Three Miami University RedHawk football players – redshirt senior defensive back Michael Dowell, redshirt senior wide receiver Miles Marshall and senior defensive back Yahysn McKee – worked out for NFL scouts on Miami’s annual Pro Day on March 21.
Pro Day enables athletes entering the NFL Draft to show their talents for scouts. In the past, players who perform well on Pro Day go on to be drafted, such as former RedHawk offensive tackle Tommy Doyle, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2021 draft by the Buffalo Bills.
The RedHawks are coming off a historic 2023-24 season that saw them win the Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship and make an appearance in the Cure Bowl.
McKee had interceptions in both the MAC championship and the Cure Bowl. On the season, he had four, including a game-winning interception to win the Battle for the Victory Bell against the University of Cincinnati Bearcats, as well as 58 tackles and 11 breakups.
Pro Day was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for McKee, who said that his performance on the day and in the last season proves his talent.
“It was like I’m a little kid again and it’s Christmas,” McKee said. “I was up at 2:30 in the morning just trying to fall asleep. I ended up falling asleep but woke up, and I was anxious to get out here. Not like nervous-anxious, but anxious like I’m ready to go. I’m about to perform and possibly change my life.”
Marshall feels that his collegiate stats, which include a game-winning catch in 2022 to send the RedHawks to the Bahamas Bowl, should be an attraction for the NFL
In preparation for the day, the players started working out at the beginning of the year. Marshall practiced the drills that they would do back home in Atlanta, and he said that he put on a good show for everyone.
Marshall also said that his collegiate stats, which include a game-winning catch in 2022 to send the RedHawks to the Bahamas Bowl, should be an attraction for the NFL.
“[Miami] helped me a lot,” Marshall said. “We had a great season last year. We won a championship. At the next level, they want people who’ve won before, and I think winning the championship is important to have on your resume.”
Dowell’s 24 bench press reps would have been the most by a safety at the NFL Combine
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A highlight for the day was Dowell’s 24 bench press reps. It would have been the most by a safety at the NFL Combine. Malik Mustapha from Wake Forest College led the Combine for safeties with 22 reps.
Dowel, whose brother, Andrew, is currently on the New Orleans Saints’ roster, reiterated McKee’s opinion about the night before the day.
“It was almost like Christmas for an adult,” Dowell said. “As a football player, you prepare kind of your whole life for this opportunity. You prepared your whole college football career for this opportunity, so [you] just try to come out here and do the best you can.”
In addition to coaches and scouts, other Miami players attended Pro Day to support the three prospects.
“When you’re an underclassmen, you get to see a lot of your upperclassmen come out here and do this day,” Dowell said. “That’s just a good opportunity to see them out here.”
From here, the players wait for teams to offer opportunities to train and workout with them. McKee received offers from the Atlanta Falcons and the Cincinnati Bengals to workout with them, and Marshall has offers for workouts before the draft on April 25.
The Pro Day isn’t the last step into the NFL. Going forward, the players will have to continue showing their talents at private workouts for various teams. With the draft just one month away, anything can happen.
“Our next step is just keep training,” Dowell said. “[Whether] I go undrafted or drafted, [the goal] is just to try to get into a camp. I’m just trying to do the best I can.”
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