Albert Okwuegbunam – Noteworthy
Tigers tight end Albert Okwuegbunam will be limited at the start of spring as he continues to recover from the shoulder injury he sustained in November against Florida. Odom said Okwuegbunam wouldn’t have been fully healthy to perform in this week’s NFL Combine, which was a factor in his decision to return to school. – The Kansas City Star
Emanuel Hall – Noteworthy
Emanuel Hall’s top priority at the NFL Scouting Combine: Showcasing his speed. The fleet-footed wide receiver did that just, clocking a 4.39-second 40-yard-dash in a pair of glowing gold shoes. But it was his near-record-setting broad jump that really turned heads. Hall – a Centennial High School and University of Missouri standout – launched himself an incredible 11 feet, 9 inches. The distance is tied for second best in combine history and is the best ever by a wide receiver. “This is something I have dreamed about since I was a kid,” Hall said on Friday in between team meetings. “Just to be here on this stage, it’s crazy.” The overall record in the broad jump is 12 feet, 3 inches set by Dallas Cowboys cornerback Byron Jones at the 2015 combine. Hall’s mark surpassed the wide receiver record of 11-feet-7 set by Christian Conley, a four-year pro who was drafted in the third round by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2015. – Nashville Tennessean
Kelly Bryant – Noteworthy
There are good first impressions, and then there is the Kelly Bryant Effect. The graduate transfer quarterback from Clemson has not yet had a bad day, per Odom. And it was Bryant’s stiff-arming of invitations to transfer out of Mizzou sans penalty after the recent NCAA sanctions jeopardized the Tigers’ postseason eligibility that helped set a tone for the entire team. No player, at least not yet, has accepted an invitation to see if the grass is greener elsewhere. Odom is trying not to gush, but he feels the Tigers got a very special player and leader to fill Lock’s shoes.
“His approach on the day-to-day operations of working and leading, there is not anybody that has outworked him,” Odom said about Bryant. “But also, his personality. He doesn’t have to push (others) too hard. He’s infectious, with the way he goes about his day-to-day operation. He’s a mature young man who has been in the battles. He knows and understands what the quarterback position is supposed to be like, how it’s supposed to train and lead. I’m hopeful he has a great spring, because up to this point, he has just knocked it out of the park. He’s been awesome.” – Post-Dispatch