Kpassagnon puts in the work to impress NFL coaches
PHILADELPHIA >> Sweat poured off Tanoh Kpassagnon’s brow long after his portion of Villanova’s pro day was over Monday at Temple’s indoor practice facility.
This was no ordinary workout for the 6-7, 290-pound All-America defensive end who has been turning heads since his performance in the Senior Bowl two months ago in Mobile, Ala. It was a grueling, nearly one-hour session designed to test his skill and will ahead of next month’s NFL Draft, which will be held in Philadelphia.
Kpassagnon wasn’t the only former Wildcat in attendance. Linebacker Austin Calitro was there, as were offensive tackle Brad Seaton and 2016 grad Kevin Monangai, along with Lehigh quarterback Nick Shafnisky and Bloomsburg running back Lawrence Elliott Jr.
Kpassagnon, though, was the main attraction for the 32 representatives from the 24 NFL teams who were in attendance. All wanted to see if a player from an FCS school has what it takes to make it in the NFL. He does. “One of the coaches today said to me that they think he’s going to be the diamond in the rough or the sleeper of this draft,” said Mark Ferrante, who is in his first year as the head coach of the Wildcats after 30 years as an assistant. “He feels anyone who takes him in a couple of years may get the steal of the draft.”
Kpassagnon is projected as a second- or thirdround pick, depending on which mock draft you follow. And this was not his first workout in front of a horde of NFL coaches and general managers.
He got his first taste of the evaluation process at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. It was an eye-opening experience.
“It’s just a meat market,” Kpassagnon said. “They slap a number on you, get your measurements, do physical examinations, it was crazy.”
But the scouts were wowed, too. His hands were measured among the largest at the combine, as was his wingspan. His standing broad jump of 10 feet, 8 inches was the longest ever for a player over 280 pounds, Ferrante said.
“No player his size had ever done 10 feet,” Ferrante said.
Not bad for a guy who had to pass up a chance to go to Villanova’s camp going into his senior season because his mother, Winifred Wafuoyo, had signed him up for a Future Business Leaders of America seminar in Florida.
“To play football, I had to keep my grades up,” Kpassagnon said. “That was the deal I had with my mom.”
Kpassagnon has held private workouts for the Saints, Falcons, Lions and Titans, and will do another private workout for the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots Friday. The Lions and Titans put him through four hours of film work Sunday.
As for the physical workouts, all the drills are conducted by positional coaches from various NFL teams. In Kpassagnon’s case, he was put through the paces by six different coaches.
“They’re trying to see if they can break you down mentally,” Ferrante said. “See if you can be coached hard. They’re not always going to give you pats on the back, so if they’re screaming at you or yelling at you, they’re trying to see how you follow directions and how quickly you can pick things up. They’re going to give you a command, and can you carry out that command? They’re going to look for body language.”
It can seem like a degrading process at times, but a necessary one for any player with the dream of playing at the next level, especially a player like Kpassagnon, who was not highly recruited out of Wissahickon High School.
“They’re making an investment in me so they have to see what they’re getting,” Kpassagnon said.
And so, Kpassagnon, who knows a little something about investing with degrees in finance and accounting, is willing to put the time in to live out a dream of playing in the NFL, even though he could make a very nice living in the business world.
“I need it,” Kpassagnon said. “Football has become a part of me. Hopefully, everybody’s job is what they do, and hopefully that job becomes a part of them and part of their identity. Football is part of my identity.”
That’s what he tried to show the scouts as he went through every drill Monday: That he not only has the skill to play in the NFL, but the desire, too. One maneuver, in particular, was designed to see just how low a man his size can go. The coaches set up orange cones in a figure eight. Kpassagnon had to go through the maze, scoop up a tennis ball at one point and lay it down at another.
“They want to see if guys are willing to compete,” Kpassagnon said. “That’s a big thing. I feel like a lot of guys have made it to the league or made it to this step, the combine or something like that, but there’s always something you can improve on and you just want to show that you love this so everything I did I wanted to show that I loved it.
“I see this as another opportunity to get better. If I’m not doing something right then I want to know about it and do it right. I see this as them trying to get me better and I’m happy they’re able to do that. I need somebody on me.”
After all, Kpassagnon’s not just trying make it to the NFL, but be an impact player when he gets there.
“I just want to be great,” Kpassagnon said.