The Indianapolis Colts will hold a private, on-campus workout with Auburn defensive tackle Tez Doolittle on April 13, ColtPower.com has learned.
While some of Auburn's other players, including DT
Sen'Derrick Marks, have gotten most of the publicity heading up to the draft, Doolittle turned some heads at his Pro Day, running a 4.89 40-yard dash on one of his runs. That would have equaled the top times from the NFL Scouting Combine posted by Missouri's Evander Hood and Iowa's Mitch King.
Doolittle blocks a kick vs. Georgia
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Doolittle posted that time despite a hamstring injury, he said.
"I tweaked my hamstring about two weeks prior to the Pro Day," Doolittle told ColtPower.com in a recent interview. "So I was just trying to get my hamstring healthy enough to run the 40, because the scouts had me down at something like a 5.2, or 5.24."
Doolittle felt he could do better than that, and on his first run, hit the 4.89. His average on two runs was a 4.92.
Doolittle added he was disappointed in his bench press, where he put the 225-pound weight up 22 times.
"I was a little upset about that," he said. "The whole time I was training, I was putting up 30-plus, but I guess it was just the pressure."
The fact that Doolittle is even a pro prospect is something of a remarkable story. After tearing his Achilles tendon in the 2007 preseason, doctors told him his career was over.
But the 6-feet-2, 285-pounder successfully petitioned the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility, and made the most of it, working his way into the Tigers' starting lineup in 2008.
Doolittle is "a big-time sleeper," according to Scout.com NFL Draft Expert Chris Steuber. "He's an undersized defender, but plays with a good motor. He's an older prospect and a bit of an unknown. He has a great burst off the line and plays with maximum effort, but durability is a concern."
Look for more highlights from ColtPower's interview with Doolittle, where he talks about the road back from his injury, his pro prospects, and more, coming soon.
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