Cal alumni like to think of Memorial Stadium as the center of the universe.
For at least one center, it was all that and more Wednesday with Alex Mack being the prize attraction for some 30 or more NFL scouts, coaches and personnel men at Cal’s Pro Day. More than 20 teams were represented.
Arriving after the morning weight work and not long after the 40-yard dash was complete were Raiders coach Tom Cable, line coach Jim Michalczik and line assistant Chris Morgan. At one point, the trio moved into the stands in an area near Mack’s drill work, with Cable at times standing or changing his position to make sure he got a better look.
“I just want to see athletically how he is, how he runs around, those things,” Cable said. “Mostly to get feel for him. You see him on tape, you kind of know what he is as a player. Here you get a chance to see him in person, see his body.”
It so happens that the Raiders lost center Jake Grove in free agency and that Michalczik was Mack’s line coach at Cal. Michalczik was keeping a low profile Wednesday, avoiding situations which would find teams trying to get information on his former pupil.
Cable, who stopped to chat with local reporters before leaving Memorial Stadium, said he has has yet to delve into Mack with Michalczik as yet.
“Sometimes it can give you an advantage, sometimes it can maybe cloud you too, so I’ve basically tried to keep that separate and told Jimmy, `Hey, we’ll make an opinion with the guy and then we’ll match him later,’ ” Cable said. “Let’s not hear a lot about it now and from and all those types of things because you really don’t want to cloud it.”
There is virtually no chance Mack would be taken with the No. 7 overall pick, and it is also highly unlikely he would be available when the Raiders pick in the second round at No. 40.
Cable deflected the issue of No. 7 being too high for a center saying, “Not if you need one. That’s the bottom line. A team’s got to do what they need to do so there’s some good at that position in the draft. H think he’s just one of the good players.’
That leaves the Raiders two options _ trade down, or package their second pick and a player and/or additional picks to move up into an additional first-round position.
Mack said he enjoyed seeing Michalczik, who left Cal following the season to become offensive coordinator at Washington under Steve Sarkisian only to make a U-turn to Oakland when the opportunity became available and he hadn’t yet signed his contract.
“I said hi to him,” Mack said. “He came down late, I asked how he was doing. He jeered me a little bit. It was fun. It was good to see him. He was wearing some Raider gear. It was good to see him back at Cal.”
The Pro Day for Mack was of huge importance. He missed all the running and drills at the scouting combine because of a minor ankle sprain.
Mack measured in at a shade over 6-foot-4, weighed 307 pounds and ran a 5.17 40-yard dash. He looked quick and during agility and three-cone drills, bench pressed 225 pounds 20 times, and had a 33 1/3 inch reach _ as long as some tackles. His 8-foot-10 inch broad jump outdistanced some combine marks at his position by more than a foot.
Correction: Earlier had bench press reps at 40 _ the correct number is 20.
“I did all right,” Mack said. “Nobody said, `Oh, my God! Why is he so slow?’ I’m going to be who I am. I’m not going to win track meets. I’m going to be the best player I can. I’m going to show I’m prepared.”
All of which Mack viewed as a necessary evil to help position him better for his true passion.
“I’m not too thrilled about doing 40s and doing `L’ runs and things like that, but it’s one of the things I have to do,” Mack said. “Now we’re switching to football and I’m getting ready for minicamp.”
Mack ended the day with assistant coaches from Baltimore, Seattle and Detroit, who peppered him with questions during a chalk talk and then adjourned to a film room for more probing of his football aptitude.
The Raiders, having access to that information with Michalczik whenever they choose to use it, did not attend.
Colleague Steve Corkran noted a resemblence between Mack and former Raider Steve Wisniewski in the way he moved through drills. There was more than a little Wiz in Mack’s philosophy about how to play the offensive line.
“I think one of the things I’m well known for is my finish, and my striving to finish plays,” Mack said. “I think that’s something that’s contagious. I think you see one guy busting his ass out there, running down the field blocking people late, finishing to the whistle, and the other four guys on the O-line are watching him do that, and they’re going to join in. I think that’s something I could definitely contribute to any team I play for.”
Mack’s agent, Tim Younger, said his client has tentative visits scheduled with Baltimore, Atlanta, Denver, Seattle and Detroit.
Cable watches Mack closely - Inside The Oakland Raiders - A look inside the world of the highly classified Oakland Raiders from the writers of ANG Newspapers
