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Farmer, Thompkins Make Most Of Limited Time In Front Of NFL Scouts At Pro Day

Despite not earning invitations to this year’s NFL Combine, Penn State football’s Koa Farmer and DeAndre Thompkins may have gained some attention thanks to their strong performances at Penn State’s Pro Day on Tuesday.

Farmer lit up the stat sheet at Holuba Hall — the safety-turned-linebacker ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash, completed 24 reps on the bench press, and posted a vertical jump of 37 inches.

These numbers would have placed Farmer at fifth, sixth, and sixth place, respectively, among linebackers at the 2019 NFL Combine.

Farmer and several other former college football players decided to add even more excitement to this year’s Pro Day by placing bets on who would have the best numbers in each drill. Despite losing some cash, Farmer made it clear that he won out on a few wagers.

“Cam Brown owes me some money,” he said. “He didn’t think I could run a 4.4.”

The California native said the teams he’s talked to so far were impressed most with his versatility. Farmer himself has plenty of confidence with his ability to do just about anything on the football field.

Before making the shift to linebacker and starting in all 13 of Penn State’s games, Farmer was a safety who even took on some kick returning responsibilities. He’s apparently willing to further expand on the positions he plays as long as it’ll help him get a shot at the next level.

“If one of the scouts asked me to go play wide receiver today, I would’ve said yes,” he said.

As for the next few weeks until the draft, Farmer has some plans to keep himself busy. He said he’ll be in and around the State College area for the next month, and he’ll also attend some private workouts with NFL teams.

Meanwhile, DeAndre Thompkins also had a strong performance with a speedy 4.33-second 40-yard dash that would’ve tied for third among receivers at the Combine.

Thompkins mentioned that teams were looking at him as both a wide receiver and punt returner, and he said his ability to do both is definitely a huge plus for him in terms of his draft stock.

The wide receiver got to prove his ability with a familiar face throwing him the ball, as Trace McSorley also got a workout in in front of NFL scouts. Thompkins said McSorley brought his game up today without a doubt — he caught nearly everything that came his way during the quarterback’s passing drills.

“I knew [Trace] was bringing it, and I knew it was my job to match his energy,” he said.

Farmer appreciates the possibility of hearing his name called at the NFL Draft and realizing a childhood dream in the process, but he doesn’t plan to watch any of it unfold live. Though he will have his phone on him in case he gets the call, the linebacker said he’ll be on the beach during the draft.

Unlike most of his teammates, Thompkins doesn’t have any concrete plans between now and draft day. He does know that he’ll spend his time running and catching passes as his road to the NFL continues.

The NFL Draft kicks off at 9 p.m. Thursday, April 25, and will continue through that Saturday. Farmer and Thompkins both project as late-round picks, if they’re selected at all.

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About the Author

Will Pegler

Will is a senior majoring in digital and print journalism and is an associate editor for Onward State. He is from Darien, Connecticut and is a lifelong Penn State football fan. He loves a good 80's comedy movie, Peaky Blinders, The Office, and the New York Yankees and Giants. You can catch some of his ridiculous sports takes on his Twitter @gritdude and yell at him on his email [email protected]

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