COMMENTARY

Pro day always a reminder of what could have been

What might have been is the feeling that hits me every pro day. It happened again Wednesday while watching Dominique Reed glide down the field for perfectly thrown deep passes from quarterback Brandon Allen.

It was a bit of a sad feeling because Reed’s two years at Arkansas flew by without the kind of impact that some predicted.

Do you remember the summer of 2015 when almost every chance to talk to someone with a tie to Arkansas football centered on what Reed was doing in the voluntary workouts? Allen raved about Reed at the SEC media day. So did head coach Bret Bielema.

An NFL coach came to me at the end of the pro day this week. He liked a lot of Arkansas players, but Reed was the one who produced the most wow moments. Reed will get a chance at the next level. Allen had told anyone who asked that “you are going to like” the Camden product with the 4.3 speed.

Reed wasn’t really a factor as a senior at Arkansas. A high ankle sprain in camp ruined the first half of his season. There was a play or two from week to week in the second half of the season, but Reed finished with just 16 catches for 255 yards. That was down from his junior year when he had 28 catches for 535 yards.

There were hardly any plays like the amazing catch and sprint for touchdowns that highlighted victories at Tennessee and LSU during his junior season.

So what happened? No one thinks Reed is a bad actor, but he just doesn’t take care of his business all the time. He might be late for a meeting, a weightlifting session or fail to fill out mundane paperwork. The latter wouldn’t be a big deal except for all of the other stuff and the fact everyone else took the time to do it.

There were times when Reed was chastised by coaches for not knowing the plays. I heard it over and over, he’ll get on the field for more plays, if he knows them.

This is important as Arkansas heads to spring break. The Hogs hit the practice field when they return with the first workout scheduled for March 28.

Why it’s important has to do with a few on the team with Reed-like talent yet to step to the front of the lines. The one I’m thinking about is C.J. O’Grady, now listed as Cheyenne. With me, he’s still C.J. But, he has a chance to become Cheyenne with the coming spring practices.

O’Grady has enough talent to become Cheyenne, kind of like those Brazilian soccer players earn onename references. He’s got the ability to be that kind of player with Razorback fans over the next two seasons.

There has never been any question about O’Grady’s ability. The son of the late Larry Marks of UA basketball fame, O’Grady was a four-star recruit by every major service when he finished at Fayetteville.

Bielema has been careful not to hand out too much praise for O’Grady in the past, making sure his bluechip tight end did everything right. His reputation at Fayetteville was that he often times did not practice and might take some plays off.

“He makes the tough catches, but I want him to make the routine catches,” Bielema said last spring. “I don’t want to see him try to one-hand a routine catch, and he does that sometimes.”

But praise is what is coming O’Grady’s way more and more. Both Bielema and tight ends coach Barry Lunney mentioned the 6-4, 255-pounder in the last couple of weeks for his work this past winter. They no longer talk about his potential. They mention his growing work ethic. That’s a new development.

If it’s clicked for O’Grady, it might be a major development for the Arkansas offense. Tight ends get a chance to shine in Bielema’s system.

It’s O’Grady’s time. Hunter Henry and Jeremy Sprinkle are gone. Yes, Austin Cantrell is still going to get lots of plays because of his size and ability to block, but there is room for both the frequency of double tight end sets at Arkansas.

I’ve got a warning for O’Grady, though. Jeremy Patton will arrive this summer. At 6-6, 236, Patton is the same kind of athlete as O’Grady. Patton was the nation’s number one tight end in the country in the junior college ranks last year at Arizona Western.

They have similar ability and could both be in the rotation next fall. They are the kind of athletes who might get a chance to play off the line. Dan Enos, the Arkansas offensive coordinator, likes to use his tight ends as wide receivers to get mismatches on defensive backs.

O’Grady was rated as the nation’s No. 2 tight end when he came out of high school. He’s got the hands, the speed and the body to make a huge impact for his last two years. Interestingly, he sits in almost the same position as Dominique Reed did two years ago.

I just wonder if O’Grady will be that guy on pro day two years from now with NFL scouts wondering if he’s worth a gamble? I hope not. He’s got a chance to be better than that. He may not be a risk.

There are good things coming out of the Arkansas camp right now. I think something good is about to happen. C.J. O’Grady is about to earn status as Cheyenne.

Clay Henry can be reached at chenry@nwadg.com.

Upcoming Events