Michigan's Maurice Hurst is giving NFL scouts a chance to evaluate him after they didn't get their opportunity at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this month due to his health scare.
The potential first-round defensive tackle participated in the Wolverines' pro day on Friday, running the 40-yard dash in 4.97 seconds, per NFL.com senior analyst Gil Brandt. A 4.97 would have been one of the fastest times among defensive tackles that ran at the combine. His 31-inch vertical also would have been one of the better jumps among combine DTs. However, his results in events like the broad jump (8-foot-8), short shuttle (4.62 seconds) and 3-cone drill (7.74 seconds) would have placed him in the middle, or a little below the middle, of the combine DTs.
Hurst was not cleared to participate in the combine after he was diagnosed with a heart condition during the medical evaluation portion of the event. ESPN reported Thursday that Hurst was cleared after the combine to return to football activities by cardiologists at the University of Michigan and Harvard.
NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks ranks Hurst the top defensive tackle in the 2018 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-1 1/4, 291-pounder isn't the biggest DT, but he was a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection and is widely considered one of the top talents among defensive prospects in the draft. The pro day was a big moment for him after not being able to work out at the combine. The bigger question is whether NFL teams will be fully reassured that his health should not be a factor that keeps them from picking him early in the draft, which is something clubs could examine at the combine medical re-check next month.
