ATHENS -- Justin Houston attempted to silence his critics Tuesday at Georgia's Pro Day.
The defensive end/linebacker prospect wanted to show the crowd of 48 NFL scouts and executives that he's a high-energy player.
"After every drill, I sprinted an extra five yards to show them my motor," Houston said.
His electric workout did turn some heads as six more teams set up personal workouts with his agent.
Most people in attendance were there to see Houston and wide receiver A.J. Green, a projected top-10 pick in the NFL draft, which is set for April 28-30.
Houston ran the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds, which was an improvement from the 4.68 he ran at the NFL scouting combine.
Houston, who's set to meet with the Falcons later this week, is considered a linebacker by some teams and a defensive end by others.
"I came out here and showed the coaches that I was an athlete," Houston said. "I felt like I did good on my [pass coverage] drops, too."
There was some controversy around Green's drills because his quarterback, Justin Roper, who played at Buford High before playing at Oregon and Montana, was not considered from the Athens area. The NFL scouts had to leave the workout, although some watched it via the Internet on ESPN3.
"There wasn't anybody who could throw to him legally in front of the NFL this year," said agent Tom Condon, who represents Green. "There just isn't anybody that fits within the parameters of the NFL rules. That is happening all over the country. We had our quarterback Blaine Gabbert throw, and he had to throw to an assistant coach. Everybody is in the same boat."
Green continued with his drills even though scouts had to vacate the premises.
"I'm not one of those guys that gets all hyped up over little stuff like that," Green said. "When it comes down to it, I'm going to control what I can control and that's catching the ball and running the route."
He dropped one pass that was down low, near his ankles.
There was a collective gasp from the crowd when he tripped over a plastic trash can that was tied to a rope.
"I caught myself, and I had my gloves on," Green said. "I didn't see the rope until the last minute."
Carolina, which holds the No. 1 pick in the draft, was represented by general manager Marty Hurney.
The Cincinnati Bengals, who hold the fourth pick in the draft, were represented by wide receivers coach James Urban and offensive coordinator Jay Gruden.
Before the combine, Green worked out in Arizona with Gabbert, the top quarterback prospect in the draft. He recently returned to Athens and hooked up with Roper, who was working out with former Georgia wide receiver Kris Durham.
Green doesn't believe that the scouts being required to leave will hurt his draft status.
"I did everything at the combine, so this really didn't matter," Green said. "This was kind of like gravy.
Teams also were impressed with linebacker Akeem Dent and with Durham.
"I got a chance to show some of the coaches that I could move around and that I'm agile," said Dent, a Douglass High graduate who led the Bulldogs with 126 tackles last season.
Dent had only two private workouts before the Pro Day. Six more teams, including the Falcons, have set up private workouts with him. Dent is set to meet Falcons linebackers coach Glenn Pires on April 14.
Durham ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds, had a 35-inch vertical jump and 10-foot-1 broad jump. He also bench pressed 225 pounds 17 times.
"Kris can catch everything, and I like the way he runs routes," Green said.
Thirty of the 32 NFL teams sent representatives, as did the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. Minnesota and San Diego were the only NFL teams that did not attend.
Director of player personnel Les Snead, director of college scouting David Palmer and assistant area scout Anthony Robinson were in attendance for the Falcons.
About the Author
