Brock Hoffman gets the heavy lifting out of the way under the watchful eye of NFL scouts

Editor’s note: The Roanoke Times is following former Virginia Tech center Brock Hoffman as he goes through the NFL Draft process. Click here for Part 1 of the series and here for Part 2. 

Brock Hoffman considered ordering one of everything off Mission BBQ’s menu.

Hoffman revisited his old stomping grounds in Christiansburg last month for a late dinner after working out in front of NFL scouts.

The former Virginia Tech starting center developed strong ties with the restaurant chain’s co-owner Bill Kraus and the local management team last fall putting together a season-long NIL deal for the Hokies entire offensive line.

Mission BBQ would’ve probably accommodated his request — the manager on-duty happily greeted Hoffman and his crew — but he settled on a slightly more modest order of a full rack of ribs and entree-sized portion of brisket.

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He hoped the hearty food would replenish some of the energy he lost from Tech’s pro day.

Hoffman described feeling a wave of exhaustion when he landed in the emptied-out Hokies locker room for what he thought would be a quick shower before dinner.

“It was a complete crash,” Hoffman said, later. “I had all that adrenaline built up all day, but once it wore off everything just hit me.”

The fatigue caught Hoffman off guard since he spent nearly three months preparing for the event with grueling daily workouts in Atlanta overseen by famed trainer Chip Smith. He loathed showing even the tiniest signs of weakness during those sessions.

Tech’s pro day was tame in comparison — a series of physical tests plus a 20-minute on-field workout — but what it meant for his career prospects added a layer of stress Hoffman didn’t know he was carrying until he was sitting alone in front of former teammate Maxx Philpott’s locker.

“I’ve been overlooked my whole career,” Hoffman said. “It’s not going to happen again.”

Whiplash

Hoffman had Jon Stinchcomb’s pro day advice running through his head before getting a chance to even warm up.

Stinchcomb, the former pro bowl offensive lineman who won a Super Bowl playing for New Orleans, was Hoffman’s position coach at Chip Smith Performance Systems in the months leading up to Tech’s pro day.

“Be ready for anything,” Stinchomb said, and he repeated that mantra at every meeting.

That proved prophetic advice when Tech’s new strength and conditioning coach Dwight Galt told everyone gathered in the weight room at the Merryman Center that the event was getting pushed back by an hour and half to accommodate many of the NFL scouts scheduled to attend.

Liberty bumped up its pro day to earlier in the week to ensure highly touted quarterback Malik Willis didn’t have to share the spotlight with Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral and Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder.

The three schools initially scheduled their pro days for March 24, but Liberty and Ole Miss both ended up moving them to avoid a trio of top 2022 quarterback prospects throwing at the same time.

Tech receiver Tre Turner took advantage of the pro days aligning and participated in both of them — Turner and Willis became friendly at the Senior Bowl — and the delay offered him more time to get back to Blacksburg.

The other pro day participants were forced to awkwardly wait around.

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Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman has his wing span measured by NFL scouts in the Hokies weight room on March 22. 

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Former Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman warms up before on-field workouts at his pro day on March 22.

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Former Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman warms up before on-field workouts at his pro day on March 22.

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Former Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman works out in front of NFL scouts on March 22.

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman works out for NFL scouts at the indoor practice facility on March 22. 

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman performs the vertical jump for NFL scouts in the Hokies weight room on March 22. 

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Former Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman works with Luke Tenuta on their pro day at the team’s indoor practice facility on March 22. 

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman goes through on-field workouts with Chicago Bears scout John Syty at the indoor practice facility on March 22. 

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman performs the shuttle for NFL scouts at the indoor practice facility on March 22. 

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman works out for NFL scouts at the university’s indoor practice facility on March 22. 

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman goes through on-field workouts with Chicago Bears scout John Syty at the indoor practice facility on March 22. 

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Former Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman works with Luke Tenuta on their pro day at the team’s indoor practice facility on March 22. 

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Former Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman works with Lectius Smith on their pro day at the team’s indoor practice facility on March 22. 

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman goes through on-field workouts with Chicago Bears scout John Syty at the indoor practice facility on March 22. 

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Former Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman performs the shuttle run at his pro day on March 22.

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Former Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman warms up before on-field workouts at his pro day on March 22.

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Former Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman warms up before on-field workouts at his pro day on March 22.

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Former Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman performs the shuttle run at his pro day on March 22.

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Former Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman performs the 40-yard dash at his pro day on March 22.

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Former Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman performs the 40-yard dash at his pro day on March 22.

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Former Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman performs the broad jump at his pro day on March 22.

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Former Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman warms up before testing at his pro day on March 22.

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman has his wing span measured by NFL scouts in the Hokies weight room on March 22. 

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman has his hand size measured by NFL scouts in the Hokies weight room on March 22. 

Brock Hoffman Pro Day

Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman waits to get his measurements taken by NFL scouts in the Hokies weight room on March 22. 

“When you watch a Major League Baseball game and they play a couple innings then have a rain delay, how great do those pitchers usually do after sitting there for two hours? It’s that type of mentality from an athletic standpoint,” Hoffman’s agent Andy Ross said. “That really wasn’t fair, not to just Brock, but all the players that were trying to work out there.”

