SEMO football’s Flournoy preparing for next step in football journey

Ryan Flournoy runs toward the end zone after making a catch during the Redhawks' 35-28 win over Eastern Illinois on Oct. 14, 2023 at Houck Field in Cape Girardeau.

Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

Southeast Missouri State Redhawks wide receiver Ryan Flournoy had a successful weekend at the 2024 NFL Draft Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Flournoy posted a 4.44 in the 40-yard dash, ran a 1.53 in the 10-yard split, and had a vertical jump of 39.5” and a broad jump of 11’0”.

“It was a long week honestly,” Flournoy said. “We did a lot of medicals, interviews, body scans and MRIs. The whole week was busy, it’s not just the workout that you see on Saturday.”

Going into the week, Flournoy knew from talking to players who have gone through the combine, that it’s meant to test you physically and mentally.

“It's made to drain you,” Flournoy said. “It’s made to see how you perform with less than six hours of sleep. But, it was definitely a great experience. It was way better than I expected.”

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the combine was the ability to connect and ask questions to some of the game’s best.

“At the combine, I got to network with legends like Cris Carter, Reggie Wayne and Steve Smith,” Flournoy said. “I got to pick their brains on how the NFL operates and how they got to where they did.”

Flournoy said the only time he was starstruck during the process was when he was conversing with Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy.

“When I saw Jerry Rice, that’s when I was starstruck,” Flournoy said. “JJ McCarthy and I were talking because we’re both from Chicago and we were like, ‘Oh snap, that’s Jerry Rice’.”

The only two events Flournoy didn’t participate in at the combine because they were optional were the 3-cone drill and the 20-yard shuttle.

“All of our legs were dead,” Flournoy said. “I’m going to do those at Mizzou’s pro day and then I’m going to go back to California and work on that, work on the steps and try to perfect it.”

Flournoy credited his time as a Redhawk for helping prepare him for the next step in his football journey.

“The adversity that I dealt with by getting injured twice at SEMO really helped me,” Flournoy said. “Being a captain and a leader really prepared me with how to deal with other players and coaches.”

With the combine weekend in the rearview, Flournoy will now spend his time continuing to work out and meet with teams leading up to the start of the NFL Draft that runs from April 25-27 in Detroit, Michigan.

“I literally met with every single team at the combine,” Flournoy said. “It’s hard to get a read because everybody says they like you. As far as my draft stock, I really have no idea.”