INDIANAPOLIS – Defensive end Cameron Heyward, son of former Falcons great Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, doesn't want to rely on the family name to make it in the NFL.
"I want to leave a legacy of my own," said Heyward, who went to Atlanta's Whitfield Academy and Peachtree Ridge High School before attending Ohio State. "I don't want to live in his shadow."
Heyward is meeting with teams at the NFL scouting combine, but is limited in drill participation because of an elbow injury.
Most teams still want to know about his father, who passed away in 2006 from a brain tumor. The elder Heyward played 11 seasons in the NFL and was known for his bruising running style. He rushed for 4,301 yards and played for the Falcons from 1994 to 1996.
"He was a great player and he's always in my heart," Heyward said. "I appreciate everything he's done. But I want to do everything on my own. I'm not asking anybody to give me a second look or anything just because my dad was Ironhead. They all know I have a big head just like him."
Heyward is rated as the 30th-best player in the draft by nfldraftscout.com. If that ranking holds, he'll be on the board when the Falcons select with the 27th pick.
"I don't know where I'm going to go, but I'm just approaching this with the best attitude," Heyward said. "If I go in the second round, it doesn't matter because it's been a great opportunity and not a lot of people say they can play in the NFL."
Mallett impressive with arm
Of the top quarterbacks, Ryan Mallett from Arkansas had the best day throwing the football. He displayed the strongest arm and was accurate in the first session.
Jake Locker of Washington also had a solid day.
North Carolina's T.J. Yates, who played for Pope High, had a strong showing and threw his deep passes with accuracy.
"This is when we really get a chance to evaluate these guys and see what they can do," Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "You never know. We have a guy we got in the fifth round last year, John Skelton ,that we are excited about. He has a good arm and did some good things for us, but he felt the pressure to be successful and win even though he was a fifth-round pick.
"It comes down to how you evaluate these players and how you think they will fit your team."
Dent willing to get bigger
Linebacker Akeem Dent from Georgia and Douglass High played in a 4-3 defense for three years of his college career before the Bulldogs converted to a 3-4 last season.
"My first three years I played outside, (strongside) linebacker, covered the tight end a little bit," said Dent, who's represented by Atlanta agent Hadley Engelhard. "The transition was kind of smooth. When we went to 3-4, I moved inside."
Dent was measured at 6-foot-1 and weighed 242 pounds.
"I could still add weight if that’s what they want, good lean muscle if I need to," Dent said.
He led Georgia in tackles with 126 last season.
Shirt keeps track
Several players, including wide receiver Titus Young, who's from Boise State and Newton High, worked out in a performance shirt named E39 and made by Under Armour.
The shirt is designed to measure precision and accuracy. It is a compression-fitted shirt with electronic touch points that track the players' biometric signals and sends them to a wireless device that transmits the data.
It measures the athletes heart rate, breathing rate and core acceleration.
Green impresses Falcons
Tight ends coach Chris Scelfo and scout Bob Kronenberg helped to work out the tight ends and were impressed with Nevada's Virgil Green.
Green, who is 6-3 and 249 pounds, dazzled with his athleticism.
He had a vertical jump of 42-1/2 inches and a broad jump of 10 feet, 10 inches, which were tops of the tight end group
The Falcons plan to re-evaluate film on Green, who was a projected third- or fourth-round pick.
Butler checks in
Cornerback Mario Butler from Georgia Tech has been working out Georgia at Training Alliance in Lawrenceville.
He and the rest of the cornerbacks will conduct their combine drills on Tuesday.
"I just want to show them that I'm fluid in everything that I do," Butler said. "I have good hips and should be able to run fast."
Etc.
Wide receiver A.J. Green from Georgia ran 4.48 and a 4.51 in the 40-yard dash. ... Wide receiver Julio Jones from Alabama ran 4.43 and a blazing 4.39. ... Tackle Gabe Carimi of Wisconsin believes he can start in the NFL as a rookie. "I know I can play right away," said Carimi, who's 6-7 and 314 pounds. "That's my best asset. I'm a draft-ready tackle."
