Su'a Cravens improves draft stock at USC Pro Day

Su’a Cravens stormed off the field at the end of Wednesday’s Pro Day at USC, frustrated with his performance in a pass drill.

“I know you can’t be perfect, but I like to be perfect,” Cravens said. “I had a great day until the last drill when I slipped.”

Players slipped frequently on the artificial surface at Cromwell Field during the workouts before NFL coaches and scouts. Cravens was unhappy over one stumble.

A bigger question is where he will be drafted and what position he will play in the NFL.

“I think a lot more teams want me as a safety than a linebacker,” Cravens said. “But I can play both.”

That might be true, but several NFL scouts who watched Cravens on Wednesday said he looks more like a linebacker. Cravens is 6-foot-1, 220 pounds and moved more like a linebacker for at least a few scouts.

“He’s too big to play safety,” said one scout who did not wish to be identified. “He reminds me of (Carolina Panthers) linebacker Shaq Thompson. The way the game has spread out width-wise, he will find a home someplace.”

His speed seems more suited for linebacker too. Cravens ran the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds, which would have been a Top 10 time for a linebacker at the NFL combine.

“I didn’t think too much of what my time would be,” he said. “I just wanted to run.”

He also improved his vertical leap by jumping 30.5 inches on Wednesday after jumping only 27 inches at the combine.

Mock drafts currently list Cravens as a second-round choice but there is still time to improve his stock. Cravens did not reveal what teams are in contact with him heading into the draft.

“I would like to think I have an idea, but nobody knows until the day of the draft,” he said.

Since he played his final game for USC in December, Cravens said his body changed through nutrition and workouts.

“My body has become more of a man’s body,” Cravens said. “I had a kid’s body in college.”

One thing Cravens retained from USC was his ability to be honest. He was asked about the dangers of playing pro football and the increasing issue of CTE disease from repeated concussions.

“I know I’m going to the game where I’m going to hit and sometimes you’re going to use your head to hit and you might get a concussion,” Cravens said. “That’s what we sign up for. I saw that the NFL passed that they are not going to be paying any more lawsuits on CTE from now on.

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“So if that’s the case, let’s take helmet-to-helmet penalties out if we know we’re signing up for that, let’s play. That’s how I look at it.”

Cravens said he did not want to see the film, “Concussion,” because he probably would not enjoy seeing the possible side effects of football.

Although Cravens spent only three seasons at USC, his career was filled with drama. He played for four coaches (Lane Kiffin, Ed Orgeron, Steve Sarkisian, Clay Helton), which helped him become tougher mentally.

“At ‘SC, I had to deal with that, not letting people get under my skin,” Cravens said.