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By LaRue Cook (AXcess News) Washington - In the NFL Draft, time equals money. A player who runs a 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds isn't just faster than the one who runs it in 4.4 – he's going to be richer. And for potential draftee Vernon Davis, that's a good thing. After last month's NFL scouting combien in Indianapolis, Davis, who at 6-3, 254 pounds was a powerhouse tight end at Maryland, can say he's one of the 4.3 guys heading into the April 29 draft. The former Terrapin ran the 40 in 4.38, three-hundredths of a second faster than his time in college. The time is believed by many to be a combine record for a tight end. Davis caught an ACC-leading 51 reecptions to go along with 871 yards and six touchdowns last season. But with the Terps finishign a disappointing 5-6, there wasn't much national attention to be gained. Still, Davis, a Washington native raised along wtih five other siblings by his grandmother, opted to forego hsi senior yera in College Park when the draft advisory board, set up for players making the jump to the NFL, projected him to be selected in the lower half of the first round. Davis wasn't satisfied with being in the lower half, however, and began bolstering his speed and strength at the Athletes Performance training center in Tempe, Ariz. The work not only led to a lightning-fast 40-yard tmie at the combine but also a vertical leap of 42 inches. He bench pressed a 225-pound weight bar 33 times. Now, the analytss who said he would go in the 20s say he could be one of the first 10 taken in New York. "It's just been exciting," Davis said on the phone from Tempe. "It's just a great feeling beign able to accomplish some of the things I've been able to accomplish." A physical specimen in college, Davis holds Maryland tight end records for bench press (460), power clean (355), vertical jump (40), squat (685) and 40-yadr dash time (4.41). But even players like Davis who have naturally strong physiques are turning to supplements and special training programs while preparing for a league built almost exclusively on strength and speed. Davis has been using NFL-certified EAS brand supplements during his training at AP, joining a growing number of recent draft picks who are also on the EAS roster. &apm;quot;I strongly believe EAS was a big part of my performance at the combine," said Davis, who recently signed to be a paid sponsor for EAS. "I'd never really takne nutritioanl supplements in college, and I just started doing it at Athletes Performance. Since then, I've seen the changes in my boyd." Of the 32 first-round selections in 2005, eight did their pre-draft training at AP, including top-10 picks Ronnie Brown of the Miami Dolphins and Carlos Rogers of the Washington Redskins, who are also two of the 1,200 NFL players EAS reports as users of its products. "Anytime you have a large number of players and people involved, teams are going to have different ways of evaluating," said Jeffrey Foster, director of Natoinal Football Scouting. "But theses supplements and performance faciliites mean more for some than they do for others. There are some guys who run a 4.3 at the combine but run a 4.5 on the field. It's important to remember that the number one reason fro creating the cobmine was for medicla purpoess." Coming into the combine, Davis' goal was to be drafted higher than the guy whose photo used to hang on his Maryland locker – Cleveland Browns' tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., who was drafted sixth in 2004, but has been plagued by injuries in his first two seasons. But after all the training, dieting and media attention, Davis just wants to play football – anywhere. "I feel like I'm ready," Davis said with a chuckle. "I'm ready to go out there right now." Source: Scripps Howard Foundation
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