McCarthy impresses scouts at Fordham's pro day

Tom McCarthy, the captain of the 2010 Yale football team, opened the eyes of some NFL scouts at Fordham University on Tuesday.

McCarthy, who bulked up to 265 pounds since graduating from Yale in December, had strong showings in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump and broad jump as scouts from 16 NFL teams were in attendance.

As a point of reference, if McCarthy had performed the same at the NFL combine, his 40 time of 4.72 seconds would rank 10th among the 25 defensive ends and 13th among the 25 linebackers. His 35-inch vertical would have placed him sixth among defensive ends and eighth among linebackers while his 10-2 broad jump would be third among defensive ends and fourth among linebackers. His results are extremely similar to Mississippi State's K.J. Wright and Michigan State's Greg Jones, a pair of linebackers who are rated among the top 75 draft prospects in some databases. McCarthy also benched 225 pounds 19 times, had a time of 4.48 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle and did the 3-cone drill in 7.27 seconds.

"I think I was happy with my body weight," McCarthy said. "I played at 248 or 250 (at Yale) so to put on 15 pounds in those two or three months and still have good times and do well in the running and jumping, it was a really good sign."

Much like the Yale pro day last year, the number of participants made it challenging for the scouts to focus on all the prospects. However, as the scouts cut the list from the initial group of 31 to about 15 and then to about 8 or 10, McCarthy was impressive enough to be asked to work out until the very end.

"I got the sense that a lot of the scouts were pretty impressed," McCarthy said. "I think the scouts were looking at the tight end at Fordham (Stephen Skelton) but by the end of the day, I'd say I had some good conversations with the scouts. I don't know the number but there were several. I went through the defensive line drills. They had me in different linebacking drills because I don't really have the bulk to play as a defensive end in the 3-4 so in the 3-4 they project me as an outside linebacker. That was really the first time doing any drills from the standup position. I had a lot of fun with it. I just like fooling around and showing off my athleticism. I think it went pretty well, especially for a first timer reading, reacting, getting to the quarterback."

Speaking of the Yale pro day, it will be on Mar. 24 and unlike last year when players from throughout the East showed up, it appears as it will be limited to Yale players. McCarthy said that fullback/h-back Shane Bannon, tight end Chris Blohm, defensive back Adam Money and linebacker Sean Williams are planning to work out for the scouts.

"It's a chaotic process, everything is up in the air and dependent on workouts and the numbers that I put up," said McCarthy, who had 31 tackles and four sacks in seven games as a senior at Yale. "It is really a play it by ear situation and I have to take it day by day right now.

"I am kind of at a loss for words. My senior year, I never would have expected this. It is a very exciting process. A few years ago, if somebody told me I was going to be in this position, I would have told them they were crazy. I am enjoying the process, working hard towards my goal of playing in the NFL."