It’s mid-March and Bowling Green State
University’s football team starts its spring practices today.However, on Tuesday the football talk was
all about five former Falcons who were put through numerous drills by National Football League scouts as
part of BGSU’s Pro Day.A total of 24 NFL teams were represented as Chris Jones, John Pettigrew, Jordon
Roussos, and Dwayne Woods along with Diyral Briggs did their best to impress them.Jones, Pettigrew,
Roussos and Pettigrew all completed their eligibility last season after four years with the
Falcons.Briggs, who played for Bowling Green from 2005-08, is hoping to get back into the NFL. Briggs
helped the Green Bay Packers win the 2011 Super Bowl.‘‘With 24 NFL scouts, it’s certainly indicative of
the caliber of the players that we have recruited,’’ BG head coach Dave Clawson said. ‘‘I give credit to
coach (Brandon) Hourigan for the job he has been doing developing the players.‘‘We would like this every
year,’’ Clawson continued. ‘‘Hopefully as well as Chris and the other guys did, this becomes an annual
stop for them.’’Jones, the Mid-American Conference defensive player of the year, was the focus of the
scouts. He had participated in the recent NFL combine, but was slowed in some of the drills with a
sprained ankle.A projected late round draft pick, Jones’ focus Tuesday was to improve his 40-yard dash
time.‘‘I was told I really helped myself in the 40. I was told I ran faster than I did at the combine,
which is what I really wanted. Plus I wanted to show them I could jump,’’ Jones said. Jones was timed at
5.0 and 5.19 in the 40.‘‘The position drills of course, were the big thing,’’ Jones said. ‘‘You can run
fast all you want, but if you can’t play football then you’re not going to make it in the NFL.’’Jones
said he was nervous Tuesday morning and was unable to eat breakfast, which is unusual.‘‘When I got the
vertical out of the way … I really started to calm down and feel comfortable,’’ Jones said. ‘‘Most of
the drills were at the combine that they did here. There were a couple of the new drills that I wasn’t
really used to that kind of got me.’’Roussos, an offensive lineman, was grateful for the opportunity to
show what he can do for the scouts.‘‘When it’s all said and done, I think it went pretty well,’’ Roussos
said. ‘‘I didn’t do as well as I would have hoped in the bench, that was my weaker area. After that it
was like it’s just time to go and have some fun.‘‘The things I was good at, I feel I did really well,’’
Roussos continued. ‘‘It was good to have them work me out a little bit to see what I’ve got.‘‘If it
doesn’t work out for me, it’s not because I didn’t do my best and I didn’t try hard enough.’’Roussos was
glad to have another opportunity to work out with his teammates and also with Briggs, who Roussos had
met when he was a senior in high school.‘‘To work out him (Briggs) and motivate each other, I feel added
a lot of the atmosphere,’’ Roussos said.Roussos has been invited to play in the SC College All Star Bowl
in Greenville, S.C. on March 23,Briggs, who also played for San Francisco and Denver, was cut by the
Packers in August 2011. He had been claimed by Green Bay off waivers from Denver in October 2010.During
Green Bay’s Super Bowl run, Briggs appeared in five regular-season contests and all four playoff games
and registered eight tackles on special teams during the regular season.After being released by Green
Bay, Briggs played in the United Football League and the Arena Football League.Briggs suffered a torn
labrum in his shoulder when he was with Kansas City of the Arena League last season.He’s recovered from
the injury and is looking for another chance.‘‘I came here to support the guys and also show my
talent,’’ Briggs said. ‘‘I feel, for the most part, that I have established I can play in the league. My
next goal is to get there and show them I am one of the best pass rushers.’’Briggs suffered a cramp in
his calf and was unable to finish all the drills.‘‘It was a good opportunity to show them I’m healthy in
my shoulder,’’ Briggs said. ‘‘I’m pretty sure we can probably look past the cramp and see that I’m
healthy … I feel I showed them a little bit of something.‘‘Hopefully somebody will give me a shot,’’
he added.