Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Of the 17 tight end prospects invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, three are from the state of Arkansas. Charles Clay (Tulsa) and D.J. Williams (Arkansas) are from Little Rock. Zack Pianalto (North Carolina) is from Springdale.

All three put up some notable numbers on Saturday.

Williams, who like Clay projects as an H-back, posted the third-best 40-yard dash time among tight ends with a 4.63. He added a 33.5 vertical jump, good enough for seventh. He posted 20 reps on the 225-pound bench press, ranking ninth, while his 9-foot, 3-inch broad jump was 10^th.

NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock has Williams ranked No. 4 among tight ends. Mayock was impressed with Williams’ sprint time.

“[Williams ran] faster than I expected him to run. I thought he’d be a 4.7 guy. … He ran faster today than I expected. He catches the ball well. I’ve had a bunch of teams tell me they're also looking at him as a fullback, which may sound weird on the exterior. … Some people like his toughness as a lead blocker and in a West Coast system he can come out and catch the football.”

During pass-catching drills one analyst described Williams, the Mackey Award Winner, as “very smooth” and “fluid.”

Williams didn’t seem as impressed with his effort. Following his workout he tweeted:

“Well it's time to go home. !!!!! Going to redo my 40 at pro day. Didn't feel that good today. Legs were tired!!! But all in all. Good day!!”

Clay was in the top 10 in a number of categories. He ranked seventh in 40 time (4.73), seventh in vertical jump (33.5) and fifth in broad jump (9-feet-10). He put up 19 reps on the bench press.

Pianalto was seventh in bench press (22 reps). Pianalto ranked 12^thon broad jump (9 feet). Pianalto’s injury history was something teams should be considered with, Mayock said.

“When healthy, the kid was really productive. But he was always hurt.”