Former Hofstra DE/LB Deron Mayo hopes to follow brother’s footsteps to a NFL
Feb 01
The subsequent proviso of Deron Mayo’s life starts Thursday in front of strangers holding stop watches, counting dais press reps and monitoring his moves by lively tests designed to exhibit his intensity during a subsequent level. It’s his day. A large day. A day that could establish his destiny in a NFL.
Mayo, who eliminated to Old Dominion after a Hofstra football module dissolved after a 2009 season, will attend during a University of Virginia’s pro day on Thursday. The 5-11, 229-pound Mayo’s primary idea will wish to infer to NFL scouts and crew executives that there’s a place for him in a league.
Mayo, whose comparison hermit Jerod is an All-Pro linebacker for a Patriots, showed copiousness of guarantee with a team-high 6 1/2 sacks as a hybrid defensive end/linebacker during ODU. He essentially played weak-side defensive finish during Hofstra before display that he can play honest and dump into coverage as an outward linebacker for a Monarchs final season.
“People like (Denver’s) Elvis Dumervil and (Pittsburgh’s) James Harrison unequivocally give me hope,” Mayo said. “I’m 5-11. we demeanour during people like that and it gives me a lot of motivation. It’s all about training a game. we feel like we can rush a passer from a edge. It’s usually a matter of a manager or a group holding a possibility on me, that we know will compensate off.”
Don’t bonus Mayo’s pedigree, either. After all, small Oregon linebacker Casey Matthews’ pre-draft hum has been buoyed, in part, by comparison hermit Clay’s success in a league. Although Deron is smaller than Jerod (6-1, 245 pounds), a expostulate and passion to attain is identical.
“Any time we have a hermit in a league, anytime we come from a same background, a work ethic is substantially going to be a same in a same bloodlines,” pronounced Mayo, who talks to his large hermit 2-3 times a week. “The fact that Jerod and we grew adult together and did all together unequivocally helps. He’s a Pro Bowler. I’m not there yet, though I’m perplexing to get there.”
Deron’s speed and strength are impressive. He was clocked during 4.37 in a 40-yard dash. The expectancy during pro day is that he’ll have 25-30 dais press reps during 225 pounds. He should be means to carve out an evident special teams purpose as a pro while flourishing into a linebacker role.
Mayo’s mix of intelligence, majority and speed creates him an intriguing choice for teams in a breeze or as a training stay invitee. Remember, Rex Ryan took a possibility on Rutgers’ undrafted giveaway representative DE Jamaal Westerman, who has found a place on a Jets register as a linebacker and special teams writer for a past dual seasons.
“I need to uncover that we can play special teams,” pronounced Mayo, who had a span of blocked punts final year. “That’s an critical partial of a diversion that we showed during ODU. we fundamentally need to uncover my versatility. Not usually can play special teams, though we can also rush a passer since we played d-end for dual years and can dump behind in coverage. we need to uncover what other players can’t uncover in all those aspects.”
Mayo has combined weight to improved fit a pro linebacker mold. Several NFL teams have told him that they’d ideally like him to play during 230-235 pounds but sacrificing many of his speed, that is clearly his many appealing peculiarity during this theatre of his development. Scouts have also been tender by his seamless transition after a Hofstra module disbanded due to miss of funds.
“The composition unequivocally wasn’t that hard,” pronounced Mayo, who’s a Virginia native. “The coaches were always there for me. I’m a internal guy, so we knew a lot of players on a group already. That done a transition easy… The coaches approaching me as if we was partial of a module for a final dual years. we was a comparison and one of a comparison guys on a group anyway. we kind of already felt that we had a purpose once we walked on campus.”
He didn’t defect during ODU.
And he doesn’t devise on unsatisfactory tomorrow.
“Pro day,” he pronounced with a laugh. “It’s a large day.”
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