After having to miss the East-West Shrine Bowl with the injury to his hand that took him out of the second half of the Music City Bowl, Theo Wease got to work to show out at the combine.
“It was a blessing,” Wease said. “I’ve always dreamed of going to the combine at a young age, just being there, being around those guys, being around the town, going through the interview process and everything. I’d do it all over again.”
But Wease’s game isn’t based on pure athleticism, which showed in his drill performances.
He ran a 4.56 40-yard dash (31st out of 39 receivers), he reached 31.0 inches in the vertical jump (34th out of 36 receivers, leapt 9-feet, 9-inches in the broad jump (32nd out of 33 receivers) and did not do the 3-cone drill, the shuttle or the bench press.
So Wease returned to Columbia hoping both to show off some better drill times and, more importantly, his ability to run routes and catch passes from the man who he’s been working with the past two years in Brady Cook.
“Me and Brady went out on a good note,” Wease said. “We went 17-for-17, can’t ask for any other way. Just being back at Mizzou, getting all the love from my teammates, my coaches, it was like, I couldn’t be nervous.”
Wease did not run the 40-yard dash at pro day, but did run a time of 4.3 seconds in the short shuttle and 7.15 seconds in the L drill.
"I think I could have done a little better on my shuttle, but it's all good," Wease said.
And he showed where he shines best, running routes and catching passes.
“I love playing football, I love catching passes,” Wease said. “Was my last time, well hopefully it wasn’t my last time playing with (Cook). It was fun.”
Now, Wease has returned to Dallas to continue working out and preparing for a hopeful call from an NFL team during the draft.
“I’m gonna be with my family,” Wease said of his plans for the draft. “Kicked up on the couch, chilling. Just good vibes.”
He said he has talked to a handful of teams, but didn’t get into specifics about which ones.
Wease said whichever team gives him a chance is going to get someone ready to compete and contribute.
“They’re gonna get a playmaker, a born leader, somebody that’s willing to listen and learn, somebody that’s gonna work hard,” Wease said.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound receiver with 32 1/8-inch arms and 9 5/8-inch hands is projected as a possible late-round pick or at worst an undrafted free agent.
So expect to hear his name on Saturday, April 26 when the draft reaches rounds 5-through-7.
In two seasons wth the Tigers, the 23-year old who will turn 24 in late June amassed 109 catches for 1,566 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Stay up to date on all the Mizzou news with your premium subscription.
Talk about this story in the story thread and discuss so much more in The Tiger Walk.
Make sure you're caught up on all the Tiger news and headlines.
