SDSU Pro Day: Underdogs show out hoping to land on NFL radars

Cornerback Jordan Brown, quarterback Taryn Christion, running back Pierre Strong and tight end Tucker Kraft are others ...

Mar. 27—BROOKINGS — South Dakota State football has hosted some pretty big Pro Days in recent years. When Dallas Goedert established himself as one of the top tight ends in all of college football in 2017, every NFL team sent scouts to the SJAC to watch him test and perform.

Cornerback Jordan Brown, quarterback Taryn Christion, running back Pierre Strong and tight end Tucker Kraft are others who came later and had scouts' full attention as they tried to improve their draft stock on their home turf. Friday's Pro Day for the 2025 class of Jackrabbits was not so star-studded. Of the 11 Jacks who competed, none are likely to get drafted.

The best prospect in attendance Friday may have been former SDSU running back Angel Johnson, the Viborg-Hurley standout who played at Washington State last year. But while SDSU has produced several stars in recent years who heard their names called on draft day, they've also seen a handful of others go unpicked in the draft only to get an invite to an NFL training camp and work their way onto the roster the hard way. If anyone in attendance Friday is going to get to the league, that's likely going to be their path, and Pro Day was the first step.