Boone, 3 more former Blue Devils take part in NFL combine

In the past 15 years, Duke has had just four players selected in the NFL draft. This year, it sent four to Indianapolis to take part in the league’s biggest offseason showcase.

Four former Blue Devils—quarterback Anthony Boone, wide receiver Jamison Crowder, offensive guard Takoby Cofield and offensive tackle Laken Tomlinson—took part in this past weekend’s NFL combine. Tomlinson and Crowder are currently slated as the most likely to have their name called come April’s NFL draft, according to various mock drafts, but all four had quality showings in front of the scouts on hand at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Boone pointed toward his time at Duke with head coach David Cutcliffe as the ultimate preparation at what is a prospect’s most analyzed and scrutinized pre-draft event.

“Coach Cutcliffe mentally prepared me for a lot of scenarios,” Boone said. “I feel like Duke also prepared me for a lot, especially being in the real world and competing. It’s a competitive university, so you’re always competing in your classes, with other students, other athletes on campus. It’s just a competitive place and it’s a hostile environment at the Combine.”

Crowder was a speedster at Duke and continued to put his explosive ability on display in Indianapolis. The Monroe, N.C., native ran a 4.56 second 40-yard dash and posted a 37.0-inch vertical jump.

Although none of his physical measurements leap off the page—Crowder stands at 5-foot-8, weighs 170 pounds and has an arm length of 30 3/8 inches—the receiver consistently burned ACC defensive backs on his way to notching three 1,000-yard seasons and setting the the school and conference record with 283 career receptions. Much of the upside that comes along with Crowder has to do more with his on-field performance than his combine measurements.

Tomlinson—who is currently ranked as the No. 3 interior offensive lineman on NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock’s draft board—stands 6-foot-3 and weighed in at 323 pounds. After starting 52 consecutive games as a Blue Devil, Tomlinson is slated as a second round pick. He was the NFL Network’s highest-rated Blue Devil with a score of 5.6 on a 10-point scale and put up 25 reps on the 225-pound bench press.

Cofield’s time of 5.19 seconds in the 40-yard dash was the 13th best among the 52 offensive linemen in attendance. The tackle's athleticism has kept him in the draft conversation through the past two months.

Boone—the winningest quarterback in Duke history—was one of 15 signal callers to perform at the combine. The Weddington, N.C., native ran the 40-yard dash in 5.03 seconds, the 12th-fastest time among quarterbacks. Boone placed two slots back of former Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, who ran an official time of 4.97 seconds.

“I feel like I did pretty well,” Boone said. “The whole combine thing, the TV makes it look really glamorous and social media really blows it up, but it’s really a mental grind. Mentally, you prepare yourself for this and you’re stressed out and preparing yourself for any possible scenario or change of schedule”

The four former Blue Devils got a chance to reconnect during the weekend. Boone and Crowder—a pairing famous for their on-field success at Duke—were able to compete together once again in Indianapolis.

“I talked with all of them before and we all took a picture together afterwards. We talked for a bit how we felt about it,” Boone said. “Jamison was actually in my group, so we ran the 40 together and did all the drills together. So I was right there when he did everything and we got a chance to cheer each other on, which was pretty cool.”

Boone has tried to mute all praise and criticism that has come outside of his supporting cast. Whether it come from fans or the media, the former Blue Devil said that outside distraction will add to the stress of trying to make an NFL roster.

“Really, you block out everything,” Boone said. “The only ones you’re really taking [advice] from are your trainer, your agent and then while you’re at the combine, you ask coaches, ‘What can I improve on? What can I get better at?’ Because they’re the ones you’re potentially going to be in the room with.”

Although the NFL combine has come to a close, Boone was adamant that the process is far from over.

With Duke’s Pro Day quickly approaching, Boone will continue training with David Morrison of QB Country in Nashville, Tenn., and is looking to hone all aspects of his game before making the trip back to his old stomping grounds in Durham.

“If anything, things will speed up,” Boone said. “[NFL scouts] want to see progression from combine to Pro Day. There’s always room for improvement.”