Florida State has produced its fair share of NFL players in recent years so it’s understandable when they held their pro day on Tuesday there were representatives from several teams in attendance. Among those on hand was Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, who did his best to rattle kicker Roberto Aguayo.
Aguayo has been one of college football’s best kickers the past few seasons, taking home the Lou Groza Award (given to top kicker) in 2013. Impressive resume aside, when it came time for Aguayo to kick a 50-yard field goal, Tomlin called a timeout. Yes, Tomlin tried to ice a kicker at his pro day.
“Tomlin called a timeout,” Aguayo told ESPN. “They want to see you still kick it because you can test, see where the wind’s blowing and everything, so they liked that, how I kicked it still. It was a 50-yarder.”
Aguayo, who went on to make the attempt, continued to say he was prepared for anything. It’s certainly a good thing he was as the two-time All-ACC selection pased Tomlin’s test with flying colors.
The Steelers had a disastrous 2015 season when it came to kickers so it’s no surprise they were at Florida Statae to get a firsthand look at perhaps the best one in the draft. Shaun Suisham tore his ACL in August. Later that month, his replacement, Garrett Hartley, pulled a hamstring and was placed on injured reserve. Then, Pittsburgh traded for Josh Scobee, who was released in October. Finally, the Steelers settled on Chris Boswell.
If Aguayo ends up a member of the Steelers, the biggest test he’ll have to pass may not be any by administered by the coaching staff. Just staying out of the trainer’s room will probably suffice.
H/T Eye On Football
