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Jerry BurnesStaff Writer

DeKALB | NIU wide receiver Nathan Palmer said what was on everyone’s mind at NIU pro day March 9.

“Sign me up. Sign me up, coach,” he said after making a string of impressive catches.

For Huskies looking to make their NFL dreams come true, pro day was the time to show off to the scouts in attendance.

Of the NFL teams represented in DeKalb were the Green Bay Packers, Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, Indianap-olis Colts, Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals.

Of the 10 NIU players working out, Palmer was the most impressive. The 5’11” receiver recorded a 10’5” broad jump and 13 repetitions of 225 pounds in the bench press, after being able to record just two reps after the GoDaddy.com Bowl. He also ran a blazing 4.3 40-yard dash, which would have placed him top-10 at the NFL Scouting Combine, and registered a 37-inch vertical jump.

Plagued by inconsistent hands through-out his career, Palmer didn’t drop a pass all day.

“I wanted to catch the ball well,” Palm-er said. “That’s been one thing: inconsis-tent hands throughout my career. So I wanted to make sure I worked with Coach Ryan at EFT in Chicago. That’s all we did, was make sure I caught the ball and ev-erything. So kind of changed up the way I positioned my hands and everything.”

Not to be outdone, though, were center Scott Wedige and linebacker Pat Schiller.

Wedige, a top NIU prospect, led the Huskies with 25 bench reps and didn’t bobble any snaps with Chandler Harnish under center. Wedige noted the pair have worked on under-center snaps all season during goal line drills. Through his Face-

book account, Wedige announced he had a workout with the Chicago Bears March 15.

“I just want to go out and, you know, show my stuff since I’ve always had that chip on my shoulder not getting into the Combine, this is kind of the way it is,” Wedige said. “I’m happy. This is the way we do it at Northern Illinois. We do it the hard way, and that’s what I’m going to continue to do.”

Schiller, the Geneva native, ran a 4.68 40-yard dash while recording 22 bench reps and a 35.5-inch vertical jump. In his other workouts, Schiller recorded a 4.18 Pro Agility Drill, a 6.8 L Drill and 9’10” broad jump.

“I felt like all my drills were pretty good,” Schiller said. “I felt like my verti-cal was really good. I felt like I posted up a decent 40 and stuff like that. I know I can definitely do better.”

Harnish, the marquee name of the workout, chose to skip drills after going through them at the Combine. Instead, Harnish showed off his arm.

After struggling with accuracy early he rebounded to make some very impressive throws, ending with two deep sideline completions to Palmer and Willie Clark. As with Wedige, he also looked very com-fortable taking snaps under center.

A captain and leader of the Huskies, Harnish already possess many of the in-tangible qualities NFL teams look for. It is those qualities, however, he’s looking to downplay.

“I get a little sick of hearing about how I have all the intangibles and I’m a great leader and all, but that I may not have the arm for the NFL,” Harnish said. “I wanted to show that I do have that type of arm and that I can do what it takes. I’ve got an arm, too. I got to show that a little bit today.”

‘Sign me up, coach’Football players with NFL dreams take part in NIU pro day March 9

monday, march 19, 2012

Jerry Burnes | Northern Star

NIU wide receiver Nathan Palmer reaches 37 inches on his vertical jump during NIU’s pro day March 9.

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Pro day notes

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• Linebacker Jordan Delegal, along with six others, was dismissed from Miami’s pro day on March 8. Looking to be a safety at the next level, Delegal booked a late flight to Chicago to make pro day at NIU. He recorded a 34-inch vertical and 12 bench reps. His 40-yard dash time wasn’t released, but Delegal registered a 4.58 at Miami.

• Offensive tackle Trevor Olson took the biggest hit to his draft stock. A knock

on Olson was that he lacked power for the NFL He recorded 12 bench reps of 225 pounds. His other numbers were not released.

• Fellow lineman Keith Otis, training to be an offensive guard, recorded a 5.5 and 5.6 in the 40-yard dash, a 7.83 in the 3-cone, an 8’3” broad jump, a 22-inch vertical and 14 bench reps. His agent, David Lehtman, said the low bench number was caused by a cramp

in his right shoulder.

• Lehtman said wide receiver Wil-lie Clark had interest shown from the Arizona, Tennessee and Kansas City scouts.

• Former linebacker Alex Kube was on hand, participating in the broad jump drill, recording a 10’2” leap. Kube grad-uated in 2011 and was training as a safety prior to last season, but the NFL

lockout cost him a chance at making a team. He participated in Northwestern’s pro day and ran a 4.46 and 4.48 in the 40-yard dash. He also registered a 35’5” vertical jump, 16 bench reps, a 4.18 in the 20-yard shuttle and a 6.56 3-cone drill. Lehtman said the Oakland Raiders and an anonymous NFC North team have expressed interest in Kube. The Chicago Bears showed interest in him last season.