Fisher, Bagent draw NFL scouts from 31 teams to Shepherd pro day
SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. — Joey Fisher admitted he had a bit of a chip on his shoulder after not getting invited to the NFL Scouting Combine.
On his home turf Tuesday, the 2016 Clear Spring High graduate showed the scouts what they missed during a pro day at Shepherd University.
Fisher, a 6-foot-5, 322-pound offensive lineman, was as quick and powerful as any NFL prospect in the country at his position, if not more so.
“It felt good, being out here able to display my talents after not getting an opportunity to go to the combine,” he said.
His performance in the bench press Tuesday was remarkable as he completed 40 reps of 225 pounds, with representatives from 31 of the NFL’s 32 teams in attendance.
At the NFL Combine — which was held Feb. 28-March 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis — only six players, of all positions, did more than 30 reps of 225, led by Southern Cal offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees with 38.
“I came in here and wanted to beat that and got 40,” said Fisher, who finished his Shepherd career last year as a first-team NCAA Division II All-American and Gene Upshaw Award finalist. “I could have gotten more, but around 35 my bench path went off, but I ended making a recovery and getting 40.”
Fisher also showed off his speed, running the 40-yard dash in 4.90 seconds with a 10-yard split of 1.67.
Among the offensive linemen at the NFL Combine, Georgia’s Broderick Jones had the top time in the 40 at 4.97 seconds, while Brigham Young’s Blake Freeland was tops in the 10-yard split at 1.68.
“I didn’t get invited to the combine, but it was a great little blueprint to run off,” Fisher said. “I got to see guys’ times, see the benches, their jumps, the drills, all that stuff. It kind of gave me the blueprint walking into today, and I think I did pretty well, held my own.”
The NFL Draft will be held April 27-29 in Kansas City, with round 1 on the first day, rounds 2-3 on the second day and rounds 4-7 on the third.
“Getting drafted is the goal,” Fisher said. “Some teams have said earlier rounds, maybe second day possibly. Hopefully with that bench press and me coming out here and being able to perform and show the footwork that ‘Hey, I can compete with these guys.’ Even though we’re Division II, we’ve still got some dogs out here. Hopefully that’s a big boost in my draft stock.”
A total of 12 players from six different schools participated in the pro day. Other Shepherd players included quarterback Tyson Bagent, running back Ronnie Brown, tight end Brian Walker and defensive lineman Soloman Alexander.
“I’m hoping to hear all of our names called in April,” Fisher said.
Bagent shines again at Ram Stadium
After a storybook college career, Bagent is hoping to become the first Division II quarterback to get drafted since 1999.
He won the Harlon Hill Trophy in 2021 as the best player in Division II and finished his career last year with 17,034 passing yards, a Division II record, and 159 touchdown passes, an overall NCAA record.
Bagent looked sharp Tuesday, connecting with his receivers — including Walker and Brown — on an array of patterns.
“All the guys that I had in my script showed out, made me look good on a couple throws, made them look good on a lot of throws,” he said.
“I felt good. It was a massive showing to a pro day. I don’t know if there’s ever been a pro day with this many people. My last time competing at Shepherd stadium, I felt good about it.”
The Dallas Cowboys were the only team not represented.
“My dad’s favorite team, America’s team, didn’t show out,” Bagent said jokingly. “They said they didn’t have a regional scout for this area. But you never know. The Hall of Fame receiver for the Colts with Peyton Manning — Reggie Wayne — he said he met with every single team except the Colts at the combine, and you know how that went. So there’s no telling what’s next.”
He said he’s not concerned with what the football “experts” say about his draft prospects on social media.
“I try to stay away from all the Twitter fingers,” Bagent said. “They’re the only ones who don’t know, even though they act like they’re the only ones who do know. Everything that needs to be known or needs to be said is within the football world, so that’s kind of where I put my focus. Other than that, I don’t try to pay much mind to all that stuff.”
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Fisher, Bagent draw NFL scouts from 31 teams to Shepherd pro day