Ross was part of the contingent in attendance supporting Hoffman alongside Smith, the lineman’s father Brian and his longtime friend Bryant Young. Smith, who was one of the few trainers in attendance, made the trip from Atlanta to support Hoffman and work some of the connections he’s built up over a 30-plus year career in the business.

“He’s a special young man,” Smith said. “They put their trust in me, and I’m going to do everything I can to help them.”

Hoffman killed the time with some light stretching and warm-up exercises. Young had flashbacks to when the two played together at Statesville seeing Hoffman’s demeanor as scouts started trickling into the weight room at 3 p.m.

Young, who started at quarterback while Hoffman started at center, said all that was missing was the offensive lineman’s trademark black face paint. Hoffman had a pair of wireless black earbuds instead pumping out 50 Cent.

Ross picked up on his client’s intensity as well.

“For offensive lineman, sometimes it comes down to NFL coaches trying to decide — who would win in a bar fight?” Ross said. “Brock ain’t going to back down.”

All Within My Hands

Hoffman shed his NFL alumni academy sweats for the Virginia Tech branded pro day T-shirt and shorts when the testing finally got underway. Cincinnati Bengals scout Andrew Johnson organized the group for measurements of their hands and wingspan.

Johnson called each athlete up in alphabetical order and shouted their measurements off for the rest of the NFL personnel in attendance. According to Virginia Tech’s sports information department, the Seattle Seahawks were the only NFL team without at least one representative in attendance.

Tech’s expanded weight room filled out during the process with current and former players, agents, family members and staff. It made for an intense atmosphere when they all surrounded the bench press and vocalized their support.

Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman performs the vertical jump for NFL scouts in the Hokies weight room on March 22. 

MIKE NIZIOLEK, The Roanoke Times

Hoffman thought it would be a moment for him to shine.

The offensive lineman’s goal throughout his training was 25 reps on the bench press, a mark he hit numerous times warming up for the event. The number would have put him among the top 10 performers at the NFL combine alongside fellow centers like Alec Lindstrom (Boston College) and Cam Jurgens (Nebraska).

He set a good pace out of the gate by hitting 15 reps without any issues. Hoffman briefly paused to gather his strength after the rep, but it broke his rhythm and his arms nearly buckled on the 20th rep.

“I thought I was in a groove,” Hoffman said. “I had my breathing under control, and really thought I was going to do better.”

The people who knew him best immediately sensed his disappointment.

When Hoffman gathered a few of his things in the back of the room, he had a brief exchange with his father that went unnoticed by a crowd that was preoccupied with the blaring music and Jordan Williams’ bench press attempt.

“Drop it, drop it,” Brian Hoffman said. “It’s OK, you know what you got to do.”

The rest of the testing portion offered little drama for Hoffman. He had a couple of attempts on the vertical jump and broad jump voided, but that was a commonplace occurrence for Tech’s pro day participants.

While the 40-yard dash is one of the biggest attractions at the NFL Combine, it wasn’t something Hoffman’s camp was overly concerned with.

Tech defensive end Amare Barno garnered national attention from running the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds at the combine — the fastest time for a defensive lineman or linebacker since 2003 — but Hoffman’s main focus was on putting up a number that didn’t knock him off any team’s draft board.

“When is he going to run a 40-yard dash?” Smith said. “They’ve talked about doing away with it for years. If he’s running a 40-yard dash during a game it’s to run down the field and celebrate with a running back who just scored on a long run. That’s not an indicator of whether he’s a good football player.”

One scout in attendance had a more colorful way of sharing that sentiment with Hoffman after the event.

Former Virginia Tech offensive lineman Brock Hoffman’s numbers from the testing portion of his pro day. 

Shawn Garrett, ROANOKE.COM

“We don’t give a s— about your 40-yard dash,” he told Hoffman.

Receiver Changa Hodge (4.51), defensive back Keondre Ko (4.51) and running back Raheem Blackshear (4.52) had standout times while Hoffman ran a workmanlike 5.37 seconds.

The part NFL scouts do care about when it comes to offensive lineman is their 10-yard split, and Hoffman’s was timed at 1.78 seconds. One scout had a chart for how those numbers compare to the average pro bowler at each position, and Hoffman’s 10-yard split put him among the top 20th percentile among pro bowl centers.

Hoffman was more in his element for the on-field workout.

Tech’s offensive linemen ran drills in the red zone on the north side of the indoor practice facility. Scouts lined up to watch with representatives from Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Miami, San Francisco, Washington, Carolina, Las Vegas and Los Angeles Chargers the closest ones to the action.

The responsibility for running the session fell to Chicago Bears area scout John Syty since there were no position coaches in attendance. When Syty was holding the blocking bag, Hoffman treated him like the Buffalo linebacker he once was.

He set up three cones for what Hoffman described as a “deep pull” drill. The cones were arranged in an upside down L-shape and Tech’s linemen — Hoffman, Lecitus Smith and Luke Tenuta — had to bounce around the edge and get downfield where Syty was holding the blocking pad 5-yards away.

