Between now and the draft on April 30, every NFL team will invite several players to the team facility for a private pre-draft workout.

The list of players each team invites goes public, so it’s an interesting guessing game as to the reason. Sometimes it’s to fill in some missing blanks on a player, sometimes it’s to get every ounce of information possible on a player in which the team is very interested and sometimes it’s to throw the media or opposing franchises off the scent.

The Senior Bowl and NFL Combine, the two biggest pre-draft evaluation events after the season, have come and gone. Other than those private workouts, every SEC school will stage a pro day for its draft hopefuls as the last public opportunity for players to perform in front of NFL personnel folks.

Here’s the date for every SEC pro day, with five taking place in the next three days.

Team Pro Day
Auburn March 3
Arkansas March 4
Mississippi State March 4
Texas A&M March 4
Ole Miss March 5
Vanderbilt March 10
Alabama March 11
Kentucky March 12
Georgia March 18
Missouri March 19
Tennessee March 25
LSU March 27
South Carolina April 1
Florida April 7
  • Missouri DE Shane Ray faces perhaps the most significant pro day of any draft-eligible SEC player. He wasn’t able to perform — aside from bench press — in Indianapolis due to a toe injury. But he claimed to have 12 days of running to his credit at the time of the Combine, so by Mizzou’s pro day, he should be ready to wow scouts with his athleticism in the 40-yard dash and the jumps. If he performs as expected, he could lock down a draft pick in the top half of the first round.
  • Alabama LB Trey DePriest played the entire season with a torn meniscus, which affected his lateral movement. Not the fastest player when healthy, DePriest can help his NFL chances by showing that his athleticism is better than what he showed this season. If he does that, and some of his sluggish speed can be attributed to injury. That could be the difference between getting drafted or not.
  • A number of notable SEC players weren’t invited to the NFL Combine, and will need to show off their talent at pro day, as scouts have empty blanks in certain parts of their draft dossiers. Among them: Missouri WR Bud Sasser, Georgia DE Ray Drew, Auburn TE C.J. Uzomah, Georgia C David Andrews, Mississippi State G Ben Beckwith, Mississippi State DT Kaleb Eulls, Ole Miss QB Bo Wallace, Texas A&M WR Malcome Kennedy, Alabama DT Brandon Ivory, LSU DE Jermaruia Rasco, Texas A&M CB Deshazor Everett, Alabama S Nick Perry and Auburn S Robenson Therezie.
  • Georgia RB Todd Gurley won’t be able to participate in the Bulldogs’ pro day on March 18. NFL teams would’ve liked to see him run, at least in a straight line. They weren’t able to examine his knee at the Combine, either. It helps that Dr. James Andrews came to Gurley’s defense and said he’s ahead of schedule with rehab. But teams looking to take Gurley at the end of the first round or early in the second have some homework to do on his health.
  • LSU RB Terrence Magee didn’t run the 40-yard dash at the Combine. A draftable prospect as a third-down back, CBS Sports, which projects him as a fourth- or fifth-round pick, writes that Magee “tops out quickly, lacking the breakaway speed to gain yardage in chunks.” Scouts will want to see why he avoided the dash in February, and his time could affect his draft stock.
  • Alabama (WR Amari Cooper, S Landon Collins), Florida (DE/LB Dante Fowler Jr., OT D.J. Humphries) and LSU (OT/G La’El Collins, CB Jalen Collins) all have a chance at multiple first-round picks. (Mizzou also could — sort of — with Ray and WR Dorial Green-Beckham, but the latter obviously will participate in Oklahoma’s pro day.) Their respective pro days should be well-attended as the last public chance to evaluate the players in person. Many star players who participated in the Combine won’t do many, if any, drills during pro day, with the risk outweighing the reward, but still should show up and weigh in, maybe doing one or two things to show scouts they’re still in NFL shape.