Jordan Pugh was still filling out a questionnaire after the crowd had disbursed from the McFerrin Athletic Center, and most of his Texas A&M teammates had begun eating lunch.
Pugh didn't mind the extra paper, smiling as he worked through it. He was a noticeable standout at the Aggies' NFL pro day workout Wednesday.
"I was pleased," Pugh said. "All of the hard work paid off. Yeah, you're a little nervous, a little anxious but at the end, I thought it was good. I think I could have run faster, but that's the competitive side of me."
As much as his performance, Pugh's upbeat demeanor shone though. Appearing anxious for the next challenge, he had the top vertical leap, 40-yard dash time and standing broad jump of the workout.
"When you train, you train specifically for the combine," Pugh said. "That's what you're being tested on. Now it will be more football-related, but as far as training, it was basically just for the combine."
His performance highlighted the efforts of 17 Aggies who worked out for pro scouts. Fourteen seniors and three A&M players from the 2008 squad took part. Punter Justin Brantly and defensive backs Arkeith Brown and Alton Dixon were the former A&M players who worked out.
Pugh was one of three defensive backs from the 2009 Aggie squad, along with Chevar Bryson and Justin McQueen. Other defenders included linebackers Matt Featherston and Anthony Lewis and defensive linemen Matt Moss.
Deep snapper Corey Gibas was in a group that included offensive linemen Kevin Matthews, Lee Grimes, Vince Williams and Michael Shumard. Tight end Jamie McCoy, wide receiver Howard Morrow and running back Ryan O'Bryant also worked out.
Pugh had the fastest 40 time at 4.48 seconds with Brown running 4.49.
Pugh's top vertical leap was 40.5 inches. Brown jumped 38.5 inches and Morrow 37.
Pugh improved on each of his broad jumps to a best of 10-5. Pugh, Brown and Morrow were the only Aggies over 10 feet.
Matthews led the bench press, lifting 225 pounds 32 times. Matt Moss had 30 reps. Pugh had 14 lifts.
"The difference from this and the preparation for football is that you don't have anybody else, just you." Pugh said. "You've got to change your whole mindset, do what you do instead of trying to get a whole group together and get chemistry and all that. It's just you, and I think that's the hardest thing, getting yourself right."
A&M head coach Mike Sherman looked on during the early portion of the workouts. Melvin Bullitt, who started for the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl, watched his former A&M teammates. Former All-Pro defensive end Jacob Green also attended.
A&M has held its pro day for NFL scouts each year since 1990. Richmond Webb was in the initial class of Aggies that competed then.
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