Eight athletes shine at ECU’s 2024 pro day

With the National Football League (NFL) draft coming up on April 25, the East Carolina University football team held their annual Pro Day at their practice facility on March 26 for players to showcase their talents in front of many NFL scouts.

Though the Pirates did not achieve the overall team success they had planned for in the 2023 season, eight student-athletes felt they demonstrated the ability to compete at the next level by participating in Pro Day.

These athletes include:

-Graduate student linebacker BJ Davis

-Senior wide receiver Jaylen Johnson

-Graduate student wide receiver Jarett Garner

-Senior wide receiver Jsi Hatfield

-Graduate student defensive back Jonathon Jones

-Senior outside linebacker Jeremy Lewis

-Graduate student punter Archer Trafford

-Senior defensive back Julius Wood

Davis spent four years at South Carolina State University before transferring to ECU for his final season, when he appeared in all 12 games and started four. Despite this limitation, Davis finished the season with 59 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss, ranking third on the team.

This year, the South Carolina native ranked second on the team in pass breakups with seven and forced a pair of fumbles. This play earned him a spot on the College Football Network's All-American Athletic Conference Third Team.

Johnson began his college career walking on at the University of Georgia, as he was a part of the 2021 National Champion winning team, before transferring to ECU for his last two seasons. Johnson caught 76 receptions for 855 yards, averaging 11.3 yards per grab in 48 career games.

Johnson scored all six of his touchdowns while wearing a Pirate uniform, including two this season, which tied him for first on the team. Johnson's most productive game was against the University of Texas at San Antonio, when he recorded a career-high 105 receiving yards and scored a touchdown.

Garner had a six-year collegiate career, with the majority of his impact coming at Duke University, where he played four seasons. Garner found himself open a lot in the Pirates first game of the season against the University of Michigan and caught four passes, a career high.

Garner caught his career-long 52-yard touchdown against Syracuse University while playing for the Blue Devils. In 2021, he also recorded two or more receptions in three games. Garner had 41 total yards on his six catches while at ECU.

Hatfield was a Pirate for his entire five-year career, working his way up the depth chart since his freshman year and starting a personal best nine games during the 2023 campaign. Hatfield was an all-around weapon for the Pirates, appearing in 48 games and starting 20 of them. He played in the pass game, run game, and special teams.

The Graham, North Carolina native accumulated over 2,000 career all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns. He gained 1,104 yards in the pass game, with 75 career catches and an average of 14.7 yards per catch. Hatfield also starred in the kick and punt return game, earning 804 return yards and returning a kick return for a score in 2022. He added 93 yards in the backfield as well.

Jones was a four-year player at Campbell University before transferring to ECU for his senior season, when he appeared in all 12 games as a reserve. He broke up two passes this season against Appalachian State University and recovered a fumble against Gardner Webb University. Jones ended his collegiate career with four interceptions.

Lewis is the most probable player from this Pirates group to be drafted to the NFL, having started 33 consecutive career games. The team's co-captain was awarded All-AAC third team by the conference's head coaches during his 2023 season, when he produced 40 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks.

Lewis had 150 tackles in his career, including 23.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks, as well as three forced fumbles, and was named to the All-AAC Academic Team four times.

Trafford transferred from Mississippi State University and spent his final season in purple and gold as a field goal holder. He appeared in all 12 games and played 53 special teams snaps. The team made 18 of 25 field goals while he was holding, and he punted seven times for 317 yards with a 45.3 average.

Wood played the least amount of seasons out of the bunch but only needed three to build his NFL draft stock. After a career year starting all games, Wood led the team in tackles for two straight seasons in 2022 (87) and 2023 (86) and grabbed four interceptions combined in those two seasons, returning one of them for a touchdown against the University of Memphis.

The lockdown corner was also a hard hitter, causing 5.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles and eight pass breakups in his career. Starting every game in his final season, Wood earned the honor of First Team All-AAC, the only Pirate to do so in 2023.

The NFL Draft will take place from April 25 through April 27 in Detroit, Michigan. The three-day event will be broadcast live on ESPN and ABC, with various commentators available on each network.