NEW YORK—Over 25 National Football League scouts were in attendance to observe 35 college players in a workout at the second annual New York NFL Pro Day held Thursday afternoon at Columbia's Baker Athletics Complex and "Bubble at Baker" Indoor Practice Facility.
Among the 35 players were three Columbia student-athletes—placekicker
Chris Alleyne, long snapper
Patrick Eby and defensive back Denzel Hill. Alleyne was given the opportunity to take field goals and kickoffs, Eby showed off his long snapping skills and Hill ran drills with the defensive backs. Alleyne was converting 50-yard field goals with ease.
Multiple NFL scouts from 16 teams were in attendance including representatives of the New York Giants, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans. In addition, national and local New York media members were on hand to cover the five-hour long event.
The workout began at 11:30 a.m. with a closed weight room testing session. Testing was followed by an open field session at Columbia's indoor "Bubble at Baker" which included a 40-yard dash, 60-yard shuttle, agility drills and position-specific drills.
CHRIS ALLEYNE | PK
A San Diego, Calif. native, Alleyne enjoyed a phenomenal senior year as he established Columbia season records for most field goals made (15), most points by a placekicker (69) and highest point after touchdown percentage (1.000, 24-24). Alleyne concluded the 2018 season ranked No. 9 nationally in field goals made per game (1.50), No. 15 in field goal percentage (15-18, 83.3%) and led the Ivy League in field goals and point after attempt conversion percentage. He also ranked No. 6 in the league in scoring (6.9 points per game), No. 3 in kick scoring (6.9) and led the Lions in overall scoring (69 points). Alleyne, who converted 15-18 field goals on the year, converted five field goals of over 40 yards and kicked a career-long 51-yarder vs. Yale on Oct. 27, which ranks as the second longest field goal in school history. In addition, Alleyne also registered 27 touchbacks on 51 kickoffs as Columbia's kickoff specialist. Alleyne is an Economics major and will graduate in May.
PATRICK EBY | LS
In 2018, Eby became Columbia Football's first First Team All-America selection since tight end Andrew Kennedy in 2010. He earned consensus First Team All-America honors by STATS FCS and Phil Steele Magazine. A Towson, Md. native, Eby has seen action in 40 consecutive games as Columbia's long snapper. Over his four-year career, he has snapped 247 punts, 84 point after attempts and 58 field goals for the Lions. A Psychology major, Eby has also registered four career tackles on special teams coverage. His 40 career games played ties a school-record. Eby will graduate in May.
DENZEL HILL | DB
A 6-foot-three, 200-pound defensive back, Hill graduated from Columbia in May 2018. He saw action in 32 career games, including five starts at cornerback, before an injury sidelined him for the 2017 season's final five contests. During his five-year collegiate career, he made 15 tackles, intercepted a pass and caught 20 passes for 258 yards as a wide receiver. The Waldorf, Md. native spent his first three seasons as a wide receiver before moving to defensive back for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
In addition to Columbia, athletes representing Albany, Brockport College, Colgate, Fordham, LIU Post, Marist, Montclair State, Southern Connecticut, Stony Brook, SUNY-Brockport, SUNY-Maritime, SUNY-Maritime, Wagner and Yale participated in the workout.
