Hunter Dimick highlights Utah’s 2017 Pro Day


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SALT LAKE CITY — With multiple scouts from nearly every NFL team in town, former University of Utah football players looked to put their best foot forward in an effort to show what they can offer the NFL at Utah’s Pro Day Thursday.

A total of 23 former Utah football players participated in the Pro Day in some form or another, but it was senior defensive end Hunter Dimick that stole the show. Dimick came into Pro Day with a chip on his shoulder after not receiving an invite to the NFL Combine. Dimick said he came into Pro Day looking to show off his strength and speed and to dispel any misconceptions there have been about his ability to play at the next level.

“I felt like people got the impression, for some reason, that I was slow and couldn’t change direction very well,” he said. “I felt like I did a good job today of showing that’s incorrect and that overall I’m just a good athlete.”

Dimick had an impressive showing Thursday, with the bench press drill as his best workout of the day. Dimick put up 225 pounds on the bench press 38 times, which would have been a 2017 record at the NFL Combine, beating out fellow teammate Isaac Asiata’s Combine best of 35 reps. The NFL record is 49, which was set in 2011 by Oregon State’s Stephen Paea.

“I was hoping to get 40, but I’m not going to complain about getting 38,” Dimick said. “I just want to thank Isaac and all my teammates there cheering me on. It definitely helped there at the end.”

Dimick also showed his speed and agility well, posting an unofficial 4.69 40-yard dash and performing well in his offensive line drills and 20-yard shuttle.

“I’m just happy to achieve a goal,” Dimick said. “I had a chip on my shoulder by not getting invited to the combine and I wanted to make a statement to show my strength and speed. To be able to go out and get 38 on bench and beat everybody else that did get invited, it does reconcile that a little bit.”

Most of the nine players that were invited to the NFL Combine observed much of the Pro Day activities from the sideline after strong showings earlier in the month. However, Joe Williams, who ran a Top 15 40-yard dash at the Combine, decided to run again on Pro Day. Williams posted an unofficial 4.36, which would have been a Top 5 performance at the combine had it been an official time. Williams had an official 4.41 time at the combine.

Asked why Williams wanted to run again despite a good time at the Combine, Williams responded: “Because I’m competitive and I hate not being fast. I didn’t really get the numbers I wanted at the Combine, so I decided to come out here and light it up one more time.”

Offensive lineman Garett Bolles brought the most publicity as a potential first-round pick in the upcoming draft. Many of the scouts in attendance Thursday were there to witness Bolles and how he worked through the various offensive lineman drills. Bolles, who was a top performer at the Combine in four of the five drills he tested in for offensive linemen, was hoping to do the bench press drill on Pro Day but said he didn’t want to re-aggravate a previously strained pectoral muscle earlier in the year.

“It was hard for me. I suffered a minor strain in my pec,” Bolles said. “I wanted to work, but I was limited so I just tried to focus on my teams that I’m visiting. I didn’t want to have any setbacks, so I’m going to continue to move forward and see where I fall (in the draft).”

Although Bolles has done well in the offseason and has a rising draft stock, he said that he’ll have approximately 10-15 more individual team workouts until the draft. Bolles is one of four offensive linemen that have the potential to be drafted in the upcoming draft.

“I think it speaks to what our strength program does and the evaluation process in what the recruiting department does,” offensive lineman coach Jim Harding said. “Coach (Doug) Elisaia does a great job, and we feel like he’s the best strength coach in the country. Guys come in and work hard for him. To the kids’ credit, they buy into the system we have and have learned the techniques and have put in the time of perfecting their craft. Hopefully, they all get in situations where they can be successful at the next level.”

Tim Patrick, who was hoping to have a good day, said he was disappointed with his overall performance. Patrick ran an unofficial 4.45 40-yard dash but said he was frustrated because he started cramping up by the end of Pro Day and couldn’t finish his routes, particularly his deep routes.

“I wish I wasn’t cramping so I could finish my routes,” Patrick said. “I wanted to finish my routes and show my deep ball ability. I wasn’t able to do that, so I’m a little bit pissed about that.”

The NFL Draft is still a month away, with the first round taking place Thursday, April 27, the second and third round on Friday, April 28 and the fourth-seventh rounds on Saturday, April 29.

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