UCLA Pro Day: Jayon Brown, Eddie Vanderdoes, Takkarist McKinley

Linebacker Jayon Brown talks about UCLA’s Pro Day and improving on his 40-yard dash.

Defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes talks about dropping nearly 40 pounds since last summer, his health and his path to the NFL.

Defensive end Takkarist McKinley talks about his recent shoulder surgery, watching Pro Day from the sideline and getting ready for the NFL Draft.

McKinley, Vanderdoes, Brown workout at NFL Combine

Although defensive end Takkarist McKinley came up short of his promised 4.4-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, the former Bruin still was one of the star sprinters for his position on Sunday.

McKinley officially clocked in at 4.59 seconds for his 40, which placed him third among defensive linemen during Sunday’s on-field workouts in Indianapolis.

He participated in workouts despite an injured shoulder, which will require shoulder Monday. He told reporters Saturday that he played through the injury for two years at UCLA. Even with the injury, he got 24 bench press reps.

Despite testing well, McKinley faltered on some drills, making mistakes while at times guessing which direction to go.

Watch: McKinley’s combine workout

Defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes and linebacker Jayon Brown also participated in on-field workouts Sunday. Here are the full results from each former Bruins’ tests: Continue reading “McKinley, Vanderdoes, Brown workout at NFL Combine” »

UCLA at the NFL combine

UCLA has five players participating in this week’s NFL combine, which starts Tuesday and ends March 6. Linebacker Jayon Brown, defensive linemen Eddie Vanderdoes and Takkarist McKinley, offensive lineman Conor McDermott and defensive back Fabian Moreau will go through the biggest job interviews of their football careers so far in Indianapolis.

The group of former Bruins, along with more than 300 other prospects, will go through formal interviews with teams as well as on-field workouts prior to April’s NFL draft.

Combine links:

You can watch their workouts on NFL Network on the following days, starting at 9 a.m. ET each day:

  • March 3: McDermott
  • March 5: Brown, Vanderdoes, McKinley
  • March 6: Moreau

UCLA football links: Latest mock drafts

Defensive end Takkarist McKinley celebrates UCLA’s 38-20 win over USC on Saturday night. (Keith Birmingham/Staff)

With the end of the NFL season officially over, teams are turning their attention to April’s NFL draft.

Defensive end Takkarist McKinley is the most popular first-round pick for the Bruins as he’s projected as a late first-rounder by CBS Sports (No. 30 to the Steelers), Sports Illustrated (No. 29, Packers) and NFL.com (No. 31, Falcons). ESPN’s Todd McShay has McKinley at No. 23 to the Giants, while Rotoworld has the defensive end slotted at No. 16 to the Ravens.

In Sports Illustrated’s three-round mock draft, McKinley is the only UCLA prospect listed, however, cornerback Fabian Moreau gets the Cowboys’ draft pick at No. 60 in Walter Football mock draft with Conor McDermott going at No. 105 overall to the Bengals.

Moreau drew rave reviews after the Shrine Game last month and that helped boost his stock. He jumped into NFL.com’s list of top 50 prospects, checking in at No. 47, following McKinley at No. 23.

UCLA football links: McKinley in several NFL mock drafts

Senior Takkarist McKinley is getting ready to finish his UCLA career with a homecoming to the Bay Area. (Photo by Thomas R. Cordova, Press-Telegram/ Daily Breeze/SCNG)

Takkarist McKinley (98) became a first-round NFL draft prospect with an impressive senior season during which he led the Bruins in sacks and tackles for loss. (Photo by Thomas R. Cordova, Press-Telegram/ Daily Breeze/SCNG)

With three months left until the NFL draft, several mock drafts are still high on UCLA defensive end Takkarist McKinley.

McKinley had 10 sacks and 18 tackles for loss during his breakout senior season for the Bruins and is a first-round pick mock drafts from USA Today’s Draft Wire (28th overall, Dallas) and CBS Sports (29th, Pittsburgh). NFL.com lists McKinley as the No. 22 prospect in the 2017 draft. The Draft Wire also had UCLA offensive tackle Conor McDermott going in the third round (90th overall) to Seattle.

McKinley, known for his speed and his outgoing personality, also promised that he would run a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine.