Cowboys to workout Memphis OL Ronald Leary:
Memphis Pro Day focuses on Dontari Poe, Ronald Leary
Pair get scouts' attention as 10 work out
By Phil Stukenborg
Posted March 23, 2012 at midnight, updated March 23, 2012 at 12:07 a.m
Offensive lineman Ron Leary may have an advantage over some players. His ability to play as either a guard or a tackle may help him make an NFL roster.
Dontari Poe works out for NFL scouts during Memphis' Pro Day on Thursday afternoon. He didn't believe he could hurt his standing after an impressive NFL Combine showing.
Thursday's Pro Day at the University of Memphis was an opportunity for Tiger defensive tackle Dontari Poe to bask in the aftermath of a stellar showing at last month's NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
It was a chance for offensive lineman Ronald Leary to get his props, too.
Leary, not as heralded as projected first-round pick Poe, also participated in last month's combine, and he followed a solid performance at Indy with a brief but impressive outing at the Murphy Athletic Complex before about 20 NFL scouts and a small crowd of ex-teammates, agents, family, friends and media.
''I wanted to show them I could move,'' Leary said. ''I know that was a big question coming into the offseason, how well I could move side to side. I wanted to show them that. I've been working since the combine and I feel my footwork was better today than it was at the combine.''
Leary (6-3, 325 pounds) and Poe (6-4, 346), the only Memphis players invited to the combine, were among 10 Tigers who worked out on the turf field under sunny skies, but their work was limited. They didn't run or do reps in the weight room and participated in only portions of the drill work.
Poe's stock skyrocketed after his performance at the combine, which included a 4.9 40-yard dash and 44 reps of 225 pounds, and he said he worked out Thursday ''to show more of what I have; you can never work out too much.''
Dasmine Cathey, Lavaris Edwards, Billy Foster, Adam Johnson, D'Angelo McCray, Tannar Rehrer, Terrence Thomas and Frank Trotter went through full workouts before the scouts, but Poe and Leary got the most attention.
Adisa Bakari, Leary's Washington, D.C.-based agent, said his client made a good showing.
''It confirmed, more than anything else,'' Bakari said. ''Ron had a stellar senior season, did well in (a postseason college) all-star game and even better at his pro day.
''Drill work, such as today, is something that quite frankly comes very easy to Ron. He's a very athletic guy. Given his height and size, his athleticism is what is most impressive in these type drills. We're always confident in this particular environment he'll excel. And he excelled today.''
Leary, a Baton Rouge, La., native, made 36 consecutive starts on the offensive line for the U of M. He spent the majority of his career at left tackle, where he started 24 games in 2009 and '10. After starting the first six games of his senior season at left tackle, he was moved to right guard because of injuries.
''He is being looked at primarily as a guard,'' Bakari said. ''Guards tend to fall off the board in numbers starting in the third round. I would expect him to go somewhere between rounds 3 and 5.''
Leary's versatility also may serve him well.
''Ron is that guy when you are trying to narrow down that 45-man active roster, he's a guy you can count twice,'' Bakari said. ''He can play inside (at guard) or outside (at tackle). You can carry an extra defensive back or receiver because you have two linemen in one.''
Leary, who has been training in Miami, will work out next week in Memphis for the Dallas Cowboys and then travel to Dallas, Carolina and St. Louis. He said multiple scouts told him Thursday he looked better than he did at the combine.
''Two things you want to accomplish at Indy,'' Bakari said. ''You want to show your strength and athleticism. Then you want to impress in terms of showing who you are as a person from a character standpoint. He interviewed with several teams and he walked away conveying to them a level of maturity and savvy with regard to this next step. He understands it is indeed a business.''
