For 13 Texas A&M football players, years of hard work and dedication came to a head on Thursday with an opportunity to participate in Texas A&M’s NFL Pro Day.
In front of 80 representatives from all 32 NFL teams, the standouts got their shot at impressing professional scouts, coaches and general managers.
Among those in attendance were Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris, Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer, Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst and Texans general manager Nick Caserio.
Participating for the Aggies were senior wide receiver Jabre Barber, graduate tight end Shane Calhoun, senior linebacker Solomon DeShields, graduate defensive back Jaydon Hill, graduate defensive lineman Rodas Johnson, senior DB Trey Jones III, senior DB BJ Mayes, graduate WR Moose Muhammad III, junior defensive end Nic Scourton, junior DE Shemar Stewart, senior DL Shemar Turner, senior WR Jahdae Walker and senior TE Tre Watson.
Scourton was the star of the show. The Bryan native looked leaner as he went through positional drills, and showed impressive power while being down 20-25 pounds since the end of the regular season.
“I don’t think it was purposeful,” Scourton said. “I think it was living the right way, eating the right things, getting the right amount of sleep. Obviously I’m a young guy, so my body’s just, you know, filling into what it’s supposed to be.”
Scourton opted out of the athletic testing drills such as the 40-yard dash, broad jump and bench press, but participated in positional drills.
“I mean, that’s what I do,” Scourton said. “Those are drills that translate to the football field, and I’m a competitor… I mean people focus on the wrong things. Focusing on fucking 40-yard dashes for D-linemen, I just don’t think that’s important.”
Turner, who also only participated in positional drills, impressed scouts with his power.
After showing out at the 2025 NFL Draft Combine, junior DL Shemar Stewart opted out of participating in the Pro Day drills, but was there in support of his teammates. The Miami native tweaked his hamstring during the 40-yard dash at the Combine, something he said played a part in his decision to sit this one out.
Coming off his 1.5-sack season, there were questions about where Stewart would end up going in the draft.
“I don’t think you can just look at sack numbers,” coach Mike Elko said. “Just picking up a piece of paper and looking at production, I don’t know if that tells the whole story. I know the NFL sees that.”
Out of those who tested, Calhoun, DeShields and Walker helped their stock the most.
Calhoun, who saw action in each game this season, led the Aggies in three categories on Thursday. He logged a 39-inch vertical jump, an 11-foot broad jump and a 4.43-second 40-yard dash. DeShields recorded 17 reps on the bench press, a 37-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-9-inch broad jump.
For Walker, who looked like he was going to miss an NFL roster come July, his workout made his case. Walker showcased his twitchy quickness with his 4.13-second 20-yard shuttle and 6.70-second L-cone drill. Seven teams spoke with him after, he said.
While he stood out on the offensive side of the ball, Walker also showed his skill on special teams in 2024 with a blocked punt against Texas.
“When we went in there to introduce ourselves, I said, ‘My name is Jahdae Walker. I play wide receiver and special teams,’” Walker said. “They all kind of chuckled.”
The players will learn the fate of their football futures during the 2025 NFL Draft, held in Green Bay, Wisconsin on April 24-26. Anticipating being a first-round pick, Stewart and his family will be in attendance on the 24th. The draft will be aired on ESPN, NFL Network and ABC.
