To see the full photo gallery click here
22 athletes worked out during UGA’s Pro Day on March 21. Georgia hosted representatives from every NFL team. However, the biggest name at UGA’s Pro-day was Bill Belichick. The New England Patriots head coach worked with linebackers, Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy, on recognition drills.
Belichick took a special interest in the two linebackers and he wasn’t the only one. Detroit Lions head coach, Matt Patricia joined Belichick to help coach them through the drills. The two coaches took them through a series of four drills. Each drill focused on recognizing what to do when this or that happens.
When the linebacker drills started and the two coaches came forward, the room almost came to a stop. Every scout, media member and anyone else there stopped to see what would happen next. Belichick took the linebackers through the drill with a hands-on take and made sure the players knew how to run it. If the players’ performance wasn’t up to his or Patricia’s standard, they made them run it again until the athletes perfected it. He had all the linebackers run through the drills, but Belichick focused the most on Bellamy and Carter.
After the drills ended, Carter spoke with the media about his Pro-day. Carter told the media that he grew up a Patriots fan, so when Belichick came out there to coach them through the drills it seemed surreal.
Its crazy, kind of surreal. Growing up I was a Pats fan,” Carter notes about working with Belichick. “So seeing Bill and having coach Belichick working us through our drills that ’s cool. It’s what we work for. Thankfully we had a great season and great seniors. When you have that, then the guys are going to come out.”
Carter mentioned the Patriots showed some interest in him. However, he doesn’t want to get his hopes up about playing for them. He knows that decisions like that are in the air until its finalized. Carter told the media that he met with Patriots and it went well.
Bellamy shared a similar opinion about Belichick and Patricia’s presence in the drill.
You try to not get lost in the moment because you here to work. It was definitely kind of surreal with Bill Belichick right in my face,” Bellamy says.
Head coach Kirby Smart couldn’t say enough about having so many NFL teams and coaches at Pro Day.
Today’s really about them,” Smart says. “It’s an honor to say we got to coach them and help get them get better and get to watch them do what they love to do. They get to do it in front of a wonderful audience. the linebackers get to do it in front of Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia. I think that’s pretty honorable with what they’ve done. They’re a great group and really special to Georgia and very selfless guys.”
As for what he thought about Belichick and Patricia work with the linebackers, Smart likes that he chose recognition drills. Football is a contact sport and by doing the recognition drills it forces the player to show you what he does when somebody moves. Like with the combine, it focuses on running around hoops, bags, the forties, and jumping.
Well, the big thing is it’s not a shorts game,” Smart notes. “It’s physical contact, a tough game and he did a lot of drills that were recognition drills. Which we’re always trying to do is how do you respond when somebody moves… But the game of football is a reaction game, so when a guy moves what do you do and I think that’s what he’s trying to stimulate and it’s a great drill.”
Georgia has 13 players with the potential to go in the NFL Draft. With a little over a month left to go, all the players can do now is be patient. However, after today, some of these guys won’t ever forget having Belichick coach them. The NFL Draft takes place April 26- 28th.