PROVO — John Beck will easily be the first BYU football player drafted into the NFL in April. But the big story of "Pro Day" on BYU's campus Wednesday was the performance of senior tackle Eddie Keele, a player robbed of his final season after suffering a major knee injury at Boston College and ACL surgery only five and a half months ago.
Wearing a brace on his right knee and weighing 305 pounds, Keele ran an impressive 5.08 time in the 40-yard dash, ran the short-sprint shuttles, added some deep snapping duties he picked up a few weeks ago and delivered 43 reps of the 225 bench press, a mark surpassing every reported figure by all college players at last month's NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Keele's final lift came amidst cheers from a weight room balcony gallery comprised of teammates and family and friends of BYU players. More than a dozen NFL scouts including two quarterback coaches from Kansas City and Cleveland as well as Baltimore offensive coordinator Rick Neuheisel, attended "Pro Day" activities.
Keele, who plays the coveted left tackle position, tied a BYU school record of 43 reps, set by 2004 Eagle fifth-round pick Scott Young at the NFL combine. "I have done 45 before at another workout facility. But each bar is different. I got to 43 and just ran out of gas," said Keele.
"I came out to show the scouts I could run and that I was strong. I did that."
Jake Kuresa, who felt he was snubbed by not getting an invite to the combine, posted an impressive 35 reps, short of his career-high 40, but the versatile tackle/guard star had lost more than 20 pounds for the workout. He ran a 5.14 time in the 40 at a weight of 322 pounds. "I'm pleased with what I did. It makes a difference being healthy. There are not games, so I'm not banged up."
Beck, who many draft experts believe will be a second- to fourth-rounder, completed an impressive 60 of 65 passes with a pair of drops by Jonny Harline and Nate Meikle and one from Daniel Coats on a low ball that hit his hands. Beck has an individual workout with the Carolina Panthers on Friday.
Harline improved his bench reps to 17 and ran a 4.61 time in the 40, both improvements on his combine marks. Curtis Brown, who was also snubbed at the combine, ran a 4.64, produced an impressive 36-inch jump, 9-foot-7 and an half inch long jump and 16 reps.
Cameron Jensen, another All-MWC performer without a combine invite, ran a 4.64 and had 26 reps.
Zac Collie posted 17 reps and ran a 4.49 time. Cornerback Justin Robinson, who weighed in at just more than 150 pounds, had only three reps at 225 pounds, but ran the 40 in 4.37 with several watches clocking him at 4.28. He led all Cougars with a 10-4 long jump and 37 1/2 vertical.
After Beck's throws, Neuheisel asked Beck to run a sprint out and pass to his right and he completed the ball. Neuheisel then asked Beck to go to his left on the run and he nailed a 40-yard strike right in the hands of Harline to the applause of a crowd settled in some outdoor bleachers.
Keele, just over five months from ACL surgery on his knee, said he expects to be given a look. "My knee is not a hundred percent right now because of the surgery, but I will be able to run and I expect my lifts will give them some idea of my overall strength and condition." Keele produced 45 reps in the 225 bench press before "Pro Day."
To put a reference point on that lift, of the 49 offensive linemen who worked out at the 2006 NFL combine in Indianapolis, the average number of lifts of 225 pounds was 25, according to NFL analyst Gil Brandt. The strongest was Virginia Tech's Will Montgomery, who had 35. At USC's "Pro Day" last April, Trojan offensive lineman Winston Justice did 38 reps. Two of the top lifts in the 2007 combine last month were Texas Tech's Manuel Ramirez and Justin Blalock of Texas at 40.
Earlier this week, while undergoing interviews with the New York Jets, John Beck bet a Jet scout $5 Keele could do 45 reps. In fact, Beck was pumping up teammates like Jonny Harline, Keele, Daniel Coats, Curtis Brown and others with such zeal, the Jets staffer reminded Beck why he was in the room.
Reviewing film, Beck bragged about other catches by Harline and then rolled the digital game film to other receptions by the senior from Orem. Beck told NFL personnel he'd been to the college all-star game and worked out with other players and his guys were just as good if not better.
"I'm taking their backs," Beck said.
Beck, who posted a 4.7 time in the forty did not run for scouts on Wednesday. "I don't have to, I've already posted my times and it wouldn't be worth it," he said. "Besides, I've been nursing a sore hamstring the past two weeks."
It would be a long shot for Beck to overtake LSU's JaMarcus Russell and Notre Dame's Brady Quinn, who have cemented themselves as the No. 1 and 2 quarterbacks most experts believe will go first in the draft. Beck has labored to get the No. 3 spot, possibly a second to fourth round pick with an outside hope to somehow convince somebody to take him in the first round. Since the combine, Beck has apparently moved ahead of Michigan State's Drew Stanton, Stanford's Trent Edwards and Jordan Palmer of UTEP.
NFL.com national editor Vic Carucci has Beck the No. 3 quarterback taken.
Part of the Jets' regime for Beck on Monday was to sit down and have 40 formations thrown at him on a board. He was then asked to recall, name and explain as many formations as he could. "I got 10 of them right off, but struggled to get a few more with some hints," said Beck. "It's a test to see how much you can absorb in a given time."
E-mail: dharmon@desnews.com