The focus of any school’s Pro Day is often on its highest-projected players in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Scouts, media and head coaches from all across the NFL were in Baton Rouge on Wednesday for LSU football’s Pro Day, mainly to watch Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr.
Each member of the star-studded trio is a projected first-round pick, with Jayden Daniels projected at No. 2 overall in ESPN’s latest mock draft. Outside of those three, though, 10 other players worked out at Pro Day looking to impress scouts.
“That’s what pro days are for. Right?” LSU head coach Brian Kelly said of the other players improving their draft stock. “These are the opportunities to not only use the film that you have, but to back it up with the athleticism.”
Here are three of the most notable Pro Day performances outside of Daniels, Nabers and Thomas:
Maason Smith
One of the biggest questions for LSU going into this offseason was whether or not Smith would declare for the NFL Draft. He decided to forgo his additional eligibility after LSU’s bowl game and is one of the most interesting prospects in the entire draft.
Smith spent three years at LSU, but only played in two seasons, tearing his ACL during the 2022 season opener. He looked dominant in LSU fall camp prior to the season but was never able to show his progression during 2022.
Smith stood 6 feet 4 inches and weighed in at 308 pounds during official measurements and scored times of 7.68 and 4.64 in the 3-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle respectively. He also seemed to catch the attention of scouts in attendance during the drills portion of Pro Day.
Smith started 12 out of 13 games in 2023, finishing the season with 28 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. The lingering effects from his injury were still clear at the beginning of the season, but his upside is still impressive.
Mekhi Wingo
It was a mild surprise to LSU fans when Wingo decided to enter the NFL Draft after the 2023 season, but his name had been mentioned as a potential sleeper in different mock drafts.
The 6-foot, 286 pound defensive lineman didn’t participate in the 40-yard dash but had the second most reps of all LSU Pro Day participants in the bench press with 28, the third fastest 3-cone drill and the third fastest 20-yard shuttle.
Wingo is a projected fourth round pick, according to ESPN’s latest mock draft. He made 25 tackles, five tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks during the 2023 season, missing five games due to injury. Playing a full season in 2022, Wingo tallied 43 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks and one forced fumble.
Omar Speights
Speights was one of the most scrutinized LSU players during the 2023 season following his transfer from Oregon State. Despite that, he looked impressive at Pro Day, participating in all of the events.
He finished with more bench press reps than anyone else at LSU Pro Day with 30, despite only weighing 225 pounds. He also clocked a 4.62 40-yard dash time, 7.06 3-cone drill time and 4.34 20-yard shuttle time.
“Omar ran extremely well,” Kelly said after the events.
Speights started 10 games for LSU in 2023, making 70 tackles. His best college season came at Oregon State in 2021, where he tallied 89 tackles, five tackles for loss and two interceptions.
