University of North Carolina Athletics
Hakeem Nicks NFL Combine Diary
February 19, 2009 | Football
Feb. 19, 2009
The NFL Combine begins Thursday, Feb. 19 in Indianapolis, Ind., and the Tar Heels have five players at this year's event, including wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, tight end Richard Quinn, wide receiver Brandon Tate, wide receiver Brooks Foster and offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds. Over the next few days, those players along with 318 other NFL hopefuls will be subjected to a number of drills, tests and interviews as NFL teams try to determine their 2009 draft picks. Nicks, who ended his Carolina career with a 217-yard, three-touchdown performance against West Virginia, will provide TarHeelBlue.com with an exclusive behind-the-scenes diary of his experiences in Indianapolis.
Monday morning, Feb. 23, 2009
Sorry I wasn't able to update the diary yesterday, but it was another busy day and as soon as I was finished with everything at the stadium, I packed up and headed to the airport to return to Chapel Hill. I ran a 4.49 and was pleased with that time. I feel like that's right about what I thought I would run. I also had a vertical leap of 36 inches. I still think I can get to 37.
Unfortunately, I strained my right hamstring while running my third route of the day during the football workout. It wasn't too bad, but I thought it would be better to stop the workout than to risk a more serious injury. The NFL people actually encouraged me to stop.
I appreciate all the fan support and enjoyed giving everyone a behind the scenes glimpse of the NFL Combine. Go Heels!
Saturday evening, Feb. 21, 2009
It's about 10 p.m. and I'm finally going to bed. I need to get a good night's rest to be ready for tomorrow's workouts. Tomorrow we'll be running the 40 and going through all the other tests, including the broad jump, vertical jump, shuttle drill and L-cone drill. The most important thing we'll do is a series of wide receiver drills - running routes and catching balls. After all, that's what is most important on the next level.
As for today, I took the Wonderlic test at 7:30 a.m. Honestly, I thought it was easier than I expected. Of course, I've always heard the Vince Young story, so I was a little concerned. They give you 12 minutes to take the test and I made it through about 30 questions. I took two more tests, one for the Pittsburgh Steelers and one for the NFL. Again, these tests measure your patience as much as anything.
There was a segment this morning devoted to the bench press, but I'm going to do my bench at Carolina's Pro Day on March 17. A lot of guys chose not to do the bench press and that didn't go over well with the strength and conditioning guy conducting the workout. He berated us, raised his voice and actually intimidated some of the guys into doing the workout. I think the point was to see which guys would get intimidated and do the workout. Not me. I'm waiting.
After lunch, I met with nearly every wide receiver position coach in the league. We met in the ballroom of the hotel and I just went from table to table as they came and got me. It was kind of funny to see them fight over me. There was a lot of back and forth between the coaches of different teams saying "I was here first. I've got next" and things like that. I guess they only have a set amount of time and want to talk to as many people as possible.
One common theme that continues to come up in the meetings and interviews is the behind-the-back catch vs. West Virginia. Everyone wants me to describe how I did it.
Tonight, I continued to meet with different teams. Typically, the meetings consist of the head coach, general manager and several other front office personnel and scouts. Depending on the team, you could have as many as 10-11 people in the meeting. They put you in the hot seat and start asking you questions. Some teams asked me to diagram plays or run a film session. They want to see how much you remember and know about certain plays.
Among the coaches I met today were Bill Belichik and Andy Reid, who said I would look good with some wings on my helmet. There has been a lot of interest from a number of teams. Obviously, I don't know who will select me, but I've had a lot of discussions with the Giants, Texans and Lions, just to name a few.
Well, I better go get some sleep. Wish me luck tomorrow in the drills.
Friday evening, Feb. 20, 2009
Hello sports fans. Thanks again for reading my diary. They keep us busy here. There is not much down time. Before I forget, I wanted to mention that I had a good discussion last night with San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary. He's a cool guy. Some of you have asked where I want to play. I know this is what everyone says, but I really don't care. I just want to play in the NFL and prove myself. Someone else asked about pro stadiums I've played in. I played in Raymond-James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Bucs, in 2007 and I ended my career at Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers, in the bowl game. Both were great stadiums and first-class facilities.
Today they had us up at 5 a.m. for a drug test. We had some occasional 6 a.m. workouts at Carolina, but this was early. After that was over, they took us to the stadium for the physical and the weigh-in. You probably have heard about his over the years, but let me set the scene. On the floor of the stadium are approximately 500 or so NFL personnel watching as players come into the stadium and onto a stage. On the stage is a scale. Wearing nothing but shorts - no shirt, no socks - you step on the scale and a guy yells out your weight. They also measure your height, weight, arm length and hands. I weighed in at 212, which is what I expected, and was measured at 6-1. My hands were 10 1/2 inches from thumb to pinky. The guy measuring my hand said something about how big they were.
