The NFL Combine begins today in Indianapolis. The Emerald has asked two of Oregon’s seven participants, Enoka Lucas and Jordan Kent, to chronicle their preparations for the rigors of the NFL Combine, which prepares the country’s top collegiate football players for the NFL Draft in April and gives scouts and coaches an opportunity to evaluate the top prospects.
In this piece, Lucas and Kent describe the intense training and daily grind of pre-combine workouts, exposing a piece of their lives for the last two months.
Next week in the second part of this series, Lucas and Kent will share their experiences and insider commentary regarding the conclusion of the Combine.
Jordan Kent
Currently, I am training in Carson, Calif. with Athlete’s Performance. I am with about 25 other guys training for the combine and their pro days.
Some names you may recognize are Isaiah Stanback, (QB Washington) Jeff Rowe (QB Nevada) and Manny Ramirez (OG Texas Tech). Manny, as a matter of fact, is my roommate. We have the same agent.
We have really focused our training on combine preparation right now, so a lot of the lifting is designed to improve explosiveness and mimic the testing we do such as the bench press and vertical jump. We work out at 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. four days out of the week, rehab the other days, and catch footballs daily.
It is frustrating being hurt, still knowing I won’t be able to workout at the combine, but injuries are part of the game, and I know I will bounce back.
The guys also work on all of the running tests, which are filmed and then analyzed once a week. At times during the week we also meet with a sports psychologist, media personnel to train us for interviews, and nutritionists. We are on specific diets and are given shakes after every workout to fit our weight gain/loss needs.
I am confident going into the combine. Obviously not being able to do the testing is difficult, but it shouldn’t ruin anything. I am excited for the interview process and the chance to meet some of the coaches, scouts, and coordinators for the various teams. Probably the best part of this experience so far is developing the camaraderie with the other guys. We are all trying to do the same thing – pursue a dream. We all hang out a lot on the weekends and swap stories about our seasons, as well as exchange gear.
I’ll be coming home the first weekend in March, and then returning again in mid-March for Oregon’s pro day. During that time I’ll decide if I’ll continue training in Eugene or L.A. My rehab is on pace, and I am still hopeful for a chance to run and jump a week or two before the draft and be completely cleared by the beginning of May. The whole process has been quite the experience, but there is still much work to do for me.
– J.K.
Enoka Lucas
I’m in Nor Cal, training in the beautiful city of Pleasanton. It’s right near Oakland. It’s a pretty nice town with hundreds of restaurants available. Ikaika Alama-Francis from the University of Hawaii is out here working with me. He’s a pretty funny guy. It’s just the two of us.
The training is pretty intense, though. Each morning leading up to the combines, I get up around 7:15 a.m. and have to report to BodyMax at 8 a.m. Nate is a trainer over here who trains us. In the morning is when I get my running done. Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings I’ll jump on the treadmill and Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, I’ll do Plyos, which are footwork drills.
All two exercises are blowups in the morning. This treadmill can go up to 30 m.p.h. and Incline at 40. Talk about a blowup. After an intense run I’ll do broad jumps, which they hook up giant rubber bands to our quads and ankles. After Plyos they hook up the bands and I’ll practice my get off, which makes us use our legs more.
I’ll grab a bite to eat, and I have to come back at one.
In the afternoon, we’ll lift. Monday, Wednesday and Friday is upper body and Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday is lower body. My main focus is the bench (press) because that’s what will be tested on when we go to the combines and of course there are other drills.
I also have two coaches (one for me and one for Ikaika) come in to help improve my game. We go over film and go over Combine drills and the interviewing process. It’s usually in the late afternoon by the time I get back to the hotel, and I’m pretty beat up.
I sure miss Oregon. The thing I miss the most is my usos (Samoan greeting, meaning brother) at the 669 (keep training). I get to see my uso (Matt Toeaina, former Oregon defensive lineman), he’s training up the road from me.
– E.L.