Tank Tyler had just finished several different defensive lineman drills for NFL scouts and was ready to start his final drill of the N.C. State NFL Pro Day — this time in another battle against what might be his future coach.
Fresh off completing one drill that required pushing back and forth one-on-one with Kansas City Chiefs defensive line coach Tim Krumrie, Tyler had to do much of the same again and their ensuing battle stole the show.
The two tangled head-to-head in a hand-quickness drill with Krumrie furiously placing his left and right arms on Tyler as Tyler fought them off as quick as he could, pulling out of the former 12-year pro’s grips and knocking down attempts to latch onto Tyler’s arms.
After nearly five minutes at full-blast, the two had worked almost 20 yards backwards and both became visibly fatigued and worn down.
Tyler bogged down toward the end of the drill, getting slower in his reactions thanks to Krumie’s continuing and relentless attacks. Likewise, Krumrie was too exhausted to repeat the drill with the other two defensive linemen from small, local colleges.
“I get tired once in awhile,” Krumrie said. “I’m old but I’m not out of shape.”
Krumrie, a two-time Pro Bowler with the Cincinnati Bengals, is remembered by some football fans for breaking his leg in Super Bowl XXIII against San Francisco.
Krumrie went on to play six more years in the league after the injury with a steel rod in his leg — never once missing a game. He said he does this particular drill with defensive lineman to get a feel for what they’re made of.
“Everybody’s different and handles themselves different and he did a good job,”Krumrie said. “[It’s] a little character check to see how they compete in a stressful thing. There’s no written test. There’s no other test you really can do other than work a guy. And you can really tell a lot about him with the way he competes one-on-one with you.”
Krumrie is noted for his hands-on approach in his 12 years of coaching, and said there were no concerns that Tyler was worn down during the intense battle.
“They all [wear down]. They can practice for all the 40’s, they can practice for all the cone stuff, but they really can’t practice for this,”Krumrie said. “It’s another human being putting stress on you.”
In all, there were nearly 40 NFL scouts and coaches present — representing nearly every team.
Each of them recorded the 11 players’ heights and weights and how they did in events like the standing long jump, high jump and bench press, as well as the shuttle run, ‘L’ drill and 40-yard dash before competing in other positional drills.
“It’s pretty much like when you first get recruited in high school and all the scouts come,” former roverback Garland Heath said. “You’re trying to do your best and then you’re trying not to mess up. The intensity is so high because you have to work against everybody in the country.”
Kicker John Deraney, who said he is still unsure which position he will be in the next level, performed directional punting and kickoffs for scouts.
Some players, such as Tyler, did not compete in the bench press because they were satisfied with their earlier performance in the NFL combine. Tyler had 42 reps at the combine, good for tops among all participants, but wanted to show he could do other things well at the Pro Day.
“I tried to come out here and just do better in everything. Shuttle, I did pretty good and in the ‘L’ drill. The 40[-yard dash] I just wanted to come out here and run that as fast as I can,” Tyler said. “I think I made a good impression. You got to be in good shape for everything and I think I was in good shape.”
Also present from the Chiefs organization was Carl Peterson, the team’s president, CEO and general manager. The Chiefs own six picks in all, including the 23rd overall.
Times for the 40-yard dash were not released by NFL scouts, although estimates for Tyler’s are in the 5.2-5.3 range.
