The Warriors did well at Pro Day

About how he woke up too early because he was so anxious for Pro Day, Kealoha Pilares said:
"I was ready to get out of bed when I looked at the clock. "It was 3 o'clock in the morning. I was definitely a little too anxious." (HSA)


About how the NFL teams wanted to see Pilares work out since Green and Salas had already did well at the Combine, Packers GM Ted Thompson said:
"We wanted to see him work out." (HSA)


HSA Note: "Pilares went to the NFL combine, but he declined to participate in any of the running or jumping drills. He bench-pressed 225 pounds 19 times, ranking him sixth among receivers there. Pilares vowed to run at UH's pro day, a combine that would draw more than 50 NFL scouts and decision-makers."

About how some scouting services estimated his 40 time at 4.6 seconds, Pilares said:
"I'm not sure why they would think that." (HSA)

"I wanted to show that I'm fast. I told everybody I was going to run under 4.5. They looked at me like I was on crack." (HSA)

HSA Note: "In the summer of 2009, Pilares was timed in the 40 at 4.37 seconds while training in Atlanta."


HSA Note: "Pilares had worked out intensively in Arizona the past six weeks. He learned the proper sprinter's techniques, from the quick start to the correct arm motions. Yesterday, Pilares was credited with running the 40 in 4.42 seconds. One scout listed his time at 4.37 seconds. The 4.42 time would have been one of the fastest at the NFL combine, where the fastest receiver was 4.37 and the fourth-best was 4.43."


About how people do not think that he is fast, Pilares said:
"When you hear 'fast,' my name does not come up. Even at school it was like that, even when I was the fastest in some of the drills." (HSA)

HSA Note: "At pro day, Pilares had the best vertical jump (40-1/2 inches), broad jump (10 feet 5), short shuttle (4.11 seconds) and long shuttle (6.85 seconds).  During the afternoon session, Pilares ran routes as part of the pass-receive drills. After that, several scouts gave him pop quizzes on pattern decisions. A scout for an AFC team then had Pilares try to make off-balance catches."


About how he was impressed with Pilares, Thompson said:
"It helped to see him move around, to see his athleticism. He's a very balanced, very quick athlete. He has good agility. He has good ball skills. He plays in space very well. His greatest strength is his quickness. He's a football player." (HSA)


About how it was hard for him to keep from working out until his knee was 100%, Pilares said:
"It really tested me. As an athlete, you always want to get back out there. But you have to be smart. You can't force it." (HSA)


About going after his NFL opportunity, Pilares said:
"This is the time in life when you have to make something happen. This is an opportunity. I'm grateful for it, and I want to take advantage of it." (HSA)


Asked if he had done enough to get a shot at the NFL, Mana Silva said:
"I hope so." (HSA)


HSA Note: "After watching Salas run routes yesterday afternoon, a scout declared him as having "the best hands in the draft.""


About his training for Pro Day, Salas said:
"I felt I did as much as I could possibly do." (HSA)


Salas said that he ignores draft predictions because:
"nobody knows what (NFL teams) want, except for the scouts and whoever picks us." (HSA)


HSA Note: "Silva, a safety, led the Warriors in interceptions in 2010, but had not drawn as much interest. That changed yesterday, when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds and had a vertical jump of 40 inches. Officials initially said Silva's vertical was 42 inches, which would have set a UH pro-day record. But after the NFL scouts met, it was decided that Silva did not cleanly hit the 42-inch marker."


About how they downgraded his vertical jump from 42 inches to 40 inches, Silva said:
"Why did they do that? Oh, well. It's whatever." (HSA)


Silva joked after making his jump:
"I put my cape on this morning." (HSA)


HSA Note: "He then credited his trainer, Chad Ikei, who created a diet plan and intense training program. In two months of training, Silva lowered his body fat to 6 percent."


Praising Silva, Ikei said:
"He always had the right mind-set. When Mana first came to train, he was writing '4.5' on his water jug. He believed he could run fast, and he did." (HSA)


About his Pro Day performance, which included a vertical jump of 39.5 inches, Spencer Smith said:
"Hopefully, I helped myself to a tryout." (HSA)


Smith said that he would consider playing in the CFL, and added:
"I'll even play rugby." (HSA)


http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20110401_Ex-Warriors_hope_someone_took_notice.html

http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/sportsnews/20110401_Pilares_enjoys_a_solid_pro_day.html

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Good-day-for-Hawaii-prospects.html