan, who led the Pac-12 in interceptions with seven, seemed to slip past NFL teams’ radar.
Seven former Oregon players received their bids and performed in Indianapolis from Feb. 17 to Feb. 23. The same seven returned to the Moshofsky Center in Eugene on Thursday for Oregon’s Pro Day. This time, Dargan joined them.
Listed at 5-foot-11, 217 pounds, the Pittsburgh, California native performed in virtually every drill. He recorded 17 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, while also posting a 4.74 in the 40-yard dash.
“For me, I’m happy with it,” Dargan, who graded himself with a “B” for the day, said. “I could’ve ran a lot better, but other than that I felt like I did pretty good.”
Currently projected to be drafted in the sixth-round by CBS Sports, Dargan, thanks in large part to the draw that his former teammate Marcus Mariota brings with him, performed in font of every NFL team Thursday.
His measurables do not stack up with the top defensive back prospects in this year’s class and his natural athleticism appears to be a weakness.
“(He) lacks the make-up speed to recover after a receiver gains a step, struggling to flip his hips and transition to hold up in tight man coverage,” Dane Brugler of nfldraftscout.com writes on his player profile. 
But it was obvious from the way Dargan spoke after his day was finished that his contributions on the field on Saturdays should carry more weight.
“I feel like I’m one of the best safeties out there,” Dargan, who also received second-team Pac-12 honors in 2014, said. “My film speaks for itself and just knowing myself I don’t think anyone can attack the ball better than me.”
Now, his plan is to continue the same regimen he’s kept up since Oregon last played. He’ll continue working out and hopes to compete when the opportunity presents itself.
“I know he’ going to get  a shot,” Washington, who recorded 20 reps in the bench press and 7.2 in the three-cone drill, said. “That dude can play football.”
Follow Justin Wise on Twitter @JustinFWise