Flexing muscles

• By RANDY ROSETTA
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Mar 27, 2008 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 12:52 a.m.

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

With something to prove — some more than others — a handful of the most important parts of LSU’s 2007 national championship team went through the paces of Pro Day on Wednesday at the Charles McClendon Practice Facility.

Sixteen members of the Tigers’ 2007 title team, plus former LSU players Alley Broussard, Steven Korte and Daniel Francis went through a series of tests, drills and workouts for NFL personnel.

All 32 NFL teams were represented, with the heaviest contention from the Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints. Chiefs head coach Herman Edwards and GM Carl Peterson were on hand, as was Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

The primary focus of many of the scouts and personnel reps was former Tiger defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, a projected top-10 pick in next month’s NFL draft.

Dorsey didn’t disappoint, turning in a day that consisted of 27 bench press reps at 225 pounds, a 5.14 in the 40-yard dash and an impressive time of 7.63 in the three-cone drill — a barometer of explosion off the line of scrimmage and agility.

Wednesday was a chance for Dorsey to prove that he’s healthy, The 6-foot-1Ø, 297-pound Gonzales native did not participate in either the Senior Bowl or in workout activities at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

In large part because he declined to work out in Indianapolis, rumors of a chronic leg injury surfaced, slightly diminishing Dorsey’s draft stock. He is still considered one of the top players available, which Internet mock drafts pegging him as a possible pick by Atlanta with the third pick or the Chiefs at No. 5.

With his strong performance Wednesday, Dorsey hopes he put any doubts of his readiness for the NFL to rest.

“There were a lot of rumors about me, and I just wanted to put those rumors aside,” said Dorsey, who was named to every All-American team imaginable in 2007 after recording 69 tackles and seven sacks. “I’ve heard everything under the sun about me. There is nothing seriously wrong with me. I’m as healthy as I’ve ever been. I’m just taking it in stride and going about business.”

The business Wednesday included a rigorous workout with former Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron, now the Saints defensive line coach, and former NFL standout Tim Krumrie.

Dorsey worked with former Tigers offensive linemen Will Arnold and Carnell Stewart in a series of drills designed to test the player’s skills — physical and mental.

“I didn’t do anything at the Combine, I didn’t go to the Senior Bowl, so they wanted to see what I had,” Dorsey said. “I knew it was going to be tough, so that was probably the toughest part of the day.

“They want to see how you react when you’re tired. Are you going to keep your technique, or are you going to get lazy? I said to myself that I wasn’t going to let them break me. I just wanted to come out and work hard.”