Hoffman hit Syty with such force on his first rep that the scout went flying backward while barely maintaining his balance.

“I thought you were going to rip his face off,” one scout told Hoffman later. “That was f—ing good.”

Syty moved the group through various blocking drills in short order with each linemen getting two or three reps on each. Hoffman rattled them off later — inside zone (left and right), outside/reach left and right, off the knee drive, pass protection redirection and punching drills.

“He pushed through and did great in his position drills,” Ross said. “That’s the area that was most important for him. I had a number of teams remark how he almost killed the Bears scout that was there running it. That’s what you want to see, that’s what the coaches are going to watch.”

It was all over too quickly for Hoffman.

“Let’s do it again,” Hoffman told Syty, when the two shook hands at the end of the workout.

Wherever I May Roam

Hoffman heads into the final stretch before the draft feeling confident … on most days. He’s looked to Ross — a veteran of the process — for reassurance in times of doubt.

“He doesn’t have any more anxiety than any other player out there,” Ross said. “They built and prepared their entire lives to get to this moment and fulfilling a lifelong dream. It’s natural to have anxiety about it.”

Hoffman started to get a little worried when his phone wasn’t ringing all that much following Tech’s pro day.

Ross told him that would be part of the normal ebb and flow for a draft prospect with a third-day grade. The majority of teams dedicate most of their time and resources to the top 100 players on their draft board until it gets closer to the draft.

“That’s why it kind of goes slow until it goes fast,” Ross said, with a laugh. “That’s what I’ve told him the whole time, once it hits, be ready your phone is going to just keep ringing.”

Hoffman confirmed as much with the draft two weeks out.

After initial interviews with much of the league at the Shrine Bowl, teams are now looking to get additional information or set up interviews with scouts and coaches who have yet to talk with Hoffman directly.

One team set up four separate interviews for Hoffman that included virtual meetings with their offensive line scout, head scout, assistant offensive line coach and offensive line coach.

The invitation to Carolina’s local pro day buoyed Hoffman’s spirits as well.

While local pro days come late in the process, they can have an impact. Each NFL team is allowed to invite players who played at nearby colleges or high schools to their facility without it counting against their allotment of 30 in-person visits.

Former Tech offensive lineman Wyatt Teller, who is also Ross’ client, wasn’t on Washington’s draft board when he went to its local pro day back in 2018. He left the building with a fifth-round grade.

“Carolina’s offensive line coach (James Campen) connected with Brock, really liked him,” Ross said. “They loved his football intelligence and he did a good job again on his position drills. They have a late round grade on him, we’ll see where it goes.”

Hoffman spent much of the day at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte with about a dozen other prospects including Wake Forest center Zach Tom. The two linemen spent nearly their entire time at the facility in the presence of Campen and his assistant offensive line coach Robert Kugler.

They spent their morning in a meeting room with Campen acting as a professor of sorts.

“It actually felt like I was taking a math test,” Hoffman said. “I’m a smart football player and I’m confident talking football, but it was the most intense meeting I’ve been a part of … It was install and a test simultaneously. He basically took a minute or two minute on each of their personnel groups and their terminology then went to a blank screen and quizzed us on what we just learned.”

Notes weren’t allowed during the 90-minute, 25-question test, but Hoffman left the room feeling he only missed on one or two questions.

The Panthers allowed players to do optional pro day testing — Hoffman improved his 40-yard dash by 0.15 seconds and broad jump by 7 inches — and each position group went through separate on-field workouts.

Ross gets feedback on all of Hoffman’s interaction with teams.

The agent is cautiously optimistic about Hoffman’s going on day three of the draft, but he’s also consoled his client not to get discouraged if his name doesn’t get called.

There’s an unprecedented amount of talent in this year’s draft pool — Ross said 2,000-plus — thanks to the continued fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and that’s added plenty of uncertainty to what’s already an unpredictable event.

The one guarantee Ross made to Hoffman is that going undrafted wouldn’t be the end of the road for him.

Missouri center Trystan Colon-Castillo, another one of Ross’ clients, faced that situation in 2020, but signed with Baltimore as an undrafted free agent and will be competing for the starting job this fall.

There’s a benefit for some players with late round grades getting a say about where they end up with upward of 50% of seventh round picks failing to make the roster of the team that drafted them, but regardless of those numbers or Ross’ past experience, he plainly believes Hoffman has a bright NFL career ahead of him.

“I’m very confident in this, teams are going to look back in three years and ask why wasn’t Brock taken higher,” Ross said. “I believe in it. I know it, just like I believed in Wyatt (Teller) and the guy has turned into a two-time all pro.”

“Brock not only has the skill set, but he has the mentality to compete. He has a toughness about him, the football intelligence, a hard-working, high-character guy that’s going to come in and make someone’s team better … if he gets the right coach and as long as he stays healthy, he’s going to be a successful NFL player.”

Next: The Roanoke Times will join Hoffman in Statesville as he gathers with family to watch the 2022 NFL Draft and unfold.

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