On Friday, the Kansas City Chiefs personnel and coaching staff were given another opportunity to evaluate a handful of prospects available in the upcoming NFL Draft, but this time there was a special twist.
"These young men grew up Chiefs fans," general manager John Dorsey explained. "I think any time you get a chance to work out perspective players—that's always important, but this was meaningful for a lot of reasons."
The local Pro Day is for any player who went to high school or college in the Kansas City metropolitan area, as defined by Rand McNally, and Dorsey said it's special to honor those players for where they now stand.
"I think it's very important for us as an organization to let the community know, 'You know what? As you have gone along, you are the cream of the crop now of your prospective high school classes. We would like to honor you and your efforts by chasing your dream and coming to work out for the Kansas City Chiefs.'"
Under the watchful eye of Dorsey, head coach Andy Reid and all of the assistants and personnel staff, 18 prospects—11 of whom went to high school in the area—worked out for a couple of hours at the University of Kansas Hospital Training Complex.
Fully decked out in Chiefs gear, the players were evaluated in the 40-yard dash, vertical and broad jump, the short shuttle as well as the three-cone drill. They finished up by going through some positional drills under the direction of the different assistant coaches.
It was a great opportunity for everyone involved.
Former Pittsburg State receiver and Raytown South standout Marquise Cushon walked over and introduced himself to Reid at one point.
Photos from the Chiefs Local Pro Day that featured 11 former KC prep standouts
In the weight room, which sits directly next to the practice field, current Chiefs players caught glimpses of these NFL hopefuls working out.
One player who caught a peek was former Missouri Tiger and current starting center for the Chiefs, Mitch Morse, who was watching his college teammate and former Lee's Summit West standout, Evan Boehm.
"I saw guys who were competitive," Dorsey said. "They worked their fannies off. I think there are some draftable guys within this group, and so that's exciting from my standpoint."
When asked if any of these players will be future Chiefs, Dorsey said, "you never know."
Here's the full list of players who participated in the local Pro Day on Friday:
| Pro Day Participants | ||||
Player
POS
School
Qualification
High School
Cushon, Marquise
WR
Pitt State
Kansas City, MO
Raytown South
Johnson, Robert
WR
Avila
Local College
Kirkwood, Deron
WR
MidAmerican Nazarene
Local College
Stewart, Keaton
T
Avila
Local College
Boehm, Evan
C
Missouri
Lee's Summit, MO
Lee's Summit West
Alexander, Donnell
RB
Akron
Kansas City, MO
Blue Springs South
Miller, Darrian
RB
Northern Iowa
Blue Springs, MO
Blue Springs
Spencer, Raphael
RB
Missouri Western
Kansas City, MO
O'Hara
May, Eric
FB
MidAmerican Nazarene
Local College
Semke, TJ
FB
Kansas
Lee's Summit, MO
Lee's Summit North
Elliott, Arbanas
DT
Missouri Western
Kansas City, MO
Blue Valley NW
Coleman, Kenny
DT
Avila
Local College
McMakin, Brett
OLB
Northern Iowa
Overland Park, KS
Blue Valley West
Hall, Deiondre
CB
Northern Iowa
Blue Springs, MO
Blue Springs
Thomas, Bernard
CB
Murray State
Blue Springs, MO
Blue Springs
Corrigan, Pat
P
MidAmerican Nazarene
Local College
Baggit, Andrew
K
Missouri
Lee's Summit, MO
Lee's Summit North
Partridge, Travis
QB
Street Free Agent
