Vols' McCallan Castles turns disappointment into successful Pro Day

The former Tennessee tight end knew he was on the cusp of an NFL Scouting Combine invite, but when he found out his name wasn't included among the more than 300 players invited to Indianapolis earlier this month, he felt let down.

Words from his father, Thomas, though quickly put things back into perspective.

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Castles went back to work, knowing that he had to make the most of his opportunity to perform in front of representatives from all 32 NFL teams that converged on Anderson Training Center Wednesday afternoon.

"I knew I was a fringe guy, on the fence," Castles said. "When the list came out, I was a little sad. It just gave me the opportunity to work even longer and kind of perfect my drills before I came out. My dad, as soon as I didn't get invited he goes, 'Hungry dogs run faster.' I think I ran faster today."

Castles did run faster. He also caught passes, jumped high, bench pressed 16 times and if it wasn't for former Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III effortlessly tossing 80-yard completions, he would have likely been the headliner from the Vols' annual Pro Day.

Everything that the 6-foot-4, 244-pound Castles did on Wednesday looked like he was trying to prove something. And he did.

It started with the broad jump, which covered 10.6 feet, a number that would have tied for first among tight ends at the combine while his 37.5 inch vertical jump would have been good for third place.

There was no official time in the 40-yard dash that Castles ran twice. Milton said it looked faster than the 4.55 that he ran.

"It's something I've known that I could do," Castles said. "It's kind of nice to just put it out there for all the teams to see. To do it on this stage was a big deal. Kind of all the hard work from the end of the bowl game to now coming to fruition is pretty nice."

The pass-catching abilities that Castles put on full display were even more impressive.

He ran several routes for Milton and caught just about everything thrown his way. The catch that likely wowed scouts the most was when he used every inch of his frame to high-point a ball in the back of the end zone.

"Every route that I ran, I took it like it was a game rep," Castles said. "If I can make Joe look good, I can make myself look good. So it was a win-win for both of us."

Milton wasn't surprised by the performance.

When Castles, a California native, first arrived in Knoxville a little more than a year ago as an FCS transfer from UC Davis, Milton could see the potential in their first workout. Now NFL teams have seen it, too.

"Great player, smart dude, but most of all, it's how athletic (Castles) is," Milton said. "My first day seeing him work out, like when he first got here, I was impressed. Just the way that he moves. The way that he comes out of his breaks. I feel like he showed everything that he needed to show today...I wish him the best, for sure."

"I think they came to watch Joe throw that ball to the moon," Castles said, flashing a smile. "But hopefully some teams were looking at me. We'll see how that goes at the end of the day."

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