NFL hopeful Daniel Wise improves 40 time at KU’s Pro Day
Daniel Wise has a busy month ahead.
Before the upcoming NFL Draft, the Kansas defensive lineman will be working out with NFL teams and also attempting to remain in shape, readying himself for a future training camp.
Following a productive KU Pro Day on Wednesday, though, Wise had other plans in his immediate future.
“First I’m going out to eat, get a nice dinner,” Wise said with a smile. “I think I deserve that.”
The NFL hopeful accomplished what he wanted during the showcase day at KU’s new indoor practice facility. After running a 5.28-second 40-meter dash earlier this month at the NFL Combine, Wise improved Wednesday by dropping that number to an unofficial 5.16 seconds on his second attempt.
“I’m pleased with what I got,” Wise said. “I think I did well in the drills, so I think I did good overall today.”
It was a lot less stressful than his earlier trip to Indianapolis. Wise not only had his former KU teammates cheering him on Wednesday, but he also had his brother Deatrich Jr. — currently a member of the New England Patriots — in Lawrence to support him.
“He brings me energy,” Daniel said. “I felt it from over there.”
Wise, who is projected as a mid-round pick in the NFL Draft that runs April 25-27, previously improved his standing during January’s East-West Shrine Game in St. Petersburg, Fla. Bleacher Report’s Chris Roling listed Wise afterward as one of six players whose stock “blew up” following that week of practices.
‘I think it helped me move up in a lot of guys’ books,” Wise said of the trip.
Teammate Joe Dineen also was impressed by what he saw from Wise on Wednesday. He said, in particular, that Wise looked quick in the first 10 meters of his 40-yard dash.
“I’m happy with how he did,” Dineen said. “He’s going to make a lot of money.”
As for Dineen — KU’s other top NFL hopeful — Wednesday was not as productive as he’d hoped. Because he was not invited to the NFL Combine, the linebacker had trained for the better part of the last three months to prepare himself for the Pro Day testing.
Though his early numbers were fine — he had a best unofficial time of 4.60 in the 40 — Dineen pulled up with a tweak in his right hamstring during a sprint, which kept him from participating in the shuttle runs after that.
“I felt like leading up to me getting hurt, I’d had a pretty good day,” Dineen said. “It just sucks that it had to get cut short, but I’m sure that I’ll get my chance to show what I’ve got elsewhere.”
Dineen remained optimistic it wasn’t a serious injury, saying he still planned to go through a scheduled workout with the Kansas City Chiefs in the next two weeks. He also was hopeful that Pro Day stats wouldn’t be the only factor determining his value.
“What they’re going to look at is the film and the numbers I put up in college, which fortunately for me, I think are pretty good,” Dineen said. “Hopefully, if they just go look back at the film — and then they see I can run somewhat fast — they’ll take a chance on me.”
As of now, Dineen said he’d heard projections that he’d either be a late-round pick or an undrafted free agent.
“Obviously, you hope you get drafted, but if not, it’s not going to hold me back or anything,” Dineen said. “I feel like some team will get lucky to have me, and I’ll go out there and make it hard for myself to get cut.”
One other KU standout from Wednesday was cornerback Shakial Taylor, who ran a pair of unofficial 4.39s in the 40-yard dash.
This story was originally published March 27, 2019 at 4:53 PM.
