Ten former Vandals attempted to boost their chances to reach the next level at the Palouse Pro Day on Wednesday. Hayden Hatten, Ricardo Chavez and Tre Thomas highlighted the three different areas of the game for Idaho.
According to the Lewiston Tribune, there were scouts from 22 of the 32 NFL teams in the Kibbie Dome. A scout from the British Columbia Lions, a Canadian Football League team, also attended.
Of those 23 scouts, one really stuck out: the Arizona Cardinals. Their scout spent a lot of time talking with Hayden Hatten, who hails from Scottsdale, Arizona. They seemed to have built a connection, and Hatten mentioned he’ll be taking part in a scouting event hosted by the team to look at talent from the state.
Hatten also spoke with the other 22 scouts in attendance.
“It’s a funny situation with these guys because it’s like you have 32 of the hottest girls walking around,” Hatten said. “They’re like, ‘oh hey, what’s up,’ and you’re just waiting for one of them to pick you up. I’ll take anyone, I don’t care who it is.”
Outside of Hatten, nine other Vandals did the best they could to try and boost their stock. It’s unlikely that they pushed themselves into the draft, but they put their names into the conversation. Two of those players were Tylen Coleman and Ben Bertram.
Coleman boasted 32 reps on bench press, which would have been the best at his position in the NFL Combine. He also ran a 4.76 40-yard dash.
“I absolutely think that the performance today increased my draft stock,” Coleman said. “I did the best I could, and I’m hoping for the best.”
Bertram was the only other Vandal to break 20 on the bench with 26 reps. He also measured a 32-inch vertical.
“I think Ty and I both, for how much we weigh, did pretty good on a number of events,” Bertram said. “We’re both players that have unique play styles, like incredibly aggressive and almost unconventional, so I think that might be why we both flew under the radar quite a bit.”
Hatten continued to show off his athleticism while also proving to scouts that he can get both feet down on sideline catches. He also attempted a couple of trick-play passes to redshirt sophomore quarterback Jack Layne.
Jermaine Jackson, who spent a lot of time alongside Hatten over the last few years, also showed off his leaping ability while also catching a few low passes.
After Hatten and Jermaine, TJ Ivy showed off his capabilities as a receiving tight end. While he didn’t have many opportunities to catch passes in college, he proved that he can get up for high balls and get both feet down on sideline passes.
On special teams, both Ricardo Chavez and Hogan Hatten looked good on the field. While there aren’t any official numbers for how well Chavez punted, some hangtimes were clocked between four and five seconds. Hatten also looked good snapping the ball and got up for a 36-inch vertical.
“Coach Heim (UI’s head strength and conditioning coach) has a really good program, clearly, and he’s prepared a lot of us in a great way,” Hogan Hatten said. “Preparing to jump that high, it really comes down to explosive work and the things that Coach Heim was willing to put me through.”
Overall, most of the athletes did a good job of boosting their stock. While Hayden Hatten’s 4.63 40-yard dash time probably didn’t help, his vertical jump and catches on the field did. His numbers from the past two seasons aren’t something scouts can look past.
James can be reached at [email protected]