Syracuse Football: Ryan Guthrie shines bright at Cuse Pro Day

Former Syracuse football linebacker Ryan Guthrie excelled in the biggest job interview of his life at the Cuse Pro Day. Here are all the details.

What a remarkable college career for Syracuse football linebacker Ryan Guthrie. He started his college career at Ellsworth Community College and in those two years, he played in 24 total games, registering 266 tackles, 12.5 sacks, and accumulating 10 turnovers.

After putting up video game numbers in community college he made the transition to Syracuse for his final two years of eligibility. In his JUCO junior season on the hill, he was scrambling to figure out what the hell was going on before everything finally clicked in his senior season:

• All-ACC Second Team
• Led the ACC with 107 total tackles, including 66 solo stops
• Started all 13 games at middle linebacker

As if expectations weren’t high enough, Ryan had to replace two of the most successful linebackers in program history with Zaire Franklin and Parris Bennett going to the NFL. Speaking of Parris I caught up with him at the Syracuse Pro Day and he had this to say about his former teammate:

"“Ryan Guthrie is one of the guys that just gets better every time he steps on the field. His 40 speed might not be blazing (4.78 40-yard dash) but the guy has closing speed and can play in space and is a good tackler. He’s athletic and has a hunger to hunt the football. That’s a prerequisite to playing at the next level. Ryan is smart and you need the mental capacity to handle the playbooks and calls of an NFL defense. Overall I think Guthrie has a great shot to make an NFL roster.”"

I’ll be honest when Zaire and Parris left I wasn’t sure who was going to step up and I certainly didn’t expect Guthrie to become that guy. I’m glad I was wrong.

Guthrie had spent the past eight weeks getting his mind and body right for what amounts to be a three-hour audition in front of 26 NFL teams and it showed in the seven drills that the Syracuse players ran through:

• Out of the seven events, Guthrie finished first in five of the categories out of 12 players who participated in SU’s Pro Day:
  • Vertical Jump: 34”
  • Broad Jump: 10’3” (would have placed fifth at the NFL Combine among linebackers)
  • 3-Cone Drill: 6.96
  • 20-Yard Shuttle: 4.22
  • 60-Yard Shuttle: 11.62

Although after the Pro Day I got a chance to speak with Ryan and when asked how he thought he performed he said, “I did alright.” Suggesting there was some things he could’ve done better and some things he performed even better than he thought.

When asked beyond the numbers, what did he want to show NFL teams on Monday?

"“I wanted to show them I’m versatile and I can eat dirt. I’ll do whatever they want me to do to get on the field. I think I did that here at Syracuse. I played defensive end for a year and got my tail whooped a few times but I found my way on the field.”"

Guthrie certainly lived up to the versatility label playing defensive line then starting 13 games at linebacker in the ACC one of the toughest conferences in all of college football. But he knew how important the Pro Day was saying, “I was nervous! Can’t lie about that. I want to just say it’s like another game but it’s nothing like that at all.”

Up next for Ryan will be individual NFL workouts leading up to the NFL Draft on April 25th. Guthrie revealed he was invited to the Buffalo Bills “Pro Day” at their facilities and he’s looking forward to that opportunity on the horizon. While Ryan hasn’t been projected in any of the mock drafts, he’s a guy that will be on an NFL roster this Fall based off his dedication, undeniable skills, and work ethic.