Scouts and coaches showed up in Tallahassee on Tuesday to see Florida State safety Derwin James work out. He unexpectedly decided not to.
James did nothing other than the three-cone drill and the shuttle runs. James, the top safety in the draft, said he acted on the advice of his agent, David Mulugheta.
“It kind of shocked me because I wanted to do it and was 100 percent healthy,” James said, via the Associated Press. “I was kind of mad but he told me what was best. I hired him for a reason and I trust him.”
James suggested that he’ll engage in a private workout, but as to the open nature of the Pro Day setting, “I’ve proved everything I can prove.”
More top players need to be willing to slam the door on dog-and-pony workouts that entail a very real risk of injury. Last year, former Washington cornerback Sidney Jones tore an Achilles tendon during his Pro Day work out, and he plummeted out of the first round. The problem as to James comes from the fact that teams sent scouts and coaches with the anticipation that James would be working out. If James wasn’t going to work out, some wouldn’t have shown up.
