Many area stars brace for pro shot

Calvin Armstrong has done the lifting, the running, the timing, the interviewing with NFL executives. Next up for the former Washington State Cougar offensive lineman: The waiting.

“I’ll probably start getting a little nervous next week, but I’ve done everything I could to get ready,” Armstrong said. “It’s a little boring right now. It’s hurry up and wait.”

Armstrong is one of numerous area players anxiously awaiting the NFL draft, which takes place Saturday and Sunday. Eastern Washington’s Michael Roos is considered the area’s top prospect. Several ex-Cougars are candidates for late-round selection, including WSU’s bookend tackles Armstrong and Sam Lightbody, cornerback Karl Paymah and safety Hamza Abdullah.

Cornerback J.R. Ruffin is perhaps Idaho’s best prospect, but he’ll likely have to go the free-agent route, along with long-snapper Brian Yarno and wide receiver Bobby Bernal-Wood.

Armstrong and Lightbody work out together daily in Pullman. Both attended the NFL Combine in late February. Armstrong wasn’t pleased with his 40-yard time (5.4), but he bench-pressed 225 pounds 26 times. The 6-foot-9 Lightbody was the tallest tackle at the combine.

“He’s doing the same workouts for the same reason I am,” Armstrong said of Lightbody. “We push each other.”

Armstrong said NFL scouts “like my size and athleticism and they think I can move well, but they all want me to be a little more physical.”

Ruffin hopes to follow in the footsteps of former Idaho cornerback Rod Bryant, a relative unknown who made the New York Jets roster last season. The two share the same agent. Ruffin has 4.4 speed and a deep supply of confidence, but he needs to improve his strength and fundamentals.

Bryant’s success “gives me a lot of hope,” Ruffin said. “I’m not taking anything away from him, but most people know I was better than him. … Most people that watch me know I’m probably one of the best tackling cornerbacks, even though I’m not the biggest. I know I’m one of the fastest.”

UI cornerbacks coach Alundis Brice, who played in the NFL with Dallas and Philadelphia, laments not having more time to teach Ruffin the finer points of the position. With another year of seasoning, Brice thinks Ruffin would have been drafted.

Paymah, ranked as the 20th best cornerback by NFL.com analyst Gil Brandt, tested well at the combine. He ran the 40 in 4.35 and 4.4 seconds, respectively, with a 41½-inch vertical. At 6-feet, his height should be beneficial in covering the NFL’s ever-taller receivers. Paymah needs to improve his tackling, according to NFL.com.

Abdullah, ranked No. 6 among strong safeties by NFL.com, timed 4.62 and 4.64 in the 40 and bench-pressed 225 pounds 18 times. “He has the size and speed, but needs more toughness if he is going to play safety in the NFL,” Brandt wrote.

Ex-WSU defensive backs Erik Coleman and Jason David had solid first seasons in the NFL, which might entice scouts to take a longer look at Paymah and Abdullah.

Only three I-A receivers caught more passes than Idaho’s Bernal-Wood last season. Bernal-Wood’s speed is a concern at the NFL level, but he’s shown dependable hands and an ability to get open on underneath routes.

Yarno is a reliable long snapper, a valuable commodity in the NFL. His father, John, a former UI standout, played for the Seattle Seahawks from 1977-82, and his uncle George, a WSU assistant, had a lengthy NFL career.

Ruffin, who was childhood buddies with Michigan receiver Braylon Edwards, a likely top three pick, probably summed up the feelings of most area products.

“As long as I get a chance, I won’t let anybody down, I know that,” Ruffin said. “My dream is to go to the NFL. Whether it’s the NFL or NFL Europe, I’m going to make it.”