John Chiles has always been a tremendous athlete. The New Orleans Saints thought highly enough of Chiles to sign him as an undrafted free agent in 2011, as did the St. Louis Rams after signing him to become a part of their practice squad later in the season before he was cut. Chiles worked out with this year’s crop of NFL prospects at Texas’ Pro Day on Tuesday, in hopes of being added to another professional roster. In the two years since his departure from the Texas football program, Chiles has had a cup of tea in the NFL and has also played for the Jacksonville Sharks of the Arena Football League. Given Chiles’ experience as a backup quarterback and wide receiver at Texas and his training with the U.S. Track and Field Olympic team, he has another good case for NFL teams to give him a shot. For Chiles and his family, that’s all they can hope for at this point.
“The NFL is moving more toward John’s style of play,” John Chiles Sr. said while watching his son catch passes from Vince Young. “The training he has done with the Olympic team and sprinter Darvis Patton has really helped his speed. John is still light on his feet.”
Monroe, Hills share shoes, hopes of NFL career
D.J. Monroe and Jeremy Hills may have had a minimal impact during their time at Texas, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t hungry to get a piece of the NFL pie as well. Monroe and Hills even shared a pair of shoes while clocking their 40-yard dash times during Pro Day. After Hills’ second go at the dash, Monroe congratulated his teammate on his run but requested he take off the socks he was wearing as they belonged to Monroe. Hills couldn’t find his socks but he didn’t need them as he posted one of the faster times of the day in the dash. Both Hills and Monroe offer speed and agility for teams in the market for shifty players that can take off in an instant.
Young talks to “Ashley” before throwing
Vince Young didn’t speak with the media but his newfound friend David “Ashley” Ash was on hand to see what the former Texas great had to show everyone inside the Longhorns’ practice bubble Tuesday afternoon. The two exchanged a few words before Young took to the field to distribute passes to the likes of Marquise Goodwin and D.J. Grant.
“DBU” out in full force
Texas defensive backs coach Duane Akina had a veritable family reunion as more than a few of his former defensive backs showed up in support of the draft-ready Longhorns. Aaron Williams, Cedric Griffin, Michael Huff, Blake Gideon, Chykie Brown and Earl Thomas were all seen reminiscing with Akina and his staff throughout the day. After Marquise Goodwin exploded from a stand still to tally a 42-inch vertical, Williams’ father Anthony quickly reminded those standing around him that Aaron himself reached the upper portion of the vertical measurement tool during his Pro Day back in 2011.
