The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Kukwa, Roberts, Stepec work to impress scouts
TOLEDO » Of the 32 players who went through pro day drills at the University of Toledo’s NFL pro day on March 20, few — if anyone — had a bigger day than Anthony Kukwa.
When drills were complete, Kukwa had a line of scouts lined up to personally interview him, including representatives from the Panthers and Cardinals, who talked to the athletic 6-foot-4 tight end at great length.
“Hopefully I got some good feedback from them,” said Kukwa, adding that he also talked with representatives from the Cowboys, Raiders and Patriots. “I am really hoping they saw something good in me. We’ll see what happens down the line. But I think it was a good day.”
Kukwa said scouts in attendance Anthony Kukwa of the Lake Erie Storm (left) and Michael Roberts of the Toledo Rockets go through a tight end blocking drill under the eyes of a coach from the Detroit Lions during pro day at the University of Toledo on March 20.
instructed him not to divulge to anyone what he ran in the 40, but unofficial clockings from the periphery had him with times of 4.57 and 4.60 on his two runs.
He said he cleared a personal-best 10-feet, 7-inches in the broad jump.
Kukwa is widely regarded
as a long-snapper prospect in the NFL, but he also showed crisp routerunning and soft hands in passing drills. The Lions and Steelers worked Kukwa and Roberts out at length on blocking drills.
“The biggest thing is you want to be more than a oneposition guy,” Kukwa said. “I feel like I can play tight end, and if I really had to I could play slot. I can move into the backfield and play fullback, and I can longsnap as well. I want to bring as much as I can to the table.”
Roberts draws crowd
At 6-foot-4, 275 pounds, Michael Roberts was hard to miss at Pro Day.
The crowd of scouts around him suggest he is a target of many NFL teams, too.
Roberts showed a total package of athleticism in front of the scouts. His agent clocked him at 4.82 and 4.86 in his two 40 runs. He was smooth in passcatching drills, and performed well in 1-on-1 tight end drills with Kukwa.
Roberts said he has been given a third- or fourthround draft grade.
“I think I had a pretty solid day,” Roberts said. “I hate running the 40. It took me a lot of time to learn a technique I had to learn to run it. I just like to play football.”
And as a big, rugged tight end who caught 16 touchdown passes this past season, there’s a lot for teams to like.
After the drills ended, he said he had an in-depth sitdown with the Steelers. He said he has had “frequent” talks with the Steelers and Lions.
“Certainly, I think his career is on the climb,” Candle said. “He’s 6-4 and change, and he is 275 pounds. He has a big body to occupy gaps in the running game, and the fact he caught 16 touchdowns this year says something.”
Stepec shows versatility
Lake Catholic product John Stepec set out to show on March 20 he is a versatile player.
Long known as a defensive end, Stepec went through drills at Toledo’s pro day at outside linebacker, as well.
While Stepec said he wasn’t happy with his 40 time - he ran a 491 and hoped to run in the 4.7 or 4.8 range — he said he was pleased with how agility drills went at both defensive end and linebacker.
He has another workout set for April 13, two weeks before the draft, and hopes on improving his 40 time while also showing “better flexibility in my hips” while running drills.
“It’s crazy,” Stepec said. “Going back to grade school, the teacher asks you what you want to be when you grow up and all the guys say, ‘NFL or NBA.’
“It’s crazy to think all the way back to second grade and now having a pro day here. I never saw myself in this situation. I’m blessed to be here.”