Grice-Mullins improves stock with fast 40
By Dave Reardon
April 2, 2008
In the time it takes to read this sentence, Ryan Grice-Mullins did something spectacular.
The former Hawaii slotback covered 40 yards in 4.33 seconds yesterday at UH's pro timing day in Carson, Calif. It makes him among the fastest documented receivers available to be drafted into the NFL later this month.
"It got a little bit of a buzz going. Some teams are calling my agent and I might be doing some visits," said Grice-Mullins, who ran 4.46 at the NFL Combine. "It was kind of funny because a lot of people were surprised today. But I wasn't. I was disappointed with my times at the combine. At the combine I ran (and) people were like, 'Those are good times.' I didn't think so."
Grice-Mullins said he felt more comfortable at the Home Depot Center in Carson than he did at the combine.
"At the combine it was a lot of waiting around, and I think I got a little tight," he said. "Here, I was in a comfort zone."
"He's now a solid third- or fourth-round pick, and could go higher," said a veteran NFL scout who timed Grice-Mullins yesterday. "He definitely moves to the head of the class of the Hawaii receivers."
Another scout said the 4.33 time is legit.
"A couple guys actually had him at 4.27. I had him at 4.36 and 4.38," said the scout, who added that the track was fast, and the times would convert to around 4.45 to 4.47 on grass.
An agent said Grice-Mullins made himself a factor in the draft.
"It puts him on the map and forces teams to put him on their board. Now they'll pull game tape on him, and if they pull one where he has a decent performance, that helps him a lot," said Wynn Silberman, who was at Carson yesterday as the representative for a Kamehameha graduate, tight end Kolo Kapanui. "The bottom line today is Ryan showed some great speed, and that is a major commodity in the draft."
Ryan Tollner, Grice-Mullins' agent, agreed that the 40 time elevates his client from a potential role player as a slotback to a possible game breaker wideout.
"I'd say he's shown he's got explosiveness, speed, that he can get into a second gear and beyond," Tollner said. "And he's such a good guy. Ryan's got a likeability to him. He's approachable, but not an ego guy."
Grice-Mullins also put together an impressive body of work on the field at UH, with two 1,000-yard receiving seasons in three years.
"I've done everything I can, so now I kind of wait and see," said Grice-Mullins, who added he will come to Hawaii next week to relax for a few days. "My lowest time was 4.27 and the highest 4.40 or 4.41, so they liked the consistency."
http://archives.starbulletin.com/2008/0 ... ory02.html