EUGENE, Ore. — The proud dad watched from near midfield. One older brother camped out on the north sideline of the Moshofsky Center, another older brother on the opposite side of the field.
Oregon football's Pro Day was a family affair Tuesday. NFL starting quarterbacks Justin Herbert and Bo Nix were on hand to watch their younger brothers work out. Also on hand was former pro safety Chad Cota, whose son Chase participated Tuesday, two years after catching the game-winning touchdown pass from Nix in the 2022 Holiday Bowl.
Among the other participants was tight end Patrick Herbert, Justin's younger brother, and receiver Tez Johnson, who was adopted into the Nix family.
"I think that speaks to Oregon and what it's built, and the family ties — that one person comes and the experience is so good, somebody else wants to come," said Nix, who had a standout rookie season with the Denver Broncos in the fall. "And this is an elite development program. Oregon speaks for itself; everybody wants to come out here and play. So it's an exciting time."
There were 23 participants from the 2024 Oregon football team on hand Tuesday for Pro Day. Like Cota, former edge defender Mase Funa also returned to Eugene to work out for NFL scouting personnel, making 25 participants in all.
Other alums on hand to watch included running back De'Anthony Thomas, defensive back Brandon McLemore, and current staff members such as Ryan Walk, who spent some time catching up with his former high school and college teammate Herbert. That was when Herbert wasn't watching Patrick do drills for the scouting personnel on hand.
"All of the hard work that he's put in over the past 10, 15 years of his life playing football has brought him to this moment," said Justin Herbert, the Sheldon High of Eugene graduate now quarterbacking the Los Angeles Chargers. "I'd just say to enjoy it. It's not gonna last forever. Everybody's proud of him and the work he's put in, and as long as he has fun and does his best, he'll like where he ends up."
As usual, Pro Day began with measurements and the bench press in the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex weight room Tuesday morning. Then the participants and scouts drifted over to the Moshofsky Center to jump, run and do position drills.
When he was done throwing, 2024 starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel mingled with his own family, then took the chance to chat with Nix and Herbert.
"All we were missing was Marcus (Mariota), you know?" Gabriel said. "Justin being here, Bo being here, you look at all the Oregon quarterbacks in years past — Joey Harrington, a guy I've been around a bunch — they're just class acts, great men on and off the field. As a Duck myself, I take pride in that. How cool is that, the type of people we bring to Oregon?"
Pretty cool, the Ducks' head coach would agree.
"We love the fact that guys consider this home forever," UO coach Dan Lanning said Tuesday while watching Pro Day. "It's not just for four years. The fact that they get to come back and watch other guys compete, and they'll come back and use our facilities in the offseason, that's big for us.
"And obviously," Lanning said, noting the presence of Herbert and Nix, "if you play quarterback at Oregon, you get a chance to have some success."
That's becoming increasingly clear with each passing season.
A year after a program-record eight players were selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, a record 12 Ducks were invited to this year's NFL Scouting Combine. Another record was set Tuesday, with 23 draft-eligible players from the previous season's team participating in Pro Day.
"You look for growth, right?" Lanning said. "The number of guys participating today, the number of guys in the combine, the number of draft picks each year has increased for us. I think that just speak volumes to how hard our players are working, and the job our staff is doing developing guys.
"When you come to Oregon, you get the opportunities you want."
Attracting scouts to Eugene for Pro Day and having Ducks selected in the draft isn't new. Chad Cota, on hand to watch his son Tuesday, could attest to that, after being taken in the 1995 NFL Draft before enjoying an extended pro career.
But times have changed, no doubt. In Cota's era, Pro Day was held in Autzen Stadium for maybe a dozen scouts, he recalled, who put players through just a handful of drills. Tuesday's production was much different, with more than 60 NFL scouts on hand, with titles including vice president of player personnel, and general manager.
"It's awesome to see how much the university has grown, and how many guys we have out there working out," Cota said. "It's exciting to see, especially as a former player and seeing your son go through it."