Julius Davis, Paul Brott highlight 'emotional' Montana State 2026 pro day

Dornaj Davis’ first memory of his son hurdling a defender happened right in front of him. But he didn’t see it.

It happened in August 2017, when Julius Davis was a junior running back at Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin) High School. Dornaj was in the stands but wasn’t locked in on the game, even when Julius was in the backfield, because it was a blowout. As Dornaj talked to another spectator, Julius received a handoff, burst up the middle and hurdled a defender while doing a 360.

Other people in the crowd excitedly asked Dornaj if he just saw what his son did. Donaj had been so deep in conversation, he didn’t watch his son’s hurdle until that night, after the video went viral.

Leaping over defenders became Julius’ signature move after he transferred to Montana State from Wisconsin, highlighted by his hurdles at Sacramento State in 2023 and at Northern Arizona last fall. Plays like that put a little bit of pressure on Julius during MSU’s pro day Thursday morning. He didn’t want his leaping reputation to be tainted by poor marks in the broad and vertical jumps.

No such awkwardness arose. Julius tallied 10 feet in the broad jump and got up to 37.5 inches in the vertical — two of the best marks at the pro day, which featured him, four of his former MSU teammates and an ex-Carroll offensive lineman.

“I’ve seen a kid from second grade playing flag football trying to run over everybody to now, with the hurdling,” Dornaj said Thursday. “Being able to be patient and keep his body healthy, not just running wherever he wants to run, actually learning the game, that's what it comes down to. That’s what I’m proud of.”

Julius’ 10-foot broad jump would’ve been tied for eighth of the 11 running backs who did the event at February’s NFL scouting combine (a showcase made up of players who NFL teams consider to be top draft prospects). His 37.5-inch vertical jump would’ve been tied for third among combine RBs (tied for 56th overall).

“I knew I could jump, but to finally put it on paper and be able to execute it in front of everybody, with a bunch of eyes watching, that was big time,” said Julius, who made two All-Big Sky Conference second teams in his three seasons at MSU.

The 5-foot-10.5, 207-pound Julius ran 4.75 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 4.39 in the pro shuttle and 7.21 in the three-cone drill (also known as the L-Drill) Thursday morning, according to the official pro day results released by MSU. He also completed 23 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press, a total that would’ve ranked third among NFL combine RBs.

The official 40, shuttle and three-cone times for Julius, RB Elijah Elliott, wide receiver Chris Long, WR Ryan King and former Carroll O-lineman Andrew Devine came from the defending Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks, who had two scouts at the pro day (ex-Bobcat Ty Okada plays for the Seahawks). The other known NFL teams represented at MSU were the Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots (who lost to Seattle in Super Bowl 60).

It was the first pro day with events in the Kennedy-Stark Athletic Center, MSU’s indoor practice facility that opened last year. There’s a good chance it was also the Bobcats’ first pro day following a national championship (they beat Illinois State in January for their first FCS/Division I-AA title since 1984).

Former MSU defensive lineman Paul Brott was the sixth participant in MSU’s pro day but could only do the bench press because he’s recovering from an ankle surgery that will take until July to fully heal, he said. That timeline might dim his NFL hopes, considering rookie minicamps will take place in early May.

Brott, a Billings native, gave teams something to think about when he ripped through 32 bench press reps Thursday morning. Two total players finished with higher bench totals at the NFL combine.

“I wanted more,” Brott said, “but 32’s still awesome. I’m pumped up.”

The 2025 All-American nose tackle got emotional a few days ago, when it finally hit him that his college football career was over, he said. Some of those feelings returned Thursday as he worked out in the KSAC and Bobcat Athletic Complex for what might be his last time as a player.

Ultimately, Brott felt grateful that he got to live out his dream, and he’ll be content if no professional football opportunities come his way.

“My dream was to be an All-American, win a natty and beat the Griz. I've done all that,” he said. “This is just a cherry on top.”

The 6-2, 295-pound Brott was taken aback during pro day warmups when he saw Devine, who stands nearly 6-7 and weighs almost 320 pounds. Brott jokingly told Devine to not stand near him whenever the scouts were nearby.

“I hope he gets a shot,” Brott said. “I bet he will because he's freaking humongous.”

Devine didn’t plan to do a pro day until his Carroll career ended Nov. 29 at Montana Tech in the second round of the NAIA playoffs.

“I'm like, ‘I'm just starting to get really good at this thing. I can't be done,’” Devine said. “I feel like God's given me some certain gifts I want to use to the best of my ability. I knew if I didn't, I'd be laying in bed one day wondering, ‘What if,’ and I wouldn't be able to sleep at night.”

Devine woke up around 4:30 a.m. Thursday and was so “amped up” and “juiced” for pro day that he couldn’t fall back asleep, he said.

He finished the event with 26 bench press reps, a 29-inch vertical, a 9-4 broad jump, a 5.21-second 40-yard dash, a 4.71-second shuttle and a 7.63-second three-cone — marks that would’ve ranked near or firmly in the top half of O-linemen at the combine.

“I've been waiting for this day for three months. I've been training my butt off,” Devine said. “So excited to do it, and I feel really confident about it.”

Elliott transferred to Bryant last year after four seasons as a Bobcat. On Thursday morning, he stepped into the KSAC for the first time and ran the fastest times of the pro day: 4.62-second 40, 4.21 shuttle, 7.02 three-cone. He also vertical-jumped 35.5 inches.

“It was just great seeing my teammates. It was a little bit emotional,” Elliott said. “I feel like I came here as a kid and I left as a man.”

After sparse playing time for struggling FBS programs, Long and King transferred to MSU and ended their college careers as national champions (Long came from Rutgers, while King previously played at Georgia Tech and East Carolina). King hurt his hamstring on his second 40-yard dash Thursday, preventing him from doing the shuttle, three-cone or positional drills. But he reached 37 inches in the vertical, jumped a pro day-best 10-1 in the broad and ran a 4.73-second 40.

“A lot of people don't even get one pro day, so being able to showcase my talent in front of the scouts, it was a blessing,” King said.

Julius felt excitement and pride as he performed Thursday in front of his former teammates, father and grandmother Lawanda. It was also a sad day for Julius. Less than 24 hours earlier, he learned that his former Wisconsin teammate, Jack Pugh, died (by suicide, according to Julius).

The heavy heart didn’t prevent Julius from running fast or jumping high, and he credited the support he got from his teammates.

“(I decided to) not put that (death) to the side, but harness it for a little bit later and be able to execute today,” he said. “It was tough. Emotional.”