TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- All 32 NFL teams were represented and general managers from the New York Giants and New York Jets were on hand Wednesday for Alabama's pro day inside the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility.
The majority of them were in attendance to see Alabama's big names like Amari Cooper and Landon Collins. But also trying to make an impression on the NFL representatives were former Alabama players such as tight end Brian Vogler, a former Brookstone standout.
Vogler battled through injuries that limited his snaps and production during his senior season. Vogler didn't receive an invitation to last month's NFL combine, which made having a strong pro day performance even more paramount. Vogler said the feedback from the teams he spoke with on Wednesday was positive.
"(They were) a lot more impressed than they expected to be coming out here, if that makes sense," Vogler said. "They said they make evaluations based on in season and postseason, and they said what I did sort of crushed their expectations for what they expected out of me."
Vogler said he was told he ran the 40-yard dash in the 4.7 second range.
"I don't think people were really expecting me to break five (seconds) in the 40," Vogler said. "People around here think I'm slow, they think I'm sluggish. My goal for today was to make people believe I can do something with the ball. Make people believe I have a little bit of
speed behind me and agility. I think I did well today."
Cooper and Collins could both go in the first round of the NFL draft. If one of their names is called in the first 32 selections, it'll be the seventh straight year Alabama has had a first-round selection during Nick Saban's tenure.
"It'll be a great feeling," Cooper said on the possibility of being the first wide receiver taken. "When you do something, you want to be the best. I want to be the first receiver taken. But at the same time, if I'm not it won't affect the way I go in and play."
Cooper is one of 17 former Tide players who participated in the pro day. The 2014 Biletnikoff Award winner had 124 receptions for 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior.
He's projected to go as high as fourth overall to the Oakland Raiders. Cooper's biggest competition is West Virginia's Kevin White, whom many draft analysts believe have a higher ceiling than Cooper.
Along with his talent, Tide coach Nick Saban listed Cooper being "very responsible and accountable," "positive," and a good teammate as things that set him apart.
"He's worked very hard here to improve and maximize the God-given gifts that he has," Saban said. "He's got great quickness, great speed. He's got really good size, very good hands and some running ability after the catch. And I think if you're looking at critical factors at his position, that covers about everything that's important to most people."
Collins is the Tide's other highly rated prospect. He's projected to be taken in the top 25.
As a junior, Collins led Alabama with 103 tackles to go with 4.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions and seven pass breakups.
Within Alabama's run of first round picks, the Tide has also had a defensive back taken in the first round for three straight years and four of the last five drafts.
"I don't want to let them down," Collins said of the players before him. "You gotta look at it and say there's always a standard to live up to, so I got one more to live up to."
Collins has drawn comparisons to Seattle Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor. Saban believes Collins will be a "fantastic" NFL player.
"Landon's a very, very explosive, physical, big-hitter, has got really good ball skills, can play man-to-man," Saban said. "He's very instinctive. There's not very many guys that have his size and speed and athleticism that play in the secondary. Those things can be intimidating to a lot of receivers."
While Collins and Cooper certainly stood out, some of Alabama's lesser known players also maximized the opportunity especially wide receiver DeAndrew White.
NFL Network analyst Charles Davis, who was in attendance, tweeted that White was the most "underrated" of the Tide's prospects. Saban said White is one of the more "under-appreciated" players by the NFL.
"He has a lot more ability than what his production maybe has been here, whether it's because of injuries or whatever that he's battled through," Saban said. "He's got great speed, he's got great size. He's a great special teams player, he's been a great special teams player for us. If you're not a No. 1 or 2 receiver on a team, you're going to have to play special teams.
"I think he's going to be a real value for somebody, who's going to get a guy who has great ability but probably could develop into something special."
White's 40-yard dash time likely helped his case for being drafted in the late rounds. He said he was told he ran a "4.3 something" with the range being between 4.34-4.37 seconds.
"I think I changed a lot of people's opinions about me," White said. "I think I did a great today. I did great at the Combine. All I need now is a chance."
-- Contact Anniston Star Sports Writer Marq Burnett at mburnett @Marq_Burnett.
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