After that was over, we had a media session where I stood on a mini-stage behind a podium and answered questions from about 15-20 reporters. Most of them wanted to know how I thought I stacked up with Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Macklin. I'm not worried about them, I'm just concentrating on my performance.
This afternoon, I took two psychological tests. They were long, about 200 questions, and they included a little bit of everything you can imagine, including some analogies, math, problem solving, etc. I think they basically want to know how patient you are while taking the test.
This evening, I have about 3 1/2 hours worth of interviews with various teams. I was told that each team is allowed 60 interviews, and because I'm a junior and didn't go to the Senior Bowl or any of the other post-season all-star games, teams want to get to know more about me.
One interesting thing happened today when I left the hotel. A group of fans chased me down. I didn't know what they were doing at first. They just came running after me. They claimed to be Carolina fans and I signed a few autographs, but I had to keep moving.
Saturday morning we take the Wonderlic test. Since we work out on Sunday, they are going to make sure we get a little more rest tomorrow. I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Thursday evening, Feb. 19, 2008
Arrived today in Indianapolis and was taken to the the Crowne Plaza where all the players are staying. We weren't here long before they escorted us to the local hospital where we discussed every injury we've ever had with doctors - even a sprained pinky I had a long time ago and an ankle sprain that kept me out of the USF game as a freshman. They went over x-rays and all kinds of charts. I was there about 3 1/2 hours, but mostly we were just hanging out in the waiting area. I knew I didn't have anything to worry about and the doctors confirmed that today. I'm ready to go.
Later we had an orientation session with guest speakers from the NFL. Officials in charge of the daily events spoke to us, including a former Cleveland Browns player and Ozzie Newsome, the GM and Executive VP of the Baltimore Ravens. They told us what group we were in. I'm in group 5 if you're watching the combine on NFL.com this weekend. I'm in the same group with B-Tate, which should be fun.
Speaking of Tate, I ate dinner tonight with him, Rich (Quinn) and Brooks (Foster). It was good to see them. While we were eating a Panthers' scout came by and sat with us for a little while. I also had a chance to catch up with my former teammate at Independence High School, Mohammed Massaquoi, who played at Georgia. He was a year ahead of me in high school, but since I came out early, we're in the same draft class.
Thanks for the questions (see above) and I wish I could answer more, but there is little down time. Someone asked if we bring our own gear to the combine. Good question. I'll be wearing my own shoes, but everything else is provided by Under Armour and will have our name and number on it. I brought my own gloves too, but I heard we might be getting some of those as well. That's fine with me, but they better have size 4X. Another person asked about finishing my Carolina degree. I'm going to come back to Chapel Hill Monday and meet with the academic staff to see what classes I still need to take. I'm definitely going to get my degree.
Well, I've had two interviews so far tonight, one with the Vikings and another with the Titans. I'm not sure who is next, but I've got one more before we call it a night. We have a 5 am wake up call tomorrow. Thanks for reading.
Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009
Hello Tar Heel fans. Thanks again for supporting me during my three years in Chapel Hill. It was a blast and although it was a tough decision to leave, I feel like I'm ready for the next challenge in my life. Over the next few days, I'll be at the NFL Combine, working out for all 32 teams, answering questions from general managers and the media and showcasing my skills.
Since leaving Chapel Hill after the bowl game, I've been training at Velocity Sports Performance in Naples, Fla. I worked out nearly every day. I've been concentrating on all the drills I'll be asked to perform at the combine, including the 40-yard dash, the shuttle drill, L-cone drill and various other speed drills. Of course, I also worked on my footballs skills as well, catching balls and running routes.
The 40-yard dash always receives a lot of attention, especially for skill position players, so that's been a lot of my focus. My goal is to run a speed in the low 4.4's. I think it's possible. At Carolina, I was timed at 4.5, so I'm hoping to shave a tenth of a second off.
I also recently competed in the ESPN All-Star skills competition where I finished second to Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell. I had a good time and I think I proved myself even more.
My main goals at the combine this week are to run well, have success on the field in all football drills, stay humble and perform well in my interviews. It will be a good experience.
Thursday is check-in day and I'll have to go through a series of medical checkups. I plan on catching up with the other Tar Heels who are here. I know Richard Quinn arrived Wednesday evening. We might try to grab some dinner and just relax in preparation for Friday's Wonderlic test. Right now, I'm scheduled to run on Sunday.
Thanks again for all the support and I'll check back in later. Go Heels!
