Baylor's pro day Wednesday was, as they say, lit. Since Art Briles took over the program in 2008, Baylor has produced 20 NFL draftees, five of whom were taken in the first round.
After their performances Wednesday, wide receiver Corey Coleman and defensive tackle Andrew Billings seem poised to be the sixth and seventh first-rounders out of Baylor. Briles put his current batch of soon-to-be professionals on par with the 2012 group that included Robert Griffin III and Kendall Wright.
Coleman and Billings were the main attractions, and did nothing to lower their draft stock. On the contrary, those in attendance seemed impressed with both players. Coleman underwent surgery for a sports hernia in November and admitted he is not yet fully healthy, but still ran a 4.37 40-yard dash and was impressive in positional drills.
"I feel like I'm the best receiver in the draft," Coleman said Wednesday. "I can do pretty much everything: kick return, punt return, inside receiver and outside receiver."
Getting a firsthand look at Coleman was Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien. The Texans filled their quarterback and running back needs in free agency, and he already has a dominant defense. Coleman proved he is an explosive athlete, but he will need time to adjust from Baylor's college-style offense. With DeAndre Hopkins emerging as a superstar wide receiver, the Texans can accommodate the kind of development Coleman will need.
Also in attendance was Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, who is believed to be keying in on Billings. The defensive tackle started out as a second-to-third-round prospect, but has shot up to being projected to go late in the first. That may be due in part to his impressive NFL Draft Combine performance in which he out bench-pressed all nose tackles with 31 reps.
But as Baylor's pro day, he improved his 40-yard dash time from 5.05 seconds to 4.92 seconds. The Steelers are not hiding their interest in Billings, as Tomlin brought defensive coordinator Keith Butler, general manager Kevin Colbert and Hall of Fame defensive tackle "Mean" Joe Greene with him to Waco.
The strength of Baylor's draft class will rest on players not named Corey Coleman and Andrew Billings. Offensive guard Spencer Drango, cornerback Xavien Howard and defensive end Shawn Oakman all looked "good" in their performances and could benefit from the media attention their program is getting.
Related news: Oakman is still terrifyingly large.
One of the game's most terrifying pass rushers, pictured here with Shawn Oakman. pic.twitter.com/hfTDG7h6Uw
— David Helman (@HelmanDC) March 16, 2016
