There’s a lot of nuance that goes into testing for NFL draft prospects, and it’s often tedious compared to football itself.

Former Clemson running back Will Shipley now knows this all too well, but it paid off for him in the end. He didn’t compete in the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, but instead saved it for an eye-opening Pro Day.

The future pro appeared on the Gramlich and Mac Lain Show to talk about the pre-draft process. Shipley was “very pleased” with his performance at the Poe Indoor Facility, but he’s glad that part of it is over.

“It was a totally different experience…for me, it was even more different because I’m coming off an injury in the bowl game against Kentucky and it set me back like a month essentially from what everybody else was doing,” Shipley said.

Shipley said that he didn’t jog again following the Gator Bowl until Jan. 28 and had to circle the dates between the combine and Pro Day. He didn’t have to play in the bowl game and the injury made him take extra time before deciding to leave for the NFL.

“It was a tough spot for me…I had a big decision on my hands that I hadn’t come to what I was going to do yet. The injury played a huge factor just having to go back and really assess where I thought I should end up,” Shipley said.

When going through rehab, Shipley had initially planned to back up Pro Day testing for himself but he far exceeded any initial expectations of his rehab.

There was no time wasted once he was ready, and the preparation was far different than anything Shipley had experienced. Training straight-line speed for three weeks wasn’t normal for Shipley, but it paid off with 4.39 40-yard dash.

The other numbers weren’t too shabby either. Shipley had a 38.5 vertical jump and 10.2 broad jump to get “the results I wanted.” With both Pro Day and the combine, he described it as “you have to sell yourself” and that performance made a large step in doing so.

Looking at Shipley as specifically a player, he brings the versatility and skills the NFL wants. He finished with 2,747 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns over three seasons. Shipley’s biggest strides came as a pass catcher, something he flashed as in his final two seasons as a Tiger.

That’s not what Shipley prides himself most in though. It’s his mentality that he believes sells himself best for the NFL.

“The number one thing for me is my competitive nature. That’s just an intangible that I have that can allow me to go into any environment, any organization and thrive just off of the competitive spirit that I have,” Shipley said.

That said, versatility on the field is something Shipley has been “cracking at” and that comes in different running styles, protection and pass-catching. He plans to bring a lot of options to whatever franchise chooses him.

The 2024 NFL draft begins April 25, and Shipley is a lock to be selected over the three-day period.