OXFORD — Dayton Wade was admittedly surprised he never received his invitation to the 2024 NFL Combine.
A key cog for an 11-2 Ole Miss team that won the Peach Bowl, Wade led the Rebels with 55 receptions and was second in receiving yards with 830. His acrobatic catches against Georgia and Vanderbilt earned him viral fame, and he played in the Hula Bowl following the season. But the former Western Kentucky receiver never got his combine invite despite his standout season.
Never one to stay down too long, Wade quickly turned the page. The thing that mattered now was Ole Miss’ Pro Day, where he could prove he belonged. Wade believes he accomplished that goal.
“I felt like today was the day I could showcase the things that people think that I didn’t really get to showcase during the season. I had a lot of question marks. Everyone was wondering about how fast I was running. I was like, ‘Hey, no point in me telling you now. You came to see me, didn’t you?’” Wade said with his signature smile. “Hopefully I showed them what they wanted to see … Really important day for me.”
The Rebels held their Pro Day Wednesday inside their on-campus indoor practice facility. Fifteen former players worked out in front of representatives from all 32 NFL teams, two CFL teams and one Japan X-League team, hoping to give scouts and executives something to chew on leading into next month’s NFL Draft. The draft is in Detroit this year and runs April 26-28.
Three former Rebels — senior defensive end/edge rusher Cedric Johnson and defensive backs Daijahn Anthony and Deantre Prince — took part in the combine in February. Johnson, Anthony, Prince and Wade were joined by linebacker Ashanti Cistrunk, cornerback DeShawn Gaddie Jr., linebacker Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste, wide receiver Jalen Knox, offensive lineman Quincy McGee, linebacker Monty Montgomery, quarterback Spencer Sanders, edge rusher Isaac Ukwu, cornerback Zamari Walton, defensive tackle Stephon Wynn and defensive back Teja Young.
Former Ole Miss running backs Isaiah Woullard — most recently at Louisiana-Monroe — and Jordan Wilkins also participated. Wilkins was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 2018.
Players took part in various testing events and ran position-dependent drills. For players like Wade, Wednesday was particularly important.
“I was training three months for this. … No way I’m (going) to train three months for one day and I get to that one day and be like, (I’m) shaking in my boots,” Wade said. “It was just another day in the park for me, I felt like.”
Johnson, projected as a seventh-round pick in ESPN’s latest mock draft, said he has not taken any team visits yet, nor does he have any lined up. He said he has spoken with the Seattle Seahawks, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Cincinnati Bengals, the New York Jets, the Detroit Lions and the New York Giants.
Wade said he has visits with the Baltimore Ravens and the Atlanta Falcons coming up.
Prince said he has spoken with the Los Angeles Chargers, has met with the Minnesota Vikings for a private workout and is visiting with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts.
Anthony, also projected as a seventh-rounder in the mock draft, said he has visits with the Bengals, Houston Texans and Washington Commanders.
Among the standouts in testing Wednesday were a 4.44 40-yard dash, a 37 ½ inch vertical jump and 10-foot-5 broad jump from Wade, a 4.51 40-yard dash and 10-foot broad jump from Anthony, a 37 ½ inch vertical jump from Prince, 29 bench-press reps from Ukwu and a 4.45 40-yard dash and 10-foot-1 broad jump from Walton.
Anthony, who began his career at Division II Shepherd University and then Liberty, took a moment to reflect on his unconventional journey.
“I won’t necessarily say I didn’t think I was going to be here. I just thought the walk might have been different,” Anthony said. “ … My only dream was, really, getting invited to the combine. So once I got invite to the combine, I realized I really do have a good chance of getting drafted. And I just keep praying hard every day and, every chance I get, I’m just happy to be here.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.