Long shot Terron Beckham hoping athletic ability nets NFL chance
Years ago, in junior college, Terron Beckham would talk with his friends about his NFL dream.
“I’d say, ‘What if I didn’t even have to go to college to play ball? I wonder if that’s possible?’” Beckham said. “But I was joking about it then.”
It’s no joke to Beckham now, and it’s one of the more unique stories around in the lead-up to the draft. After a few years of being a personal trainer, Beckham (yes, he’s Odell Beckham’s cousin) wants a shot in the NFL.
Why would he believe that’s possible, considering he never played in college and is 23 years old now? His off-the-charts athleticism push the door open a bit. Measurables aren’t all that matter, but they are intriguing. Beckham had a mock pro day in February at TEST Sports Clubs, and he posted a 4.5-second 40-yard dash, 11-foot-6 broad jump, 46-inch vertical and 42 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press.
At 5-11, 230 pounds, those are amazing numbers. The broad jump, bench press and vertical jump numbers would be official NFL scouting combine records for a running back, which Beckham wants to play. His athletic feats on his Instagram page are hard to believe. He’ll have to replicate the numbers at his actual pro day at TEST on Thursday, but Beckham has compared his numbers with the running backs in previous draft classes and it gives him hope he’ll get a shot.
“Truthfully, yes it does,” Beckham said. “But I understand it doesn’t determine how good of a player you are. I just want to increase the chance of answering, ‘What does this guy have?’ That’s all I need. I want to prove myself.”
It’s not unheard of for someone to get an NFL shot without any football experience past high school. Antonio Gates never played college football, playing basketball instead, and he’ll likely end up as a Hall of Famer. Jarryd Hayne was a rugby league star in Australia, he had never put on shoulder pads before trying out for NFL teams, and he made the San Francisco 49ers’ roster last season. But at least they were playing other sports.
Beckham played in high school. Beckham said at Tyler Junior College he tried out for football but said a pulled hip flexor during a 40-yard dash for coaches derailed that. He went on to start his training business, even doing some modeling, but always felt the pull of football. When Odell was drafted by the New York Giants in 2014, he felt it again.
“I cried. I was like, wow, there’s a Beckham in the NFL,” Terron said. “I won’t lie, I imagined myself in that moment and thought about what I was missing out on.”
A chance meeting in Las Vegas last summer helped convince him that now was the time to take a shot on the NFL dream that he never let go. Beckham won an obstacle course competition at an expo, and used that money to go to the Mr. Olympia weekend in Vegas. At an expo there, Test Sports Clubs CEO Kevin Dunn was helping at a booth that was giving away $500 worth of merchandise for the person with the highest vertical leap. When Beckham jumped 44 inches, Dunn took notice. He invited Beckham to his club, which has trained multiple NFL players before the draft, and started working with him to prepare to impress NFL teams. Beckham put his training business on hold to chase his football dream.
“He is a genetic and athletic freak of nature and his pro day will prove that,” Dunn said in an email. “He simply needs the experience in a classroom learning an NFL playbook with a staff that is willing to bring him under their wing to gain the knowledge he missed out on in college.”
Beckham is realistic about his NFL dreams. He said he knows “nobody is in a rush” to draft or sign him. He’s hoping to get a shot and maybe make a practice squad as a he learns the game and shows what he can do. He said he has talked to the Indianapolis Colts and the New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks will be at his pro day workout at TEST Sports Clubs in Martinsville, N.J. That same club trained NFL players like Patrick Peterson, Joe Flacco, Duron Harmon, Stevan Ridley, Brian Hoyer, Jevon Kearse, Arthur Moats and Junior Galette before the draft. Dunn has worked with them and others and Beckham still stands out.
“It is rare to work with athletes with the unique genetic gifts Terron clearly has,” Dunn said.
Beckham hopes that teams see that he’s kept himself in shape and stayed ready in case his shot came. If the NFL doesn’t come calling this year, he’s not opposed to working out for Canadian Football League teams in the hopes of eventually getting a look from the NFL.
It’s a long shot, because some team would have to believe it can mold an incredible athlete whose last football experience was in high school. Beckham is hopeful, though. It would be one of the more unusual stories in the NFL.
“This is my one and only chance. This is my shot,” Beckham said. “I stopped my regular job. I’m putting everything into this shot.”
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
