MOBILE, Ala. — Possibly the most important week of their young professional lives are in front of Troy Fumagalli and Garret Dooley in Mobile, Ala. There, the departing-senior Wisconsin Badgers tight end and outside linebacker will make their first real impressions in front of all kinds of NFL decision-makers, scouts, and coaches.
The first official day of the 2018 Senior Bowl began on Tuesday for the two former Badgers at the weigh-in. Dooley weighed in first at just under 6’2, 248 pounds, right around where he was listed with the Badgers.
#Badgers OLB Garret Dooley
— owen riese (@RieseDraft) January 23, 2018
Height: 6017
Weight: 248
Arms: 32 5/8
Fumagalli weighed in a few minutes after Dooley, and also measured close to where the Badgers had the fifth-year senior listed.
#Badgers TE Troy Fumagalli
— owen riese (@RieseDraft) January 23, 2018
Height: 6047
Weight: 247
Hand: 9 5/8
Arms: 32 1/4
Fingers: 9
I mention the fingers somewhat tongue-in-cheek; 1. Because I’m funny, and 2. For those unaware, Fumagalli had his left index finger amputated when he was an infant and grew up with nine fingers. This seems trivial, but will definitely get the attention of scouts, who are trained to pick apart the flaws in prospects.
The North practice started at 3:30 p.m., with the team being coached by the Denver Broncos and coach Vance Joseph.
Fumagalli was a jack of all trades during practice, taking reps at tight end, as a wing, and also as a fullback in the I formation. Fumagalli’s versatility will be valuable this draft season, especially with teams phasing out the fullback position. If a tight end can fill that role, it will carry more tight ends.
Dooley is listed as an outside linebacker, but he was treated as a pass rusher by the Broncos’ coaching staff, as he got reps with the defensive ends in both 1-on-1 run drills and 1-on-1 pass rush reps.
Both players appeared to play well. Dooley in particular drew some praise from members of the #DraftTwitter community.
Dooley did really well too. @JoshNorris knew I’d like him. I have a type
— Justis Mosqueda (@JuMosq) January 23, 2018
Dooley plays with his hands above his eyes so well. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a daily “riser”
— Justis Mosqueda (@JuMosq) January 23, 2018
Overall, Tuesday is always a tough day to evalute because they player don’t have leg pads and it’s more of an install day. Wednesday and Thursday are when the intensity gets cranked up a bit, so it’ll be interesting to see how the two Badgers perform when the heats gets turned up.