The first group of receivers at the 2023 combine featured three Maryland receivers looking to show NFL teams their skills. Dontay Demus, Rakim Jarrett, and Jacob Copeland had to follow two great performances from corners Deonte Banks and Jakorian Bennett on Friday.
Jarrett and Copeland had a great showing on the 40-yard dash, with Copeland running a 4.42 and Jarrett running a 4.44. Copeland finished tied for fifth in the group with Zay Flowers. Jarrett, meanwhile, shattered any doubt of his top-end speed with his run. Demus finished with a 4.57 on his 40 officially measuring in at 6’3”, 212 pounds with 34” arms and almost 10” hands.
https://twitter.com/ShellNTellPod/status/1632119308451979265
Jarrett finished tied with Demus with a 35.5” vertical and a 10’3” broad jump. Copeland jumped 33” on the vertical and 10’7” on the broad.
During the on-field drills, all three were overall successful. During the gauntlet, all three passed the eye test with Jarrett fluid in drills and Demus and Copeland with one drop each. All three also did a good job on the route running drills. Looking smooth on their cuts and even made some tough catches that will help. Demus, in particular, didn’t look bothered by the knee that he injured in 2021.
#Terps WR Jacob Copeland unofficially runs a 4.42 in the 40 pic.twitter.com/ctUxF1fRVh
— Inside the Black & Gold (@Insideblackgold) March 4, 2023
The trio were integral pieces in Maryland’s offense through the 2022 season as Maryland finished with a top-25 passing offense in the country. With his career now complete, Jarrett could be considered the face of the Locksley era. The former five-star prospect flipped from LSU to Maryland on national signing day during Locksley’s first full recruiting cycle. As a junior, Jarrett ranked second on the team with 40 receptions and third in receiving yards with 471 during his junior campaign. His 42.8 yards receiving per game tied for the team lead and his three touchdown receptions tied for the second-best mark on the squad. The wide receiver ended his Maryland career catching a pass in 25 consecutive games.
Demus ended his stellar Maryland career ranking second in program history in career 100-yard receiving games (7), fifth in career touchdowns (14), seventh in career yards (2,008) and ninth in career receptions (128). Demus was a three-time Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection and was on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List in 2021.
Copeland spent one season at Maryland after transferring from Florida, where he gave the room another NFL talent. He led the team by averaging 14.5 yards per reception. Copeland had 26 receptions on the year for 376 yards and hauled in a pair of touchdowns.
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