Brimmer, Claridge improve NFL draft stock at pro day

Steve Guiremand

Tuesday, March 29, 2005 | 9:06 a.m.

It wasn't exactly the best of conditions for UNLV's football players to strut their stuff at the school's NFL Pro Day on Monday morning.

A strong, blustery wind forced running events to be moved from the school's practice field into a carpeted corridor just outside the team's weight room. Players ended their 40-yard dashes running across a sidewalk into a breeze.

But despite those less-than-ideal circumstances, it turned out to be a pretty good day for All-American strong safety Jamaal Brimmer and Mountain West Conference sack leader Ryan Claridge.

With scouts from 22 NFL teams on hand to record their every move, both came away with impressive showings that likely helped raise their NFL draft stock in the end.

Brimmer, who ran a disappointing 4.82-second 40 at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis last month, rebounded to run 4.69 and 4.73 in his two 40s despite sharing tennis shoes at the last minute with offensive guard Joe Critchfield.

The former Durango High star also did 19 reps of 225 pounds in the bench, had a 34 1/2-inch vertical jump and made some marked improvement in his shuttle times.

"He did today what he needed to do," Brimmer's agent, David Dunn, said.

Dunn is president and CEO of Athletes First, which represents about 50 current NFL players including Carson Palmer, Drew Bledsoe, Ray Lewis, Ahman Green and Jake Plummer. So he knows what he's talking about when it comes to NFL draft hopefuls.

"I'm satisfied," Brimmer said. "I'm not ready to say it's the best day but I feel good about it and I just wanted to do better than I did in Indianapolis. That was my goal coming in."

Claridge, who missed UNLV's final game against San Diego State after playing most of the season with a torn labrum in his right shoulder, was timed at 4.79 and 4.80 in the 40 despite battling a strained left hamstring muscle and shin splints. He pulled up at the end of his second 40 after reinjuring the hamstring and didn't do any other running drills.

However, the 6-foot-2, 254-pounder did come back to do 25 reps in the bench press, a pretty remarkable achievement considering he had his surgically repaired arm in a sling until February.

"Just coming off surgery I was kind of behind the 8-ball," Claridge said. "But you go out there and just let it go. I just tried to tough it out. You've got that many teams here you can't say, 'Hey guys, show up tomorrow.' That's the way the game is."

Claridge had been doing 32 reps before his surgery.

"I started out lifting a broomstick," he said. "I couldn't move it for eight weeks. So to be five to seven reps away after that isn't bad."

Dunn, who also will represent Claridge, said both his clients also benefitted from just having face-to-face interviews with scouts.

"With character being such important part of this process now it was good for both of these guys to have that face-to-face contact with teams," Dunn said. "They know already that these kids can't flat out play from what they've seen on film."

One player who wasn't among the 15 players who took part was linebacker Adam Seward.

Seward was on hand to root his teammates on but only went through position drills because he really didn't have anything to gain. He wisely let his work at the NFL Combine, which included a blazing 4.56 40 and 33 reps in the bench, stand for itself.

"I worked out at the (NFL) Combine real well," Seward said. "I kind of set the standard for every inside linebacker test there, so there really wasn't no need for me to work out here. I already worked out in front of 32 owners, all the head coaches, the general managers, defensive coordinators and linebacker coaches."

Instead, Seward will concentrate on individual team workouts for teams like the Patriots and Eagles. Gil Brandt of NFL.com said the Bonanza High product "probably worked himself into a second-round pick."

The NFL Draft is April 23-24.