Bradley Bozeman has always been big. He’s a big man. But’s he’s a little less big these days.
Bozeman dropped 32 pounds in preparation for Alabama’s Pro Day on Wednesday afternoon, weighing in at 296 pounds. When was the last time he weighed under 300 pounds?
“Seventh grade,” Bozeman said with a big grin.
Bozeman didn’t get the coveted invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine, which wrapped up over the weekend. He had to make the most of UA’s Pro Day, and he used the event to show NFL teams he had the discipline to drop weight.
“I dropped 32 pounds. That’s helped me out a little bit, I think,” he said. “It’s been good. I’m a little lighter, a little faster.”
And with the weight loss, he didn’t feel he lost much power.
“Not substantially,” he said. “Maybe a few reps on bench. Not that crazy.”
Despite a strained pectoral muscle that prevented him from bench pressing in the two weeks leading up to Pro Day, Bozeman benched 225 pounds 27 times.
He said he lowered his weight with help from his fiancé.
With the scouting events behind him, he said he wants to focus on training for football and not for specific drills. In that regard, he wants to prove that he can play center or guard at the next level.
“They think I can play at the next level for sure, but they just don’t really know about where I’m going to play,” Bozeman said. “They have my doubts about my athleticism, but I think I make up for it with my on-the-field ability and all my intangibles that I bring too.
“I’m up to play wherever. I’ll play quarterback if I need to. It doesn’t matter to me. I don’t know. We’ll see.”
UA coach Nick Saban said Alabama’s scouting event, attended by all 32 NFL teams, helps players like Bozeman, who didn’t earn the invite to the Combine.
“Boze did a great job from a leadership standpoint for us,” Saban said. “He played his position extremely well. He was very consistent in his performance. I think a lot of people are going to recognize that and have a lot of respect for the kind of competitor he is and know he’ll be an asset on their team. I just know how well he played for us here. Today, with all the people being in here, it really helps a guy like Bradley get exposure.”
Reach Aaron Suttles at aaron@tidesports.com or at 205-722-0229.
