Gilliam and Other Seniors Showcase Skills at Personal Pro Days
3/31/2020 12:36:00 PM | Football, Les Johns
"It was great to see some good numbers. I did every drill and had it timed. I feel good about what I put on tape.” - Nate Gilliam
By Les Johns
Wake Forest Football Pro Day was scheduled to take place last Thursday, March 26 in McCreary Field House. That event gives Demon Deacon departing seniors, and standout players from other schools in the region, a chance to showcase their talents in front of NFL scouts from across the country.
A season ago, all but one NFL franchise was represented at the event.
This year's was canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic, which left Wake Forest players scrambling for ways to stand out to scouts before the 2020 NFL Draft, which is slated to take place April 23-25.
"Once pro day got canceled, we thought about what comes next," offensive lineman Nate Gilliam said. "I couldn't let all this training go to waste."
Gilliam, along with teammate Jake Benzinger, decided to train in Atlanta the last few weeks with Chip Smith, the head trainer of Chip Smith's Performance System.
"He checked so many boxes off," Gilliam said about Smith. "I almost went to Tampa to train with Justin (Strnad). I ended up going to Atlanta, and I'm just so happy I met Chip. He's done this for about 30 years. He brings a lot of authenticity to what we put together."
With Wake Forest Pro Day out of the picture, Smith designed a recorded pro day-like event for the 10 players training with him. The videos of the workouts will be sent to NFL scouts along with the appropriate times and measurements.
"We wanted to get videos of me and the other guys who have been training with Chip the last 8-10 weeks," Gilliam said. "It felt like a real pro day, but without all the scouts there. We had 10 guys competing. He ran it all and timed everything."
Gilliam put together the best 40 time of his life, hitting a 5.22.
"I put up some good times," he said. "I felt really good leaving that place. It was the fastest 40 I've run in my life. It was great to see some good numbers.
"I did every drill and had it timed. I feel good about what I put on tape."
The improvement on the 40-yard dash came about through the focus put on the event in the last few weeks, Gilliam said.
"The 40 is all about how you start, and I'd been a slow starter," he said. "If you spend a lot of time training on one thing, you can improve. Hard work works. I enjoyed that.
"Just the fact that we're getting stuff out there of me for them to see is a huge help with what's going on with COVID-19."
Gilliam ran a 7.53 L Drill and a 4.6 shuttle.
"That was my audition," Gilliam said. "I've seen people get drafted off a good pro day. I believe my film speaks for itself, but you can really turn some heads at a pro day. When that got taken away from me, I tried not to panic. I had conversations with my agent, and we put this together. I'm just thankful for that. I'm happy to have something concrete to help my prospects."
His agent turned him onto Smith and Gilliam said the group of them have been grinding hard the last couple of months.
"I feel confident," he said. "I got some position work in and filmed that as well. I feel that when teams see how I move and how powerful I am, they will realize they have something special here."
After the modified pro day in Atlanta, Gilliam returned home to Knoxville.
"This social distancing stuff is new to me," he said. "I love being around people. I'm back in Knoxville at home, and I'm trying to be careful around my family now too. We all have to be healthy. It's been weird, but I'm trying to adapt to it."
He'd hoped to be back in Winston-Salem last week to visit with friends and teammates leading up to Pro Day.
Gilliam is confident offensive line coach Nick Tabacca will find the right guys to continue moving the unit forward even after the graduation of himself, Justin Herron and Benzinger.
"At Wake Forest, I believe we've created a great culture with the offensive linemen," Gilliam said. "There's no animosity, even when you're competing for a spot against another guy. It's just a special group and always will be. I'll always feel like I'm a part of the Beef Boys."
Wake Forest Football Pro Day was scheduled to take place last Thursday, March 26 in McCreary Field House. That event gives Demon Deacon departing seniors, and standout players from other schools in the region, a chance to showcase their talents in front of NFL scouts from across the country.
A season ago, all but one NFL franchise was represented at the event.
This year's was canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic, which left Wake Forest players scrambling for ways to stand out to scouts before the 2020 NFL Draft, which is slated to take place April 23-25.
"Once pro day got canceled, we thought about what comes next," offensive lineman Nate Gilliam said. "I couldn't let all this training go to waste."
Gilliam, along with teammate Jake Benzinger, decided to train in Atlanta the last few weeks with Chip Smith, the head trainer of Chip Smith's Performance System.
"He checked so many boxes off," Gilliam said about Smith. "I almost went to Tampa to train with Justin (Strnad). I ended up going to Atlanta, and I'm just so happy I met Chip. He's done this for about 30 years. He brings a lot of authenticity to what we put together."
With Wake Forest Pro Day out of the picture, Smith designed a recorded pro day-like event for the 10 players training with him. The videos of the workouts will be sent to NFL scouts along with the appropriate times and measurements.
"We wanted to get videos of me and the other guys who have been training with Chip the last 8-10 weeks," Gilliam said. "It felt like a real pro day, but without all the scouts there. We had 10 guys competing. He ran it all and timed everything."
Gilliam put together the best 40 time of his life, hitting a 5.22.
"I put up some good times," he said. "I felt really good leaving that place. It was the fastest 40 I've run in my life. It was great to see some good numbers.
"I did every drill and had it timed. I feel good about what I put on tape."
The improvement on the 40-yard dash came about through the focus put on the event in the last few weeks, Gilliam said.
"The 40 is all about how you start, and I'd been a slow starter," he said. "If you spend a lot of time training on one thing, you can improve. Hard work works. I enjoyed that.
"Just the fact that we're getting stuff out there of me for them to see is a huge help with what's going on with COVID-19."
Gilliam ran a 7.53 L Drill and a 4.6 shuttle.
"That was my audition," Gilliam said. "I've seen people get drafted off a good pro day. I believe my film speaks for itself, but you can really turn some heads at a pro day. When that got taken away from me, I tried not to panic. I had conversations with my agent, and we put this together. I'm just thankful for that. I'm happy to have something concrete to help my prospects."
His agent turned him onto Smith and Gilliam said the group of them have been grinding hard the last couple of months.
"I feel confident," he said. "I got some position work in and filmed that as well. I feel that when teams see how I move and how powerful I am, they will realize they have something special here."
After the modified pro day in Atlanta, Gilliam returned home to Knoxville.
"This social distancing stuff is new to me," he said. "I love being around people. I'm back in Knoxville at home, and I'm trying to be careful around my family now too. We all have to be healthy. It's been weird, but I'm trying to adapt to it."
He'd hoped to be back in Winston-Salem last week to visit with friends and teammates leading up to Pro Day.
Gilliam is confident offensive line coach Nick Tabacca will find the right guys to continue moving the unit forward even after the graduation of himself, Justin Herron and Benzinger.
"At Wake Forest, I believe we've created a great culture with the offensive linemen," Gilliam said. "There's no animosity, even when you're competing for a spot against another guy. It's just a special group and always will be. I'll always feel like I'm a part of the Beef Boys."
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