Players pursue NFL dreams at Boise State’s Pro Day. Wide receiver suffers knee injury
A group of former Boise State football players took a step toward achieving their dreams of playing in the NFL during Pro Day on Tuesday.
Six former Broncos and players from College of Idaho and Idaho State worked out for scouts from 17 NFL teams and one Canadian Football League franchise at Boise State University.
Running back George Holani is probably the player most likely to extend Boise State’s streak of 14 straight years with at least one guy being picked in the NFL Draft, but he didn’t do much on Tuesday. He opted to stand on what he did at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this month.
Holani, whose total of 3,596 career rushing yards ranks No. 5 all-time at Boise State, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds and bench-pressed 225 pounds 24 times at the combine. The one thing he said he wanted to show scouts Tuesday was that he can run crisp passing routes and catch the ball out of the backfield. He can check that box after not dropping a single pass thrown by Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen.
“(I wanted to show) that I can catch, especially the deep balls,” Holani said. “It was nice to go out there, run the wheel route and get those deep throws.”
Holani wasn’t invited to the NFL Scouting Combine until late January. He earned it with an impressive performance in the annual Hula Bowl. He said Tuesday that taking the field with many of the best players in the country at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis was an experience he’ll never forget.
“It was great to meet those running backs from different schools and kind of chop it up with them,” he said.
Holani said Tuesday that he’s already met with representatives from just about every NFL team during the predraft process, including new Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. Holani said he has upcoming Zoom interviews with the Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs.
He said he’s dreamed of playing in the NFL since he started playing football when he was 8. He had to overcome plenty of injuries during his college career, including a season-ending knee injury in 2020. He was in and out of the lineup in 2021 because of injuries and missed six games after getting hurt in the season opener last year.
Holani posted two 1,000-yard seasons at Boise State, including a career-high 1,157 rushing yards in 2022. He said Tuesday that he just needs a team to give him the chance to prove what he can do.
“I’m grateful for every moment and every opportunity,” he said. “I’m going to give my everything. It’s as simple as that. I’m going to be a guy who can go out there and run, block and catch.”
Offensive lineman has a strong day
Cade Beresford wasn’t sure how well he was going to perform on the bench press Tuesday. He admitted he wasn’t feeling confident because he was inconsistent in training, a result of nagging injuries that he had cleaned up after the season.
He wound up surprising himself.
Beresford, a 6-foot-6, 302-pound native of Woodinville, Washington, put 225 pounds up 23 times, which was a personal record and led all players in attendance. He also posted a 28-inch vertical leap.
Beresford said he hoped he did enough to convince a team to take a chance on him.
“I just want any opportunity I get, whether it’s drafted, undrafted or a mini-camp (invite),” he said. “I will take full advantage of that opportunity and give everything I have on that field.”
Beresford started 27 consecutive games at right tackle for the Broncos the past two seasons, after he spent the first four years of his career at Washington State. He was named first-team All-Mountain West last season.
Beresford and Holani were joined at Pro Day by fellow offensive lineman Ethan Carde, wide receivers Billy Bowens and Stefan Cobbs, and long snapper Kolby Tryggestad.
Cobbs was coming off a season-ending knee injury he suffered last November. He said that last Thursday was the first time he ran routes since the Broncos’ loss at Fresno State on Nov. 4, 2023, and he was proud that he was able to get back on the field.
Cobbs cleared 32 inches in the vertical leap and 9 feet, 11 inches in the broad jump, and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.67 seconds.
“I felt crisp, I felt good and I think I was able to show I haven’t missed a step,” Cobbs said.
Wide receiver’s day ends in heartbreak
Billy Bowens stole the show for a while at Pro Day. He led all participants with a 39.5-inch vertical leap and an 11-foot broad jump. He also ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash.
But his day ended in devastating fashion.
Bowens crashed to the turf awkwardly while chasing down a deep pass, and stayed down while clutching his right knee. He was quickly surrounded by coaches and trainers, and he was overcome with emotion as he was carted off the field. There was no update on Bowens’ condition Tuesday.
“Billy showed out today, and everybody could see that,” said Cobbs, who noted he was shaken after seeing his longtime friend go down. “I almost teared up, and I kind of had to lock back in. We came in together and we’ve been tight since 2018.”
Bowens caught 77 passes for 1,024 yards and five touchdowns during his six-year career with the Broncos. He posted career highs in receptions (32), receiving yards (462) and receiving touchdowns (four) in 2022.
Defensive back comes home
College of Idaho’s Chip Mitchell returned to where his college career began Tuesday, and he certainly looked like he belonged.
Mitchell spent three years on the track team at Boise State and walked on to the football team in 2022, before transferring to College of Idaho for his final year of eligibility. He was mainly a special teams contributor for the Broncos, but he led the Yotes with four interceptions and finished No. 3 on the team with 66 tackles last season from the defensive secondary.
He was back at Boise State for Pro Day and posted 15 reps on the bench press, cleared 37 inches in the vertical leap and ran the 40-yard dash in less than 4.55 seconds.
Mitchell was joined by former College of Idaho and Bishop Kelly offensive lineman Garrett Rehberg, as well as wide receiver John Schofield.
Idaho State wide receiver Cyrus Wallace and running back Soujah Gasu also worked out for scouts at Boise State University.
Boise State Pro Day results
OL Cade Beresford
Height: 6-6
Weight: 302
Bench press: 23 reps
Vertical leap: 28 inches
Broad jump: 8 feet, 11 inches
40-yard dash: 5.21 seconds
Shuttle: 4.76 seconds
3-cone drill: 7.75 seconds
WR Billy Bowens
Height: 6-0
Weight: 202
Bench press: 16 reps
Vertical leap: 39.5 inches
Broad jump: 11 feet
40-yard dash: 4.46 seconds
Shuttle: 4.31 seconds
3-cone drill: 6.9 seconds
WR Stefan Cobbs
Height: 5-11
Weight: 181
Bench press: 11 reps
Vertical leap: 32 inches
Broad jump: 9 feet, 11 inches
40-yard dash: 4.67 seconds
Shuttle: 4.53 seconds
3-cone drill: 7.14 seconds
OL Ethan Carde
Height: 6-8
Weight: 310
Bench press: 9 reps
Vertical leap: 21.5 inches
Broad jump: 7 feet, 5 inches
40-yard dash: 5.61 seconds
Shuttle: 5.21 seconds
3-cone drill: 8.46 seconds
LS Kolby Tryggestad
Height: 6-0
Weight: 252
Bench press: N/A
Vertical leap: 27 inches
Broad jump: 8 feet, 4 inches
40-yard dash: 5.26 seconds
Shuttle: 5.02 seconds
3-cone drill: 8.18 seconds
