Most fans of Terrell Suggs thought they saw his last days wearing home colors in Sun Devil Stadium when he declared for the NFL Draft in January.
Suggs hopes this will all change if the Arizona Cardinals take him with the sixth pick in the April 26 draft.
"I hope the Cardinals [draft me]. They know I'm a hometown guy, and I love them and they love me," Suggs said.
Suggs, Shaun McDonald and other former ASU football players worked out for dozens of scouts, head coaches and NFL executives Wednesday on the ASU campus.
Many draft experts think the Cincinnati Bengals could select Suggs as the first pick; however, he could fall into the Cardinals' lap as the sixth pick. But Suggs hopes to stay close to his family in Chandler.
"I am a hometown guy, and I will play my heart out for [the Cardinals]," Suggs said.
Suggs weighed in at 257 pounds, seven pounds heavier than his Holiday Bowl weight - an increase he contributes to post-season workouts in Venice Beach, Calif.
His vertical leap measured at over 33 inches, and he benched 225 pounds 19 times, a number he feels is far below his potential.
"I had 22 or 23, but I hit the pole, and it threw me off and threw off my rhythm," Suggs said.
Suggs then moved on to speed and quickness drills, including the 40-yard dash.
Suggs clocked times between 4.91 and 4.78 respectively, which he admits disappointed him.
"I didn't do horrible, but I think I could have done a lot better," Suggs said. "On a third run, I could have gotten the 4.6, but you never know."
However, Suggs and scouts point to his on-field performance as a better indicator of his skill.
"You look at the field, you see me play, you know I'm always going," Suggs said.
"He's obviously a top pick," Minnesota Vikings Defensive Coordinator George O'Leary said. "He's a good athlete and makes plays, and those guys are hard to find."
Former ASU linebacker and current St. Louis Rams safety Adam Archuleta compared Suggs to St. Louis' Leonard Little and Indianapolis' Dwight Freeney.
"Later on down the line, maybe he can be compared to [Philadelphia's] Hugh Douglas," Archuleta said. "Terrell is going to be OK. I mean, hell, he's the best college football player in the country."
Reach the reporter at jeffrey.hoodzow@asu.edu.
