Sonya Kemp scours the Internet nightly for information about her nephew, craving any nugget that might reveal his NFL Draft stock is rising or any suggestion that a team might be interested.
"That's how I get myself ready to go to bed at night," Kemp said.
Kemp can rest easy now.
Her nephew - former Boise State left tackle Ryan Clady - aced his most important pre-draft workout Monday at Boise State's pro day, erasing any doubt about his status as a high first-round pick in April's draft.
Pro day attracted more than 50 NFL personnel from 30 teams to the Caven-Williams Sports Complex to time and test Clady and other former Boise State football players.
Clady ran his 40-yard dash in 5.18 seconds, unofficially. He showcased a vertical leap of 31 inches and a broad jump of nine feet. All three efforts would have placed him in the top 10 among lineman at the NFL Scouting Combine. The vertical was better than any offensive linemen's at the event.
I have no idea what that means in a football context - the next time an offensive lineman is asked to jump nine feet in a football game will be the first time - but Clady seemed happy.
"I didn't know I had that in me. Where did that come from? Must have been adrenaline," said Clady, showing more emotion in interviews than at any point in his standout Bronco career.
Clady, who did not do the bench press Monday, showed no ill effects from the strained pectoral muscle that knocked him out of last week's combine. During line drills, he showed the explosiveness and athleticism that brought scouts from around the country.
"Everyone, to a man, said he blew them away. He was extremely athletic, extremely quick," his agent Pat Dye Jr. said after the session. "Quick hands. Quick feet. That's what you look for in a great pass blocker and that's what they pay people in this league at his position to do."
Now that the 40s and bench presses and shuttle drills are over, Clady, who left school after his junior season, can concentrate on offensive line work.
That bodes well for him.
At a time when NFL teams are looking for reasons not to draft players, Clady - a lean 6-foot-6 and 311 pounds - didn't give them one Monday.
He handled the bull rush from Tad Miller, a question some have asked. He showed solid aggressiveness, a concern teams have expressed to Dye.
"They want to see, they want to be convinced he has the right temperament and disposition to play offensive line," Dye said. "If you're going to draft a guy as high as he's going to be drafted, they want to know he's got that in him."
The Carolina Panthers sent five officials, including head coach John Fox. And it isn't because Boise is lovely this time of year. The Chicago Bears are sending head coach Lovie Smith next week for a private workout.
Carolina picks No. 13 in the first round. Chicago selects 14th.
"Some teams are like, 'We're probably not going to be able to get you.' Teams in the 20s say that to me," Clady said.
Carolina and Chicago might be saying that soon.
The Kansas City Chiefs, who select fifth, need an offensive tackle. Their representative told Dye that Clady "did nothing but impress" Monday.
Yes, that's what agents are supposed to say. They're supposed to talk up their clients.
But the buzz in the indoor facility and the rush of NFL people to talk to Clady after his workout signified he had, indeed, impressed.
The word is out.
That he will be the highest-ever draft pick from Boise State, which has never had a first-round selection, is a foregone conclusion.
Can he be the highest-ever draft pick from Eisenhower High is a better question? Ronnie Lott was selected at No. 8 by the San Francisco 49ers in 1981.
"I've had multiple conversations with (Miami Dolphins' boss Bill) Parcells about the first pick," Dye said. "I'm not saying they're going to do it, but the fact that he's being discussed in that realm tells you how people think about him."
All of which leads to the newest dilemma for Clady. One that Sonya, who could not be missed in her No. 79 Bronco jersey at pro day, already admits is getting her nervous: How to handle the draft party?
Clady might be invited to New York for the draft, an honor typically reserved for players expected to be picked in the top 10. Will he go?
"I haven't ruled it out completely, but I kind of don't want to be a part of that whole atmosphere," Clady said. "I want to lay low and just hang out with family and friends."
It is a great problem to have.
And one that shouldn't keep anybody up at night.
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