Former Volunteers defensive back Brian Randolph was tired of hearing about how slow he was by scouts and other people so he put all that talk to rest with a great showing at Tennessee's Pro Day. 247Sports is reporting that he ran an impressive 4.40 40-yard dash time and put up 31 reps on the bench press (225 pounds). The only two players to put up more than him were offensive lineman Kyler Kerbyson (32) and defensive tackle Owen Williams.
Randolph talked about his run and what it meant to get that perceived slowness issue taken care of going into the NFL Draft.
"Man, they wanted to see speed, and I tried to tell 'em," Randolph said. "I don't know where they got their numbers from, but it was a bunch of nonsense. People were saying 4.7. I was like, 'Man, I could run a 4.7 in fifth grade.' I'm glad I got to prove that wrong."
Randolph who finished his Tennessee career with 310 tackles, eight interceptions, four forced fumbles and 13 pass breakups, said he also was pleased his 33-inch vertical leap and 4.28-second shuttle run times. He played in 53 games and started in 47 of them during his time in Knoxville.
Randolph was also hoping to correct any misperceptions about the talent Tennessee is churning out either. He brings up Justin Coleman who went undrafted and up being a solid contributor for the New England Patriots.
"I hope the teams see they made a mistake with Justin Coleman," Randolph said. "Hopefully he opened their eyes for me, too. I don't think teams want to let another athlete from here fall through the cracks like he did."
The NFL Draft starts Thursday April 28 with the first round that night. The second and third rounds are the next day with the rest of the draft coming on Saturday.