Ex-Rebels Davis, Boyko perform before NFL scouts

Devante Davis showed up to UNLV’s pro day in style, wearing the new Snoop Lion shoes that Snoop Dogg himself handed out at the NFL scouting combine.

How Davis, one of the Rebels’ top wide receivers of all time, would perform in those shoes Thursday before scouts from nine NFL teams was the key.

Though scouts didn’t provide him with times and figures — preferring to keep that information private — they told Davis he improved in three major areas from last month’s combine in Indianapolis. Davis (6 feet 3 inches, 220 pounds) ran the 40-yard dash at the combine in 4.57 seconds and had a 115-inch broad jump, and said he not only topped those numbers at Rebel Park but, according to the scouts, also ran crisper routes.

“I was able to go out and do everything I set out to do,” said Davis, who was joined at pro day by former UNLV teammate Brett Boyko. “I’m happy about it. It’s fun getting out here with all the guys I played with again. I missed seeing those guys. Today was fun. I got a lot better. I surely appreciate all the scouts who came out and worked us out.”

Davis said his left hamstring, which he injured in Senior Bowl practices in January, has healed.

He certainly knows how to produce on the field. His 2,785 receiving yards are the second-best total in school history, and his 186 receptions rank fourth.

Davis hopes all his production and work is enough to get selected when the NFL Draft takes place April 30 to May 2. CBSSports.com rated him as a seventh-round prospect.

He met with Trey Brown, West Coast area scout for the Philadelphia Eagles, for about 30 minutes after pro day.

“He’s telling me things to expect and kind of where we stand,” Davis said. “That was a good talk. He was a four-year starter at UCLA, and he went through the training camp. He’s been through the process, so he was telling things that I can improve on, what to expect in the future. So it was good talking to him.”

Boyko, a 6-7, 300-pound offensive lineman, had his own lengthy meeting, sitting down with Tampa Bay Buccaneers player personnel scout Pat Perles.

This is the healthiest Boyko has been since his left elbow was injured in the Nov. 29 season finale against UNR. Boyko was visibly upset after the game, calling it “the cheapest play I’ve ever seen,” one that got Wolf Pack defensive tackle Rykeem Yates sent off the field by the officials. The injury caused Boyko to miss the East-West Shrine Game, and it affected his production at the combine. He still is working his way back.

“There was a time where I would be running and I couldn’t even swing my arm back because it was so sore,” Boyko said. “Everything’s gotten a lot better.”

Like Davis, Boyko wasn’t given the numbers from his pro day workout. But he did say he benched-pressed 225 pounds 17 times.

NFL scouts weren’t the only ones checking out Boyko at Rebel Park. Scouts from Canadian Football League teams Calgary and Toronto also were on hand. Boyko, who is from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, remains that league’s top draft prospect, according to the CFL’s official scouting bureau.

His dream, though, is to play in the NFL, and Boyko hopes he took a step toward that on Thursday. CBS Sports rated Boyko as a likely undrafted free agent. NFL.com said he should be able to get into a training camp.

“I can just control the attitude and effort,” Boyko said. “I can’t worry about where I’m going to be drafted or what the draft status is. I can just continue to work hard and try to improve daily. I feel like I’ve been doing that. I feel like I’m going to continue to do that.”

The Arena Football League’s first-year Las Vegas Outlaws also had three coaches in attendance.

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.