Did Bulldogs’ Jalen Moreno-Cropper answer one weighty question at Fresno State Pro Day?

Featured pieces from the most productive offense in the Mountain West Conference last season put on a solid show on Thursday, the Fresno State Bulldogs’ Pro Day, with quarterback Jake Haener firing, flicking and floating a variety of passes on time and dead on target to wideouts Jalen Moreno-Cropper, Nikko Remigio and Zane Pope, tight end Raymond Pauwels Jr. and running back Jordan Mims.

But for Moreno-Cropper, his most pivotal work might have been done before the Bulldogs hit the field.

The fleet wideout proved at the NFL Combine that he could run — Moreno-Cropper ran a 40-yard dash in 4.40 seconds, tied for the sixth fastest time among wideouts in Indianapolis. There isn’t much question that he can catch the football or make plays after the catch — he averaged 6.4 yards after the catch in his senior season, fifth best among 33 wideouts with 70 or more receptions, according to Pro Football Focus.

But on Pro Day he also put up 13 reps on the bench press (225 pounds), which is in line with receivers of his physical size who also were at the Combine.

Michael Wilson from Stanford, who is 6-2 and 213 pounds, led that group with 23 bench press reps. The most reps by a wideout who weighed in at less than 200 pounds was 16 by Jason Brownlee from Southern Mississippi, who goes 6-2 and weighs 198. Michael Jefferson from Louisiana, at 6-2 and 199, also had 16 reps.

“With me, I’ve always had something to prove, not being a 6-3, 215-pound receiver,” said Moreno-Cropper, who in Indianapolis was measured at 5-11 and 172 pounds.

“There’s always that thing where physicality is a question, strength is a question. Being able to come out this year and run block, block safeties and outside linebackers and to put a cap on it, to be able to bench 13 reps, it’s definitely something where I know it’s going to help me out in this process, just to show them.”

Moreno-Cropper did not bench press at the Combine. The reaction from NFL scouts at Pro Day was positive.

“I was talking to a scout afterward and he was like, ‘At your size we were thinking seven or eight (reps),’” said Moreno-Cropper, who caught 83 passes for 1,089 yards and five TDs last season.

“I did that my freshman year. I’ve always been strong, especially in the upper body. I’ve always been able to push weight, but I just wanted to go out and show them.”

In that regard Moreno-Cropper may have answered a question for NFL teams leading up to the Draft, which will be held April 27-29 in the plaza outside Union Station in Kansas City. It’s been there in past years for 170-pound Devonta Smith, 166-pound Marquise Brown, 189-pound Calvin Ridley.

Bulldogs put up sold Pro Day numbers

Moreno-Cropper was not the only former Fresno State player who had a good day. Haener threw the ball very well from a number of angles and platforms, driving the ball well down field with his deep throws.

Pauwels Jr., in what has been described as the best tight ends class in years, led the former Bulldogs with 23 bench press reps and also ran a solid 40-yard dash in 4.67 seconds.

The 23 reps would have tied for the most among tight ends at the Combine — Brenton Strange from Penn State, Zack Kuntz from Old Dominion and Tucker Kraft from South Dakota State all did 23. The 4.67 40 would have ranked seventh among that group.

Safety L.J. Early had the best 40-yard dash at 4.46 seconds. Pope did 21 bench press reps, had a 34-inch vertical leap and ran a 4.55 40, and Remigio had 19 bench press reps, a 36-inch vertical and ran a 4.56.

Pope had been working out in Arizona and working on improving his 40-yard times with a number of NFL players including Odell Beckham Jr.

“Odell was out there — I saw him pull up his Rolls Royce. It was kind of funny to see,” Pope said. “Odell is actually with my agency. There are a couple of other big dogs like Isaiah Hodgins with my agency. Zay Jones, Christian Kirk, they’re all working out there.”

Mims also put up some numbers that would have compared favorably in his position group at the Combine with 18 bench press reps (tie, fifth). Defensive end David Perales did not participate in all of the testing, working his way back from an ankle injury suffered late in the 2022 football season, but ran a 5.0-second 40, did 22 reps on the bench press, had a 4.4-second shuttle run and went 7.15 seconds in the 3-cone drill.

For Moreno-Cropper, though, there were the makings of an answer to any questions about his strength, his physicality getting off the line of scrimmage, blocking bigger defensive players in the run game or winning consistently against opposing defensive backs at the football.

It could make a difference for a player that is projected to go in the latter rounds of the Draft.

“At my size, that’s a very good number,” Moreno-Cropper said. “Being able to put that out there, it’s something that I’m very excited about.”

This story was originally published March 30, 2023 at 5:26 PM.