By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics

Pro Day at William & Mary has been an annual event since at least the 1990s. But never before has there been as much interest as on this spring-like afternoon in March.

Thirty-seven scouts from 29 NFL teams (and one from the CFL) were in Zable Stadium Friday with nine Tribe prospects present for evaluations. It was the largest turnout the program has ever seen, and it was clear who the big draw was.

"I knew Chuck was going to bring them out," athlete Hollis Mathis said.

Chuck is Charles Grant, who started the final 36 games of his career at left tackle. He is generally expected to be selected in the first three rounds of next months' NFL Draft. CBSSports.com has the Philadelphia Eagles taking him with the final pick of the first round.

Eight more W&M athletes were present for evaluation: wide receiver Matthew Akuchie, defensive backs Marcus Barnes and Jaedon Joyner, linebacker/long snapper Jonathan Hammond, linebacker Quinn Osborne, linebacker/defensive back Alex Washington, running back Bronson Yoder and Mathis.

"Obviously Charles was a big draw," Tribe coach Mike London said. "But all the guys had the chance to show their skillsets. It's been pretty productive and we got a lot of positive comments from the scouts.

"We want to make this a yearly thing where there are guys who decided to stay, like Charles Grant, get his degree and bring scouts here. It was a great day for us."

The day started in the Jimmye Laycock Football Center with measurements and moved on to bench presses. Then it was out the door to Zable, where drills included vertical jump, broad jump, 40-yard dash and position-specific work.

Grant said he met with four NFL teams Friday. On the field, he showed his ability to play guard as well as tackle. He even took some snaps for one team.

"Today went well," he said. "I went out there and gave it my all, and that's all I can really do. I can't be anything but happy if I gave it my best."

The New York Giants, Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers sent their offensive line coaches to Williamsburg to get a close look at Grant.

Mathis, who came in as a quarterback and went out a receiver, led the Tribe with 52 catches for 602 yards last season. He became the second player in college football history to have at least 1,000 yards in rushing, passing and receiving.

"I'm going in as a receiver, but I'm one of those Swiss Army knives," he said. "Being able to play so many different positions has allowed me to see the game at a different pace and from a different perspective. Whatever any team needs me to do, I have experience doing it."

Washington started at outside linebacker as a senior but, listed at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds on last fall's roster, also is getting a look at safety.

"A big component of my game, they said, is my versatility and my special teams effort. That's something I try to show in all the drills, the extra effort I'm willing to do. I'm just ready to contribute to any team that wants me."

Yoder rushed for 3,375 yards and 35 touchdowns in his career, both fourth on the program's all-time list. He admits there were some nerves being evaluated by so many professional teams.

"My coach in high school always said, 'If you ain't nervous, it means you don't care,'" he said. "I thought I did well. I was given one rep for a lot of things, but you have to make the most out of it.

"I had some conversations about long snapper and returner. I'll do whatever they want. I'm a 'yes coach' kind of guy."

London was clearly proud to see so much interest in his players. He was also proud to say that each Tribe prospect on the field Friday has graduated, some with multiple degrees.

"That's big with some teams that have guys who have finished school," he said. "Nowadays, guys just want to get ready for football and Pro Day and not graduate, and the odds of going back and getting their degree lessens as time goes on. These guys have done that and now they have this opportunity."