TTU playmakers Xavier White, Baylor Cupp look to make NFL waves
At Big 12 Pro Day's first sessions on Thursday, Texas Tech's Xavier White and Baylor Cupp flashed their skills at the Star in Frisco.
White was able to impress, flashing a 4.45 40-yard dash time, the fastest of all players at the Big 12 Pro Day's first scenario.
"So actually I was in Dallas training. Just working on explosion. Really just working on getting my body just healthy, cut up and just working on me being more explosive for this Pro Day," White said.
"After this now it's football, now it's time to get more physical, strengthen my body up from conditioning."
White enjoyed the experience at the Star, being able to put himself on the map to some NFL scouts with a strong day that included 14 reps on bench press, a 31.5 inch vertical, a 9-foot broad jump and a 7.03-second shuttle.
"I thought it was pretty cool, I mean there's a whole bunch of exposure here. Everyone is competing against each other and just trying to do the best of their ability. I kinda feel like I had a pretty good day. I ran really good today. I wish my vertical and my broad jump was a little bit better but I was still kinda warming up at that time. Other than that I thought I had a really, really good day and impressed a lot of coaches here," White said.
White's positional value at the next level comes with the ability to play every position and potentially be a strong piece on a special teams unit.
"That's kind of the main thing, just me being versatile. You can put me wherever and I can play. You don't have to pay four different guys, you can just pay me and I can play those four positions. It can be two snaps at receiver, three snaps at running back and two snaps at returner. I mean, I can do it all. That's the main thing, I'm just versatile."
Overall, White's stock likely improved on Thursday, something that he believed after his performance, being fueled by his time at Texas Tech.
"Honestly just being more prepared. Being around those coaches they helped me out, watching film all day, being prepared for the game so the game is slower. Preparing my body, drinking water, drinking fluids, preparing for this draft day. Really just having a mindset and preparing just for this Pro Day and that's what I did today," White said.
On the other hand, Baylor Cupp had a solid day at the pro day, turning in a strong performance in the physical drills while being unable to participate in the fast-twitch drills, like the 40-yard dash and shuttle due to an injury.
Cupp posted 23 reps on the bench press, jumped 30 inches in the vertical while broad jumping 9 feet and 11 inches.
"I thought it went well. This was a really cool experience and I'm glad I was here to be a part of the first one. It was really cool. I think I've got a lot of stuff I need to work on, I didn't hit everything I wanted but I think I had a lot of positives in there as well," Cupp said.
Cupp echoed a similar tone to White about his time at Texas Tech developing him as an athlete and person.
"Yeah, it helped me a lot. I grew and matured a lot. I learned a lot about football, I learned a lot about myself and had some experiences while I was there. I wouldn't be where I am today without those two years," Cupp said.
Cupp and White weren't the only Red Raiders to participate on Thursday as defensive backs Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Tyler Owens, Malik Dunlap and Rayshad Williams all participated in the afternoon session.
Owens was unable to participate in the athleticism drills due to the injury but his performance at the 2024 NFL Combine loomed large, as did Taylor-Demerson's. Rabbit didn't participate in the athleticism drills after his strong performance in Indianapolis, but posted 18 reps on the bench press.
Dunlap posted a 10-foot-4 broad jump and 34 inch vertical jump, both impressive numbers alongside a 4.68 40-yard dash and 7.18 second shuttle.
Williams posted a 4.57 40-yard dash, 7.07 shuttle, a 32.5 inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-2 broad jump.