Rutgers OL J.D. DiRenzo tested well, showed versatility during Pro Day
J.D. DiRenzo was the last player off the field at Rutgers Pro Day this past Tuesday.
DiRenzo barely had time to catch his breath for a moment before he met with the media. That was all part of a hectic schedule of events not only on Pro Day, but the months leading up to it after the season ended in late November.
“I feel like it went well. I’ve trained for it for a couple months now, and to see it come to a fruition, it was a hard training circuit, but I think it went well,” DiRenzo said. “I think everyone did a really great job. We all showed out today and we made the university proud.”
The training for DiRenzo was unique in the fact that offensive linemen don’t typically have a need for the tests that the players go through at Pro Day like the 40-yard dash, but he went through them all. DiRenzo measured in at 6-foot-4, 306 pounds. He didn’t do the bench press, but he reached 33 ½ inches in the vertical, 9-feet, 2-inches in the broad jump, and ran a 5.25 second 40-yard dash, a 7.25 3-cone drill, and a 4.51 20-yard shuttle.
His 3-cone drill would have led everyone at the NFL Scouting Combine among offensive lineman, his vertical would have been third best, his broad jump would be tied for sixth, and his 20-yard shuttle would have been the second fastest.
“Obviously I play football, and then you train for something like this, it’s different. You’re not practicing football and you’re more practicing your get-off, your jumps, your 40-yard dash, and your bench press,” DiRenzo said. “You do a little football stuff, but you do more agility.”
Pro Day testing isn’t everything, but those numbers do help his case. So does proving you can be a versatile player. DiRenzo played left tackle and right tackle at Sacred Heart where he was an All-American. He then played mostly left guard, but also some left tackle this past season in his one year at Rutgers.
At Pro Day, he was seen taking snaps and doing drills as a center as well.
“I haven’t played any in-game snaps at center, but I wanted to show that I can snap the ball and play that position either as a job or in a pinch,” DiRenzo said. “I wanted to show I can play as many positions as possible and that I can be versatile. I can do multiple things that can maybe help my chances to earn a spot.”
Leading up to Pro Day, Rutgers new offensive line coach Pat Flaherty taught DiRenzo how to play center. Flaherty was also at Rutgers this past season in a consultant role.
“He helped me a lot,” DiRenzo said. “It’s hard to find a more experienced offensive line coach. He was huge in my progression as a player. Even after the season he was still working with me and taught me how to snap, so today it was a lot easier. Grateful to have him in this process.”
DiRenzo was named Rutgers’ MVP on offense during the team banquet in December. He also played in the Hula Bowl in December. Playing in the Big Ten was a major development for DiRenzo, he said.
“It helped so much,” said DiRenzo, who played at St. Joseph (Hammonton) in high school. “One year alone here helped me grow as a person and as a player. The competition was great and I got great coaching. All the minor details from coach Schiano and the whole offensive staff made me a better player and technician. I feel like I got better in my one year here.”
Next up for DiRenzo is more training and the local pro days with the New York Giants and Jets in early April. The NFL Draft begins on April 27. He just wants to play some football.
“I have a couple local days I’m going to with the Jets and Giants,” DiRenzo said. “It was good to be invited to those and I can’t wait to get in front of the staffs there and do more football stuff. I’m excited for that. It’s still early in the process.”
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky.
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