Duke football’s leading tacklers show off for NFL scouts at Blue Devils’ pro day
With scouts from all 32 NFL teams in attendance on Monday, Darius Joiner sprinted over 40 yards like his future depended upon it.
The Duke safety can make plays, particularly tackles. Last season he racked up 97 tackles to lead the Blue Devils. The season prior, while playing at Western Illinois in the Football Championship Subdivision, he led the nation with 142 tackles.
But in preparation for this spring’s NFL Draft, the 6-foot, 201-pound Joiner worked out at a Fort Myers, Florida, training center, aiming to improve his 40-yard dash time in his quest to get a shot at a professional football career.
His goal was to hit a range between 4.55 to 4.58 seconds. He clocked in, unofficially according to Duke, at 4.69 seconds.
Joiner, though, didn’t fret about what happened at Duke’s Pro Day inside the school’s Pascal Field House indoor facility.
“It’s just a relief just getting out here and just getting it over with,” Joiner said “I’ve been working at it for, what, three months now? I’m just glad that they came and I could show what I could do.”
He did hit two other goals in Monday’s testing. He posted a 36-inch vertical jump (one inch more than his goal) and leaped 10-foot, 1-inch in the broad jump, nailing his 10-foot goal.
His journey to this point covered a long and winding road. Joiner, a high school basketball and football star from Roanoke, Alabama, started his college career playing three seasons at Jacksonville (Ala.) State.
He transferred to Western Illinois to play the 2021 season before a second transfer to Duke for his final season when he helped the Blue Devils go 9-4 and win the Military Bowl.
Asked on Monday if he mentally appreciates all it took to get to his workout in front of NFL scouts, Joiner said that will have to come later.
“I don’t think I have time to reflect right now,” he said. “I’ll reflect in, like, 30-40 years on my whole career.”
Shaka Heyward, Joiner’s teammate on Duke’s defense last season, didn’t fret a 40-yard dash time either. A 6-2, 238-pound linebacker, Heyward ran a 4.53 40 last month at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. That time tied him for No. 7 among all linebackers at the combine, and Heyward didn’t run again on Monday.
But he went through some drills using a football on the field while also allowing for body measurements, which showed his 81-inch wingspan.
“It felt good,” Heyward said. “I was smooth with my training and thrilled with the drills. I shot myself some good tape out there I think.”
Second to Joiner in tackles with 94 for Duke last season, Heyward started 41 games over his four seasons with the Blue Devils after a redshirt season in 2018.
For Heyward, Monday was all about further proving that what the scouts saw at the combine is what he can do regularly.
“I got good feedback from the combine,” Heyward said, “so I just wanted to show it again, that this wasn’t a one-time thing. This is what I do.”
Seven other Duke players worked out for scouts on Monday, including long snapper Evan Deckers, offensive linemen Chance Lytle and Andre Harris, defensive back Dominique Long, cornerback Datrone Young, wide receiver Eric Gallman and running back RaShawn Allen.
Colby Cooper, a former Rolesville High School player who played college football at University of Charleston in West Virginia, also took part in the pro day workouts.
