Former Oregon State CB James Dockery checked in with me Wednesday from Arizona. He’s preparing for Sunday’s inaugural Eastham College All-Star Game in Sun Devil Stadium.
Dockery is joined by teammate OT Wilder McAndrews in the game. They have been training together in Arizona with WR Aaron Nichols and S Suaesi Tuimaunei. Those two are not in the game.
The game is similar to East-West Shrine Game that C Alex Linnenkohl is in and the Senior Bowl DT Stephen Paea is in. It’s an opportunity for NFL scouts, coaches and GMs to watch players work out and play up close.
“We just finished Day 1, and it’s a difference feel,” Dockery said Wednesday. “We have a representative from every team out here. Once we got that realization out of the way it was a good experience.”
Dockery felt a little rusty since he hasn’t played since the Dec. 4 Civil War game. He said there was a mixture of good and bad plays at practice.
“It wasn’t my best out there, but it will get better,” he said.
Dockery hopes to make an impression with the scouts to be a late-round draft pick or a free agent. He’s considered the No. 38th best CB in draft by NFL Draft Countdown.
He has been in Arizona since after the holidays training. The 6-foot-1, 181-pounder hopes to bulk up and improve his 4.55-second 40. He hasn’t been invited to the NFL combine, so he’s aiming at OSU’s Pro Day in mid-March.
“I’m working on all that,” Dockery said. “I’m not a finished product. I’ll be back for Pro Day as a different player.”
McAndrews is being looked at because of his potential. He’s not highly rated because of limited playing time in college. His 6-4, 286-pound athletic frame interests scouts.
He was hampered with long-term hand injuries at OSU. If he’s healed, fast enough and strong enough an NFL team may take chance on him as a free agent.
Nichols and Tuimaunei are free agent candidates, too. Nichols has sure hands and Tuimaunei is a hard hitter on special teams.
4 comments
Rob Senders says:
Jan 19, 2011
it is so ridiculous, i am not sure if you are kidding or not. but the beat writer the Oregon State football team from the hometown paper isn’t going to the recruiting dinner because it cost $90?
I’ll chip in $20, if 4 more want to chip in $20, we can send you–be worth that just to read your blog about the event if you go….4 more people need to say they will kick in $20 by posting a comment to that effect
sdbeav says:
Jan 19, 2011
Think your comment is on the wrong blog post … that said, I would have kicked in $20 but I just saw who the host of the event is. I couldn’t do that to Cliff, forcing him to sit through an evening with Petros Papadakis is just cruel.
OSU4Life says:
Jan 19, 2011
Cliff, tell your boss that your readers want you to be at the recruiting dinner reporting inside information to the outside world! $90.00 is all? Tell your boss Paul Buker will be there, and you are in there for sure!
maffu72 says:
Jan 19, 2011
Petros is the host?
That is a recipe for disaster (not to mention baklava).