Gehrig Dieter gets chance to shine at Alabama's Pro Day
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Shedding his shirt to show off a muscular physique, Gehrig Dieter did his best to impress NFL scouts during Alabama’s Pro Day on Wednesday. The former Crimson Tide receiver wasn’t shy about revealing the chip on his shoulder he holds from not being invited to the NFL Combine, either.
“It was frustrating not getting invited,” Dieter said. “It was something you see as a kid and you kind of want to be at. But thankfully I’m at the Bama pro day, so this is a combine in itself. There are so many coaches here, so it was a good experience and I’m glad I’m here.”
Growing up in South Bend, Ind., Dieter didn’t get to make the two-and-a-half hour trip from home to Indianapolis to join the 10 former Alabama players who participated in the NFL Draft’s signature event. Instead, the only chance he had to workout in front of NFL scouts came inside of Alabama’s Hank Crisp Indoor Facility on Wednesday.
Naturally, Dieter made the most of the opportunity, competing in every available workout on the day.
“It was a fun day. It was definitely exhausting being one of the only guys that did every single part of it,” Dieter said. “But all and all I think it went really well.”
Many considered Dieter a snub for the NFL Combine, which was held over the weekend. The graduate transfer finished last season with just 15 receptions for 214 yards and four touchdowns. However, before joining the Tide, he was coming off a junior season at Bowling Green where he tallied 94 receptions for 1,033 yards and 10 touchdowns.
When asked if the transfer was worth it looking back, Dieter wasted no time answering back with a resounding yes.
“Definitely. Just being here, being around these guys, there are so many great players here and everybody works hard,” Dieter said. “So just being around that and being around these coaches, you just learn everything about football over and over again. So my experience was great at Bama. Obviously, we didn’t end it the way you’re supposed to at Bama, but you live and you learn.”
Despite having no regrets on transferring, Dieter brought a secret weapon from his playing days at Bowling Green with him for the workout Wednesday. Dieter was reunited with his former Bowling Green quarterback Matt Johnson, who threw to him as well as Ar’Darius Stewart and O.J. Howard during receiving drills.
The receiver said having Johnson throwing to him during Pro Day helped calmed some of the nerves and allowed him to compete comfortably during the workout.
“They didn’t have a quarterback picked out and it was about a month away,” Dieter said. “I just wanted to know who it was going to be, and I had no idea who they were going to pick. So, to have Matt here, it was a big help to me, big help to Ar’Darius and O.J. Just to have somebody I know I can trust out there, and I think he did well.”
Dieter played mostly inside receiver at Alabama after serving as more of an outside threat during his time at Bowling Green. During workouts, he worked at both spots of the field to demonstrate his versatility to scouts.
“I kind of didn’t get the opportunity to run every single route during the season,” Dieter said. “So coming out here and making sure I ran every single route that I thought I needed to run, I think that was the biggest thing for me.”
The 6-foot-3, 207-pound receiver also impressed in the broad jump, recording a distance of 9 feet, 11 inches. While official 40 times were not made available, Dieter was clocked by several reporters running in the low 4.5 range.
Because he wasn’t at the NFL Combine, Dieter did not have the opportunity to build many relationships with NFL teams and coaches. That should come later during individual and team workouts. Until then, Dieter is going to continue to work on proving doubters wrong and showing he belongs at the next level.
“I think I’m a great team player,” Dieter said. “You can put me anywhere and I’ll give my best effort and perform.”
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