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WKU hosts 23 NFL scouts for Pro Day showcase

WKU defensive tackle Brodric Martin details his Pro Day performance.
WKU defensive tackle Brodric Martin details his Pro Day performance.

Western Kentucky hosted an action-packed Pro Day showcase at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium on Wednesday morning as scouts from 23 NFL franchises were in attendance to check out the Hilltoppers.

In addition to the NFL representation, former WKU quarterback Bailey Zappe stopped by to check in with his old college team.

The Hilltoppers showed off the jets to kick things off on the field, followed by different positional drills.

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Western Kentucky continued to show off their talent in defensive drills as the Hilltoppers' defensive talent worked to outperform each other.

Western Kentucky closed things out with some offensive drills as quarterback Caden Veltkamp shocased his arm strength with several deep bullets to the Hilltoppers' receiving talent, consisting of receivers Daewood Davis and Jaylen Hall.

WKU head coach Tyson Helton, defensive end Juwuan Jones, defensive lineman Brodric Martin, defensive lineman Darius Shipp, linebacker Will Ignont and defensive back Kahlef Hailassie sat down with InsideHilltopperSports.com after positional drills to detail their thoughts entering the 2023 NFL Draft.

Shipp, who was a huge weapon on Western Kentucky's defense last season, said that he's been working hard this offseason, dropping baby weight, working on his agility and focusing on stretching.

"Personally, I just had to drop some baby weight, had some things I had to get rid of. I've been working on my agility and make sure I can focus on a lot of stretching."
— Darius Shipp

Martin, another crucial piece to the Hilltoppers' defense last year, said he's been training for three months and said all that hard work showed on the field.

The former Hilltopper said that he's had an assortment on NFL franchises express interest in him since announcing his intentions to play professionally.

"I've been hit up by a couple of NFL teams. The Eagles, the Chargers, the Steelers, the Raiders, the Giants, the Jets, the Titans, the Dolphins, the Vikings. So, it's been going good."
— Brodric Martin

Jones, who has been a huge piece of the Hilltoppers' defense for several seasons, said that he feels good after showing off his skill. Jones said that while the entire process has been a bit stressful, there has also been a lot of joy. He added that he's been working for this since he was a kid.

"I'm feeling good. This is the biggest interview of my life so far. It's been a lot of stress but it's also been a lot of joy. I've been working for this since I was six, seven years old."
— Juwuan Jones

Hailassie said that it felt good to be back out on the field today after three months of training. He said it felt good to be able to show off what he's been working on and getting it overwith.

Hailassie said a few aspects of his game he felt was going to be attractive to NFL scouts was his overall versatility, his positional knowledge and his ability to play anywhere on the field.

"It feels good being out here today, just training three months. We've been out here for about 30 minutes, so the total of training and just coming out here and getting it up, getting it done, getting it overwith, it feels good."
— Kahlef Hailassie

Ignont, another notable performer under WKU defensive coordinator Tyson Summers last season, said he felt like he was making the most of his reps, showing off his movement and explosiveness.

"I feel like I did really good. I feel like I was able to showcase my abilities as far as my movement. I feel like I showed explosiveness coming off a knee injury in 2021. So overall, I felt like I had a really good day."
— Will Ignont

Helton said that he was very pleased with what he saw on the field as he's very excited for all his players and their future careers. He added that their was great NFL representation.

"I thought our guys did a great job. I'm very excited for them and their futures. It was a beautiful day, great conditions for that. And NFL teams, a lot of teams represented today. So, it was a good day overall."
— Tyson Helton

Western Kentucky will return to Houchens-Smith Stadium to continue their spring practice schedule on Thursday.

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