They might have been on hand to see what Melvin Gordon would do at the Wisconsin Badgers Pro Day Wednesday, but NFL scouts were treated to an athletic display from wide receiver Kenzel Doe, who made a strong case that he has what it takes to make an NFL roster.
Great day for @kdoe_3 at #Badgers Pro Day: 4.48 in the 40, 37" vertical, 10.5" broad jump, 22 reps on bench (225) pic.twitter.com/bPo4b5RMhL
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) March 11, 2015
The 5-8, 176-pound receiver showed off his athleticism on his way to impressive numbers in various drills: he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds, benched 225 a total of 22 times, and had jumps of 37-inches (vertical) and 10-feet, 5-inches (broad).
Jesse Temple of Fox Sports Wisconsin noted that Doe told him a couple of those numbers were personal bests.
Kenzel Doe really killed it today at pro day. Said he had his best broad jump (10-5) and vertical (37 inches) ever. Good for him. #Badgers
— Jesse Temple (@jessetemple) March 11, 2015
Doe ran well in his passing drills, and caught everything that was put near his body – as displayed by this video courtesy of Badgers 247. The three passes he failed to catch looked to be poor throws.
Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Kenzel Doe fires up his fellow receivers ahead of a 2014 game. Jim Oxley photo
In addition to his strong showing on the field, Doe spoke to media about his performance at the pro day and his do-everything attitude as he hopes to make it into the NFL.
Doe told reporters that he was inspired by the performance he saw former Badger Dezmen Southward give at his pro day a year ago. Southward, who was not invited to the NFL combine, had an excellent pro day and ended up a third round draft pick by the Atlanta Falcons.
Doe also called himself a “special teams guru,” and said he’s of the mind-set that he wants to play special teams in the NFL as he did in college – playing on all four special teams units while also starting for the offense. Doe made it clear he’s willing to be a jack-of-all-trades for any NFL team that will give him a shot
Here’s Doe talking to members of the media about his performance and his NFL prospects.
The wide receiver certainly is no stranger to special teams, as he leaves UW with close to 2,000 combined punt and kick return yards, adding a few tackles covering kicks and punts along the way.
Time will tell if Doe hears his name called in the NFL draft, but should he go undrafted, he made a strong case why he deserves a shot in an NFL training camp.