For a few hours, it was just like old times.
Ricardo Louis and Melvin Ray were running routes in the Auburn practice facility like they’ve done hundreds of times, and just like they were before that night in October, the two seniors were joined by fellow senior receiver Duke Williams.
Nearly five months after he was dismissed from the team following an altercation at a bar after Auburn’s win over San Jose State on Oct. 3, Williams joined a handful of NFL Draft-bound Tigers at Auburn’s Pro Day on Monday, flanked by dozens of professional scouts and NFL coaches he hopes will take a chance on him.
Coach Gus Malzahn invited Williams to Pro Day, despite the unceremonious manner in which Williams departed.
“I just decided to give him a chance for his future to show what he can do in front of the scouts, and I made that call last week,” Malzahn said. “He’s out here, and we wish him the best.”
Williams, along with eight other former Tigers, participated in the NFL Draft Combine in Indianapolis in February, but he didn’t do himself any favors.
He was clocked at a 4.72 40-yard dash, tied for second-slowest among all receivers. His three-cone drill time of 4.73 placed him last among his position, he had the lowest vertical jump of any receivers, and he placed 28th out of 40 receivers in the broad jump.
On Monday, it was more of the same.
He shaved .02 seconds off of his 40 time, down to 4.70, but he either performed about the same at every other drill or did worse.
Although his on-field performance remained largely unchanged, his off-the-field demeanor impressed his former teammates.
“He hungry,” Louis said. “He’s remorseful for everything that’s happen. He just wants to be on the team and produce and just play. That’s what he loves at the end of the day. Anybody could just be like, 'I don’t want to play no more.' All the things he been through in his life? He still going. He still pushing. People don’t know that, but today I seen it in his eyes: I’m ready to get it. It was same thing at Combine.”
“I’m proud of him, man,” Ray said. “Duke’s been my brother ever since he left. You know, we talk all the time. He gave me a lot of encouraging words today. Just him being here and still working for his dream, I know he’s going to be good for somebody.”
Williams will have to hope his renewed determination will minimize the looming shadow his off-the-field incidents — the dismissal in October, his suspension from the Outback Bowl in January 2015, and the spat at practice with a coach that prompted a six-day suspension in August — cast.
Because if it doesn’t, Williams will be right back to where he was for the past five months.
He’ll be waiting, wondering what went wrong.
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