NFL scouts don't always consider D-III athletes, but Thurgood Dennis from UW-Eau Claire hopes to change that



MADISON (WITI) -- Getting noticed is an important part of a job search. The more you stand out, the better chance you have of landing a job. Thurgood Dennis is a long-shot to make the NFL, but he's making the most of his opportunity.

As the NFL Draft nears, players who are draft eligible are trying to find their way onto a team's board. The higher up on the board, like Wisconsin Badgers running back Melvin Gordon is sure to be, the better chance there is for a player to make a team.

Gordon has been noticed by scouts from every team already, and rightfully so. He set numerous records for the Badgers in 2014, and was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. He and five other teammates were in Madison recently trying to improve their stock as they looked to impress scouts at what is known as "Pro Day."

"I wanted to prove to myself that I could catch the ball and do the things that I wanted to do and I came out here and did that," Gordon said.

But they weren't the only players on the field in Madison.

Thurgood Dennis made the 181-mile trip from Eau Claire to Camp Randall Stadium for the chance to show his talents.

"I think it went okay. Definitely learned a lot from today," Dennis said.

Dennis was one of only three Division III players working out for the scouts at Wisconsin's Pro Day, but he sees that as a good thing.

"Just to get my name out there a little bit more I think. I think even scouts seeing Thurogood Dennis, Wisconsin-Eau Claire or Jake Kumerow Wisconsin-Whitewater on there kind of raised a few eyebrows and showed them that we do play football at D-III too. We got 100 yards, a ball, offense, defense. Just kind of show them that I'm here to be taken seriously and hopefully get a few good marks down as well," Dennis said.

One thing Dennis has done during his career at UW-Eau Claire is get good marks. He was a standout cornerback for the Blugolds, and he is a two-time Division III national champion in the 60-yard dash. The latter seemed to give him a boost at his Pro Day workout.

"My start was really explosive because of my track background. It's a three-point stance versus track it's a four-point stance with the blocks. But it's similar enough," Dennis said.

Another boost came from the responses he got from the scouts on hand.

"I've gotten some good feedback, some tips for stuff to work on, which makes me think of good things because coaches and scouts wouldn't tell you to work on stuff unless they thought you could improve or thought they you could help them in some ways. So, got some feedback, some positive stuff here and there. Just kind of want to build on it, build my whole athletic portfolio here over the next week. See how it goes," Dennis said.

While Eau Claire is only 181 miles from Madison, it's seemingly a million miles away from any football scout's vision, but Dennis is hoping he can change that this year.

"You've got to know that football players come from somewhere and just believe that your somewhere could be that somewhere, you know," Dennis said.

The NFL Draft runs from April 30th through May 2nd in Chicago.

Gordon Melvin is expected to go in the first or second round while Dennis and others are just hoping to hear their name called in any round.