NORMAN, Okla. -- Sam Bradford wasn't facing Texas or Florida, but his workout Monday in front of NFL scouts, coaches and executives felt something like that. Instead of throwing for touchdowns and victories, Bradford was throwing for draft status and money.
"I don't think the butterflies started coming until Saturday night and Sunday," Bradford said. "That's when it really hit me, and I realized it was here."
The University of Oklahoma quarterback showed no ill effects from AC joint surgery Oct. 29. He completed 62 of 63 passes -- with the one incompletion a drop -- in a 25-minute workout that might have made him the No. 1 overall draft pick.
"I thought it was really positive," said St. Louis Rams general manager Billy Devaney, whose team has the top pick. "This is shocking: The guy is really accurate."
Devaney was being sarcastic: Bradford completed 67.64 percent of his passes in his four seasons at OU.
Bradford nearly was perfect Monday as the star of the Sooners' Pro Day. Scouts from 21 teams, including 49ers coach Mike Singletary, Redskins general manager Bruce Allen, Packers coach Mike McCarthy, Browns coach Eric Mangini, Browns president Mike Holmgren, Bills general manager Buddy Nix and Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, were at the Everest Training Center to see if Bradford's surgically repaired throwing shoulder was as good as new.
The 2008 Heisman Trophy winner threw 13 stationary passes and 50 live passes to Oklahoma receivers from a script former NFL assistant Terry Shea drew up. Bradford's fourth pass, a slant, was dropped by Adron Tennell. Shea said Bradford's accuracy was better than 90 percent, with two throws slightly off the mark though still catchable.
"I don't think there's any question he's a big-timer, and he came through and had a big day for himself," Carroll said.
Veteran scout Gil Brandt, the Cowboys' former player personnel director, said it was the best workout he's seen by a quarterback since Troy Aikman. The OU quarterback earned praise all around, although one NFL scout was quick to point out that Bradford didn't throw against coverage or with a pass rush in his face.
But what Bradford did might be enough to convince the Rams to draft him. St. Louis -- which is negotiating with Bradford, Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen -- sent Devaney, coach Steve Spagnuolo, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur and quarterbacks coach Richard Curl to Norman. Spagnuolo had breakfast with Bradford before the throwing session.
Bradford didn't do anything else except throw, but that's all the scouts came to see. His vertical jump, 40-yard dash and bench press aren't what have made him a top NFL prospect.
"He just kind of solidified what everyone believed," Holmgren said. "(The shoulder) was the question mark. I think everyone wants to kind of see it for themselves, even though everyone is saying he's fine. ... I think you came away saying, 'He's the guy I thought he was.' "
Bradford, who first injured his shoulder on a hit by BYU linebacker Coleby Clawson in the 2009 season opener, started throwing again five weeks ago under the watchful eye of Shea in Pensacola, Fla.
On Monday, Bradford showed early -- and late -- that he has regained his arm strength. The highlight was a 65-yard deep post to Tennell that OU coach Bob Stoops later said "about hit the rafters up there."
"I thought I did very well today," said Bradford, who now weighs a solid 236 pounds. "I showed a wide variety of throws. I didn't just come out and show the basic things. I thought I came out and threw out of the gun, on the move, different throws.
"I think I showed everyone I can still make all the throws, and my shoulder is what it was before it was hurt."
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