Chick Ludwig covers the Cincinnati Bengals. He also writes about his other passions: college football, basketball and golf.Home > Blogs > Chick Ludwig At Large > Archives > 2008 > March > 11 > Entry
Hoyng’s Pro Day at BG: ‘I felt like I belonged’
The coolest part of Kevin Hoyng’s Pro Day workout on Tuesday, March 11, at Bowling Green State University?
He got to throw the football.
Yep. Right in front of scouts from the Indianapolis Colts, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns.
Hoyng, the former University of Dayton quarterback who is attempting to make an NFL team as a free safety, did everything he was asked, and more.
“They had a tight end there and I told them I could throw the ball to him,” Hoyng said. “They said, ‘All right.’ They knew I played quarterback, too.
“I hadn’t thrown it around in a while, so that was kind of different. But it felt good. It’s always good to get back out there and throw the football again.”
Awake at dawn at the Days Inn in Bowling Green, Hoyng beat his agent, Ron Todd, to the continental breakfast bar.
Then the duo headed over to campus, arriving at 7 a.m. A half hour later, the fun began.
Unfortunately, Hoyng’s father, Tim; Coldwater High School videographer Mike Spriggs; and Todd got turned away at the door. The workout was closed to everyone except NFL personnel and Bowling Green’s coaches.
Hoyng was measured at 6 feet, 194 pounds. He filled out a questionnaire and took the Wonderlic intelligence test. He got tested in the vertical leap, broad jump and bench press in the weight room. Then it was off to the field house for the 40-yard dash, three-cone drill, 20- and 60-yard shuttles and other position-specific drills.
Hoyng believes he had a solid workout, but the opinions of the NFL scouts are the only ones that matter, and they’re as secretive as the CIA and FBI.
“I felt like I belonged,” Hoyng said. “I thought it went well and that I did good in my drills. But you don’t really know. They don’t tell you anything. One of the players from Bowling Green told me, ‘You look smooth out there,’ but I didn’t know what to make of it.
“It’s just different. You work hard to get to this point and impress scouts, and you don’t even know what your 40-yard times were. It can be frustrating, but you can’t get too worried about it. I did my best. That’s all you can ask for. If (NFL scouts) like you, then they like you. If they don’t, then at least you gave it a shot.”
Todd came away impressed with the demeanor and professionalism of his client.
“You can tell Kevin’s in good shape because he was not winded,” Todd said. “Some guys came out of there tired. Kevin wasn’t. He’s in good spirits.
“The one thing I told Kevin was, ‘You will never know what the NFL scouts are thinking. They don’t tell you anything. They don’t say anything to you. You don’t know what to expect.
“We’ve just got to get ready for the next work out, which is Friday (March 14) for the Bengals.”
email cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com
