John Daka’s objective isn’t complex.

He’s using the advice he received, and planning accordingly to impress during James Madison’s football pro day on March 19.

“My biggest thing,” the former Dukes defensive end said, “after getting feedback from scouts, was just getting to that like 240-pound range while still maintaining my speed because speed is a big part of my game.”

Daka’s explosiveness off the line of scrimmage, past the opposing offensive tackle and into the backfield is his top attribute. And he’s based his training at Bommarito Performance Systems in Davie, Fla., around his strength while boosting his weight to what should work for him in the NFL.

This past season, Daka led the FCS with 16.5 total sacks and topped the subdivision with 28 tackles for loss.

“We do a lot of stuff that has a lot to do with running technique,” Daka said about his weightlifting regimen. “We’ll do a lot of speed and explosiveness, and it gears around that – speed squats, speed bench – so it’s all speed components … It’s not powerlifting because powerlifting makes you stiff. It’s a good balance, so most of the time the weight gain comes from eating the correct stuff, but the weightlifting helps with explosiveness. It’s not for big, powerlifting and looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger.”

Daka said he’s added lean muscle and is closing in on the 240-pound target range necessary to last in the pro ranks.

He begins each morning with two bowls of oatmeal and mixes organic fats into his breakfast so that he’s not too full before his workouts, but still gets the calories needed to gain weight – Daka was listed at 227 pounds on JMU’s roster as a senior.

He varies his lunches and dinners, he said, and admitted he’s eating well and is not on a bland diet of chicken and broccoli. Recently after a workout, he had chicken wings, sweet potatoes, collard greens, pasta plus his usual helping of salad and fruit that he adds to most meals.

“Upping the calories,” Daka said, “and we’re specific with that because it’s getting the right stuff in my body because I want lean muscle gain. That was the big thing and what I’ve been working on the whole time.

“It’s always cool to be faster and stronger, and I want to be more flexible and be more healthy. And since we just played 16 games, I didn’t have as much time as the [other draft prospects]. I was a little behind, so tried to get healthy first, and then faster and stronger.”

The 6-foot-2 edge rusher finished fourth in JMU history for career sacks (27.5) and said he believes there’s an accessible similar role for him in the NFL whether it’s as a 3-4 outside linebacker or rush linebacker.

Though Daka primarily played as a hand-in-the-ground defensive end during his time with the Dukes, he will take pro-day reps at any position scouts would like to see him play.

“I was more of a down defensive lineman,” Daka said, “but now it’s dropping in the flats, rushing, and then some teams will like me to have the versatility to play off the ball. So for me, it’s a lot of 3-4 outside linebacker like the Von Miller-type or like Yannick Ngakoue, from the Jaguars, they look at me that way. So I know I’ll be rushing and I can drop back as well and provide versatility. And I’ll have to do special teams, being a small-school guy like me.”