Jaylen Twyman, Paris Ford return to Pitt for pro day workouts with eyes on the NFL

Two sides of Jaylen Twyman were exposed Wednesday when he returned to Pitt.

He was there for Pitt’s pro day, where 16 former players got the chance to showcase their size, skill and football acumen — all of which are hard to miss in Twyman’s case — for 32 NFL teams.

32.5" vertical jump at 301 pounds?@JaylenTwyman is having a DAY! ?

?: https://t.co/w9Rxxenv1J (ACCNX)#H2P x @UPMCSportsMed pic.twitter.com/V3CHoOM3at

— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) March 17, 2021

Twyman, a 6-foot-2, 302 pounder ranked fourth by ESPN among defensive tackles, did 40 bench press lifts of 225 pounds — nine off the NFL combine record of the past decade set by Oregon State’s Stephen Paea in 2011.

“I almost fell asleep watching them all. There were so many of them,” said Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi, who added 40 is the most he has seen in his career. “He loves the bench press.”

But the other side of Twyman is this: He revealed he cried last year after deciding to sit out the 2020 season.

After opting out of a season in which he was named preseason All-American, Twyman went to Florida in September to begin training for pre-draft workouts. (The NFL Combine was canceled this year out of caution over covid-19 and replaced across the country by days such as Wednesday at Pitt.)

Hundreds of miles away, Twyman kept in touch with his former Pitt teammates.

“I probably remember almost every play that happened,” he said. “I cried the first couple games. I definitely was missing them a lot.”

Paris Ford, an All-ACC safety from Steel Valley, also worked out Wednesday after he left the team seven games into the season.

Understandably, the subject came up after the workout in Zoom conference calls with reporters.

“I was just trying to help my mom and my little brother financially,” Twyman said. “My team showed great gratitude toward me. They felt I wasn’t selfish at all.”

He admitted he could have improved his statistical performance — he led the team with 10½ sacks in 2019 — if he had stayed and played between All-American defensive ends Rashad Weaver and Patrick Jones II.

“I feel like my numbers would have been better than (2019) with the teammates I had around me,” he said. “Sacks would have fallen into my lap. I wouldn’t have had to work as hard as I did in 2019.”

Said Ford: “It was definitely hard leaving my brothers. But that’s in the past now, and I’ll just let God handle what He handles.”

Later, he pointed toward “family reasons, personal reasons.”

“Me and Coach Duzzy talked about it, and we felt it was best for the team and myself,” he said.

Ford, who recorded 97 tackles in 2019 and six interceptions and three forced fumbles in 29 career games, ran two relatively slow 40-yard dash times. He was timed at 4.9 and 4.83 seconds, according to Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy’s tweet.

Pitt pro-day numbers (NFL scout times):

Jaylen Twyman
HT: 6016
WT: 301
Hand: 10
Arm: 32 1/8
Wing: 78 4/8
VJ: 32.5
BJ: 8-8
40: 5.51/5.39
10: 1.75/1.74
3C: 8.00
BP: 40

Paris Ford
6005
197
9 1/2
32 3/8
76 4/8
VJ: 28.5
BJ: 9-2
40: 4.90/4.83
10: 1.56/1.64
SS: 4.53
3C: 7.65

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) March 17, 2021

“I wouldn’t say a great day. I’ll say a decent day,” Ford said in assessing his performance. “Probably wish I could have done a few things better, but the proof is in the pudding now.”

Former Pitt and NFL fullback Lousaka Polite, a Woodland Hills graduate, pointed out during the ACC Network telecast that players are “getting paid to play football. They’re not getting paid to run in tights.”

Narduzzi pointed to “combine results and football results.”

“Football results will show up in August and September for some of these guys,” he said.

Ford said he didn’t mind the workout, noting it has been a necessary requirement for anyone wishing to play in the NFL.

“This stuff’s been going on for 100 years now, this combine stuff,” he said. “I just do what I’m told to do, and the (game) film speaks for itself.

“Teams know I can play ball, but they want to see the other stuff. The ball’s in their court now. They’re going to judge on what they judge on. I know I gave my 100% all, and that’s all I can really do.”

Ford is eager to start a pro career, noting he will be “the first one in my family to create a generation of wealth.”

“I’ve been working for this moment since I was 5 years old,” he said. “This is all I know.”

Narduzzi was happy to welcome to the workouts Twyman, Ford and even six members of his 2019 team: Saleem Brightwell, Jeff George Jr., Will Gragg, Aaron Mathews, Jazzee Stocker and Amir Watts.

He said he was impressed by Watts, a defensive tackle he predicted will be in an NFL camp this summer.

“Those guys are family, guys we love,” Narduzzi said. “That’s the family we have. Whether they played last season or not, whether they opted out or not, it doesn’t matter. They’re our kids. They are forever Panthers.”