It’s hard to live up to all the hype that’s been surrounding Zay Flowers this spring, but he may have done it during the NFL Combine on Saturday.
Flowers showed how smooth he can be during the “gauntlet” drill, catching all but one low throw in his direction. During the portion of the workouts where quarterbacks get to show off their arm, Flowers seemingly effortlessly tracked down some deep balls. Most importantly, during his two 40-yard dashes, Flowers posted unofficial times of 4.42 and 4.45, continuing to show he is Mr. Consistency. While the speeds may not have been too eye-popping like some others being put up this weekend, Flowers’ overall performance should have locked up a first round draft spot for him the final weekend in April.
On Friday, Flowers met with the media along with the rest of the wide receivers and touched on a number of things prior to his performance.
ON HOW THE BC OFFENSE ALLOWED HIM TO BE PRODUCTIVE AND HOW IT COULD HELP IN THE NFL
“Coach McNulty allowed me to move to different spots. He gave me a chance to make plays and also the quarterbacks gave me the chance to make plays with the ball in their hands. Being able to move and learn different positions, I think that would help anybody.”
ON THE VIDEO WITH GENO SMITH
“That was a throwback video to like, 2020 and he just posted it again. We DM’d a couple times, but working out with him I just got a feel of how an NFL quarterback thinks and like, what type of balls he throws, how fast…I don’t think I’ve met with the Seahawks, but I would love to catch passes from Geno, that’s a Florida connection right there.”
ON WHAT CHANGED WHILE HE PUT ON WEIGHT
“Change of diet. Changing the times I was eating. More consistent meals and just being on time mentally and doing everything right at the right time. (Flowers said he now weighs 183lbs.)
ON IF HE THINKS HE CAN PLAY WITH MORE WEIGHT
“Yeah, I can play at this weight. I’m running at it, so, I’ve been running with it for four weeks. I think I’ll be completely fine.”
ON EMULATING STEVE SMITH AND BEING COMPARED TO HIM
“Steve Smith, he was just a dog I’d say. He could go up and get the ball against anybody. He put his body on the line….I like it. I watched Steve Smith. I watched his highlights, I watched Antonio Brown highlights, I just take stuff from those guys and try to add it to my own game, be my own player.”
ON POSSIBLY PLAYING WITH LAMAR JACKSON
“Playing with Lamar, like I said, Florida connection, that would be two dynamic players going out there and making plays every game."
ON ADVICE FROM ANTONIO BROWN
“He’s a hard worker. He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen in my life…just being around him motivated me to work even harder than I was working before. He gave me advice on deep balls, tracking the ball, stuff like that.
”ON IF HE MET WITH THE CHICAGO BEARS GM RYAN POLES AND POSSIBLY PLAYING WITH JUSTIN FIELDS
“I did meet with the Chicago Bears. It didn’t come up in the conversations, but we played a little bit of golf in there though. Justin, he can make plays with his league and if people didn’t know, he can throw the ball too, because he was really a throwing quarterback, he just had to use his legs last year. To be able to play with somebody that dynamic would just help my game…I think we could compliment each other.”
ON POSSIBLY PLAYING WITH THE DALLAS COWBOYS
“I think it would add something different. You’ve got two guys that win contested balls a lot and then you add somebody that’s dynamic and can move all over the field, I think that would be great.”
ON POSSIBLY PLAYING WITH THE BUFFALO BILLS
“That’s something I dream of, something like that (playing with Josh Allen and Stefan Diggs), so being able to play with those guys, vets, I’d learn something from them. Coming into the league I’d love to have Stefan Diggs as a mentor. Being able to step in and be with them would be a dream come true.”
ON GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
“I just want all the kids to believe in themselves, like I did. The logo on the helmet don’t mean that you can’t do what you want to do.”
ON HOW BEING PART OF A LARGE FAMILY HELPED HIM
“That kept me competitive, kept me on my toes. Kept me high-spirited, they’re my biggest fans, my brothers and sisters. I’m living the dream for all of us.”
ON IF HE’S BUILT RELATIONSHIPS WITH ANY TEAMS YET
“Yeah, I think a couple teams that I see around the hotels just walking around, I’ll stop and talk to them, crack jokes a little bit. So, I think I’ve definitely built a few relationships with teams.”
ON REPRESENTING SOUTH FLORIDA
“That’s what I dreamed of as a little kid, being one of those guys that comes out of South Florida and put on for his city. Being here and being able to do what I’m doing, I think, is a fine example of me doing it.”
ON WHAT KIND OF BLOCKER HE IS
“I think I’m pretty physical for a receiver. If you watch my film, my coach, we was pretty hard on blocking. If you wanted the ball, you have to block, so I think I’m a pretty good blocker.”
ON HOW BASKETBALL HELPED HIM
“Basketball helped with my releases, I would say. It helped me get open, helped me stay agile the time I didn’t have football. Basketball played a big part.”
ON IF HE FEELS LIKE HE SHOULD BE THE FIRST RECEIVER OFF THE BOARD
“I feel like anybody should think they deserve to be the first receiver off the board. I don’t really pay attention to any of it. I just try and get my work done and just keep moving forward.”'
ON EXCELLING AS NOT ONLY A SLOT GUY, BUT AN OUTSIDE THREAT AS WELL
“I’m not just a slot. 75% of my snaps was played outside. I think I can move around and play any position that they put me at.”
ON IF HE HAS A FAVORITE ROUTE
“I can run every route.”
