Dukes Perform for Scouts
March 19, 2009 • By Wes Shaw, The Breeze
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HARRISONBURG, Va. — Under normal circumstances, J.D. Skolnitsky would be in the middle of spring practices with the Dukes, preparing for his final year of eligibility at JMU.
But because of a misunderstanding that caused the junior defensive end to test positive for a banned substance in early December, Skolnitsky was preparing for his professional future Wednesday afternoon at Bridgeforth Stadium.
Skolnitsky was one of five Dukes participating in JMU’s Pro Day on Wednesday, just months after his career in Harrisonburg came to an abrupt end when the NCAA suspended him for the 2009 season.
“It was a stupid mistake,” Skolnitsky said.
And although Skolnitsky will no longer compete on the collegiate level, he still looks to pursue a professional career, whether it be in the NFL or in Canada.
“I have to see where I can go from here,” the Fairfax native said. “I’m just gonna keep working at in the upcoming months and we’ll see how it all turns out.”
Skolnitsky was timed in the mid 4.7’s in the 40 after repping 225 pounds 21 times on the bench.
Combine numbers are good for flash and recognition, but actually play a very small role when a scout determines if a player is capable of competing in the NFL or not.
“The bottom line is you have to be able to play football,” JMU strength and conditioning coach Jim Durning said. “The testing process that they went through today obviously plays a role in the decision making process of an NFL scout, but they have to make sure each player that they’re looking at is a good fit for thier team.”
Quarterback Rodney Landers, was unable to participate Wednesday, but hopes to be available for JMU’s next Pro Day, on March 31.
He was just cleared to return to physical activity last month and thought the times he was capable of running now would have only hurt his stock, not helped it.
Cornerback Evan McCollough and linebacker Marcus Haywood were both impressive as well, as McCullogh was timed in the mid 4.5s and recorded the best vertical jump of any participating prospect. Haywood recorded a long jump distance of 10 feet, 7 inches, one inch behind McCullough.
Contact Wes Shaw at breezesports@gmail.com
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