Derek Abney
Abney (5-9 1/8, 176) ran the 40 twice for times of 4.52 and 4.50. He also had a 35-inch vertical, a 10-3 long jump, a 4.14 short shuttle, an 11.06 long shuttle and a 6.68 three-cone drill.
Derek Abney was a three-year starter at receiver and handled kick-return duties for the Wildcats.
Photo courtesy University of Kentucky Athletics
Former Kentucky receiver Derek Abney will share his pre-draft thoughts with SI.com users as he prepares for the 2004 NFL Draft.
Derek Abney knew the stakes were high. Despite ending his career at Kentucky as the SEC's second all-time leading receiver, there are doubts concerning his relatively diminutive size. But despite his 5-foot-10, 175-pound frame, Abney wanted to make a statement at the NFL Scouting Combine.
"Actually, I'm pretty happy," says Abney. "I wasn't as fast as I wanted to be, but I'm still getting over a broken foot. I think I did well on my passing drills and in the interviews."
Ah, the interviews. One in particular caught Abney a bit off guard.
"When I met with the Browns, they had a psychiatrist in the room," he says. "I guess they wanted to see how I react under pressure. I wasn't taken too aback by that, but ... it was just different, I guess."
Abney admits the one-on-one interviews were something he'd been eagerly awaiting.
"Coming in, I thought there would be a lot of pressure, that the teams would put us under a lot of scrutiny. But everyone was really respectful. You hear all the stories about the Combine being kind of a meat market, but I was surprised that it wasn't as pressure-filled as I thought it would be."
Seeing players that he was familiar with helped ease some of the tensions. "I'd met Roy Williams and Shawn Andrews before, so it was good to see them again, and of course Jared [Lorenzen, UK's quarterback] was there, too.
"Everyone was encouraging to each other," adds Abney. "It was more of a 'team' kind of thing; it wasn't like a tryout or anything. I'd played against a lot of the guys at the Combine, so we all kind of had a mutual respect."
Abney finished with a 4.47 in the 40-yard dash and is considered a mid- to late-round prospect whose primary use would be a kick returner. Nonetheless, he is adamant about wanting the opportunity to catch passes at the next level.
"Yes, I think I belong, after my Combine workouts, I showed what I had," he says. "I'm extremely happy. Of course, when we did our pass-catching drills the Abney in me came out and I had to be the first guy to go -- and then I dropped the first pass.
"I think I dropped three balls total, but the first one was right over my head and I tried to catch it over my outside shoulder. I just missed it."
Later when the receivers did their individual routes, Abney and Lorenzen hooked up. "It was a fade route," recalls Abney, "and we just gave each other a subtle wink at the same time. I knew I'd catch that one."
Kentucky will hold its Pro Day on March 10, at which time Abney hopes to improve on his 40 time. "I didn't run it like I wanted to, but I'm hardest on myself. I still feel like I can be part of the rookie crew this year."
Derek Abney, who tied the NCAA career record for most kick-return TDs (eight) in a career, was a first-team All-America choice in 2002.
