Former UNC football players try to wow scouts on Pro Day

A.J. Blue remembers skipping class for it.

Or, as he calls it, getting a free pass.

Because as Pro Day approached each year, the tailback couldn’t wait to take a spot on the Navy Field sidelines as his teammates tried to impress scouts before the NFL Draft. For four years, Blue watched and waited. But on Tuesday, he and other former North Carolina players were the ones under the watchful eyes of family, friends, media and 51 scouts.

“I’ve really got to experience it quite a bit. But to actually do it, it was another thing,” Blue said. “This whole week my stomach has been crazy.”

For all 12 players on UNC’s 2013 roster that partook in Pro Day activities, what hasn’t come to them yet is a concrete idea of where they’ll be drafted.

“I’ve heard everything from third to fifth,” said safety Tre Boston . “Nobody knows.”

Then there’s Eric Ebron. Regarded as the top tight end in this year’s draft class, Ebron was woken up one morning to a phone call to attend the draft in New York — an honor that the best of the best receive. Though there’s little doubt he’ll be a first-round selection, Ebron has no clue what team he’ll join. One thing he does know is the routine he’ll break out when his name is called.

“Jump up out the chair. Fix my tie,” Ebron said while playing with an imaginary tie. “And walk to that stage. And put on my hat. That’s the first thing I’ma do. Ain’t no crying, ain’t no nothing.”

Unlike Ebron, quarterback Bryn Renner and tackle James Hurst aren’t thinking about suit shopping. After each suffered collegiate career-ending injuries, they’re both getting back in the swing of things.

Renner fractured his scapula in his left, non-throwing shoulder against N.C. State Nov. 2. On Tuesday, he showed what he’s been working on since doctors deemed him 100 percent in mid-January. The three-year UNC starter wrote his own script for Pro Day. Just a bag of balls, receivers and routes. No coaches.

“That’s kind of what I wanted to showcase,” Renner said. “A game-like atmosphere and kind of take the leadership role that if no coaches are around, the work’s still going to get done.”

Once an anticipated first-round prospect, Hurst has grown to disregard projections after a clean break of his lower left leg fibula in the Belk Bowl that put him out four to six weeks.

“It’s really all over the place,” he said. “I was excited to go out there and show everyone that I’m healthy and that I could do everything.”

With Pro Day over, a new part of the process has begun. Just like Blue had to wait his turn to show his stuff to scouts, it’ll be a while before each player’s fate will be decided. The draft isn’t for another 43 days, and Boston is counting all of them.

“I’d rather have it over with tomorrow. But it’s one of those things where you just gotta wait,” he said. “You just gotta cherish what’s happening. At the end of the day, we’ve worked so hard for this to finally come, and it’s coming.”

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