Clemson Pro Day: Ross shows he's healthy, Turner turns on the jets

Clemson had some standouts during Pro Day Thursday.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Thu Mar 17 13:35:18 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON – The Clemson football program held its annual Pro Day Thursday, and while there weren’t any high-profile quarterbacks or a lot of NFL head coaches, there were still plenty of storylines. Those include the health of Justyn Ross, the speed of Nolan Turner, and the desire of guys like James Skalski and Darien Rencher.

All 32 NFL teams were represented, along with scouts from the CFL, the USFL, and the XFL. Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was the only NFL head coach in attendance.

Turner turned in the show stopping moment of the day, running the 40-yard dash in 4.44 seconds in both of his attempts. Mario Goodrich ran a 4.52 at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last month and turned in a 4.57 on his second attempt Thursday.

TE Braden Galloway: 4.60 (first attempt); 4.65 (second attempt)
RB Darien Rencher: 4.59 (first attempt); 4.65 (second attempt)
WR Justyn Ross: 4.56 (first attempt); 4.65 (second attempt)
LB James Skalski: 4.69 (first attempt); 4.77 (second attempt)
S Nolan Turner: 4.44 (first attempt); 4.44 (second attempt)
CB Mario Goodrich: 4.64 (first attempt); 4.57 (second attempt)
LS Jack Maddox: 5.14 (first attempt); 5.16 (second attempt)

Turner also turned in the best vertical leap of the day, jumping 37 1/2 inches.

“I was just excited to get out here, really, to get out here and perform. I've been training for this day and this moment for a while now,” Turner said. “So it was good to come out here and perform well and hit a lot of the goals and numbers I was trying to hit. Fun day. It was fun to come out here and compete and see the guys, a lot of familiar faces. Those are the consistent times I've been training with, so it was good to see them.

“I didn't feel any pressure, but I was just anxious to get out here. They are simple drills and simple times, but you want to come out and perform up to your numbers and expectations, so no pressure either.”

Ross, who was anxious to prove he's completely healthy, turned in several nice receptions.

“I feel like I went out there and showed all I can do. Just show that I am healthy and move around,” Ross said. “And play inside and outside and show them my versatility. It's (my neck) is going to be a concern, but they've (NFL teams) talked to my doctor so they know about it. I tell them I healthy and confident.”

Ross mentioned that the Steelers and Raiders have been the two teams showing the most interest and that he would love to one day play for Tomlin.

“He’s a real good dude,” Ross said of Tomlin. “I’d love to play for him.”

Skalski said he feels like he put his best foot forward, literally and figuratively, saying he was happy with his numbers.

"I was really happy with them," he said. "I thought I hit my marks and exceeded my expectations in some places. Just felt really good and felt athletic.

Easy money @_jross8 ??#WRU?? pic.twitter.com/Ui2BZv587q
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) March 17, 2022

First attempt: 4.44
Second attempt: 4.44

Nolan Turner was MOVING ??@ClemsonFB Pro Day pic.twitter.com/6FRJ0ZnR7y
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) March 17, 2022