UAlbany’s Ozzie Hutchinson entered the Great Danes Pro Day with something to prove.

“The past three, four months training, I definitely had that chip on my shoulder,” said Hutchinson. “Not able to show the scouts what I want to on the film, so today was a big opportunity to just show them that. I'm still the same kind of player I was before, and if not better.”

Foot and ankle injuries limited the graduate tackle to just six games last year. But when Hutchinson was able to step on the field, the 6’3” 305-pound lineman showed his value.

“They'd obviously be getting a great athlete,” Hutchinson said. “That's what everyone's looking for. But in addition to that, I'm a great intellectual guy, very smart, understand the game at a high level very quickly.”

Hutchinson flexed that brain and brawn in front of NFL scouts, with 26 reps on the bench press, 8’6” on the broad jump, and a 26” vertical. He’s hoping his versatility will earn him an opportunity at the next level.

“His appetite for just consuming things mentally, it’s insane,” said Jared Ambrose, the interim head coach for UAlbany. “And I've told every single NFL franchise that I've talked to that he could play any of the five offensive line positions with each. He is that smart.”

The Poughkeepsie native, who played at Spackenkill High School, has come a long way. From coming to UAlbany on just a partial scholarship to an all-conference player, a crucial anchor on that Great Danes offensive line.

“His size, his athleticism, it’s definitely something the scouts have been talking about for years,” Ambrose said. “So I'm just hoping, at some point that NFL draft weekend, he gets his call because he deserves it.”

Whether or not the NFL is in his future, Hutchinson hopes his story will inspire others to also pursue their dreams, despite whatever obstacles come their way.

“I definitely had to work my way up to the top,” Hutchinson said. “And I think that showed me that there's a way for everybody. I tell the guys that either are walk-ons or don't have their full scholarship yet, keep working because if I can do it then anybody can do it.”