The National Scouting Combine held a free agent workout at Paradise Coast Sports Complex in Naples, Florida just over a week ago, the same week of their draft-eligible showcase. Twenty-seven unsigned players took part in testing and drills over the course of two days in front of representatives from several professional leagues. I attended the on-field workout on Friday, which consisted of nearly 90 minutes of positional drills and seven-on-seven work. Among those on hand to both scout and help with coaching:
-Gary Compton, AF1 Director of Football Operations
-J.R. Wells, Head Coach, Washington Wolfpack (AF1)
-Darren Arbet, Head Coach/GM, Nashville Kats (AF1)
-QB Tyler Kulka, Nashville Kats
-Damian Daniels, Head Coach, Columbus Lions (American Arena League)
In addition, Todd Washington helped out most of the week with the offensive linemen. At the end of the week, I was able to report that Washington had been hired as offensive line coach of the St. Louis Battlehawks. Grant Miglicco, a Defensive & Video Assistant with the D.C. Defenders, was also on hand to assist with coaching and testing.
Most of the free agents were from the FCS, DII and DIII levels of college football and many had graduated as recently as 2024. There were no pads or helmets for the Friday drills and seven-on-seven work included receivers being able to motion toward the line of scrimmage, a staple of arena league rules. Some of my observations from the morning:
*There were three quarterbacks throwing on the day: Philip Cutler, a lefty out of McGill in Canada; Darius Holly from St. Andrews; and Andrew McBride out of McNeese State. McBride attended the NSC in 2024 and signed with the Wheeling Miners of the AAL, so he wasn’t officially a tryout at this showcase. Holly was small at 5’9″ but made a few nice throws.
*Two receivers kept coming up in my notes: Corahn Alleyne from DII Clarion University, and Cameron Ricardo-Shankle from Tyler Junior College. When working on throws into the end zone, Richardo-Shankle earned a shoutout from Coach Wells, “nice toe-tap!” to get his feet in-bounds. Later, he beat a DB deep but just couldn’t come down with the catch. He redeemed himself by showing strong hands to make a contested grab on the sidelines. The 6’2″ Ricardo-Shankle managed to successfully box out 5’6″ DB Dominique Grable in one-on-ones.
Alleyne made a great inside move to shake a defensive back at the line of scrimmage. In seven-on-sevens, he snagged a deep ball and then finished off the workout by grabbing a pass on his shoestrings that was tipped by DB Shay White, taking it in for the TD. There was an overseas liaison in attendance, looking to help players get into football leagues outside the United States. Alleyne spoke to him after the workout. In terms of college production, the receiver group was probably the best of the FA bunch.
*WR Kody Edwards (Incarnate Word) left a DB in the dust at the line of scrimmage on one play, then in seven-on-sevens went up high to get a deep pass. A prolific receiver in college, Edwards had 140 catches for over 2,300 yards and 14 touchdowns.
*Holly’s best pass during seven-on-sevens may have been to RB Antwan Shipp out of the backfield. Shipp is from Capital University.
*At least one player from the tryout also attended a UFL Showcase this past year: RB Carl Greene from UMass-Dartmouth, who was at the Phoenix Showcase.
*I didn’t get to see much of the pass rushers since they were excluded from seven-on-seven drills. DE Matthew McClellan out of Missouri State, one of the few FBS participants, looked the part.
*As good a day that Alleyne had, he couldn’t separate from Stetson’s CB R.J. Williams in one his reps. A good-looking athlete, Williams was also one of the top testers among the free agent group.
*Despite the lack of pads, some defenders still came with physicality, including Wagner DB Coby Calvin, who was visibly pumped after one of his reps in which he jammed the receiver at the line.