It would be hard to find anyone who thinks the chances of former Raiders first overall pick JaMarcus Russell making it back to the NFL are anything but a long shot.
Bleacher Report has been documenting Russell’s comeback efforts at the TEST Football Academy and the latest installment covers a simulated pro day workout for Russell. Russell ran the 40 in 5.2 seconds, cleared 29 inches in the vertical leap and hit 7’4″ in the broad jump. All of those are well short of the goals set by his trainers, including former NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia who said Russell is “naturally gifted.”
The trainers remain optimistic about his chances of reaching those goals as he continues to work out. Russell shares that belief.
“I’m heavier than normal,” Russell said. “This is just getting some perspective on where we’re at. Once the pro day comes, I’ll be in some great shape and my numbers will excel.”
Russell seems to be working hard, something that wasn’t always the case during his tenure with the Raiders, but we still think TEST CEO Brett Martin showed a flair for understatement when he said that Russell has “some hills to climb” in the coming weeks if he is going to return to the league after being released by the Raiders in 2010.