The best bet of the bunch was probably Rashad Robinson.

Following his junior season with James Madison, there wasn’t a better NFL prospect on the Dukes’ roster than him. Most draft analysts, at the time, even tabbed Robinson more worthy of a draft pick than his buddy Jimmy Moreland, the former JMU cornerback who became a seventh-round choice of the Washington Redskins last year.

But that was before Robinson missed all of 2018 with turf toe, having to prove his health to scouts after that.

“I just have to show that I’m back to 100 percent movement-wise,” Robinson said of his upcoming pro day on March 19 in Harrisonburg. “And once they get their hands on me, I feel like they will be able to see that.”

The 5-foot-11 cornerback thrived this past fall, overcoming the turf toe and even a minor knee injury that forced him to miss two games as a redshirt senior. He racked up 52 tackles, three interceptions, and 11 pass breakups while serving as a team captain and aiding the Dukes in their run to the FCS national championship game.

He leaves JMU tied for third in school history with 13 interceptions.

“It helped me tremendously,” Robinson said. “Because a lot of the feedback that I was getting was [NFL] people wanted to see how I’d bounce back physically and mentally, so that was a very big part, especially with the way I played this year.”

Since JMU fell in the title game to North Dakota State, Robinson hasn’t wasted any time settling into his intense training at Michael Johnson Performance in McKinney, Texas, where Moreland prepared for his pro day last year. Fellow draft hopeful and former JMU standout Ron’Dell Carter is working out there, too.

Taking only one week off after the bout against the Bison, Robinson is in his sixth week of weightlifting and speed training six days a week and refining his football skills with private defensive backs coach Clay Mack three days per week.

“When I was trying to pick a facility there were two things I really wanted to focus on,” Robinson said. “I wanted to go to a place that would specifically help my 40[-yard dash] with great speed training and then also somewhere I could work on my defensive back drills a lot.

“Being that we played so much press-man [coverage] at JMU, you can get away from your fundamentals and just get in a habit backpedaling as a defensive back, so I wanted to go somewhere with a great defensive backs coach and they have one here.”

One change he’s made is to his diet, he said, sticking to steady helpings of chicken, rice, and broccoli, in order to gain weight since he had lost some during the season.

“He looks like a completely different person,” Carter said. “Rashad is going to shock some people. I don’t know why so many people have doubted him after his injury, but he’s going to shock some people. He’s doing good. I’m watching him work every single day.”

Robinson said: “My agent told me that when I leave here I’m going to be in the best shape I’ve ever been in my life and it’s really coming true so far. I’m back to 100 percent and they’ve been taking real good care of me. It’s probably the best I’ve been feeling body-looking wise and feeling wise. And as far as the health, it is something scouts are probably going to bring up, but I’m sure once they see me workout they’re going to see that I’m back to 100 percent.”

Robinson said he’s made progress with his 40-yard dash, but still believes he can improve his time as he tries to perfect the most technical parts of the run, which is critical for any defensive back prospect trying to boost his draft stock.

He also speaks regularly with Moreland in regard to the entire pre-draft process. Since Moreland went through it last year, he knows exactly what Robinson is dealing with.

“Biggest thing he told me was ‘Don’t overload your body. Take care of my body and eat right,’” Robinson said. “He said, ‘No matter how hard you work and how hard you go, at the end of the day, you can’t do anything without your body.’ So if I go out there and overwork or overload myself and not take care of my body, that’s how I’ll become more susceptible to injuries. That’s one thing, he said, if I get to the next level and get that chance that I can’t do anything to help the team if I’m hurt, so that’s the biggest part I’ve tried to take away from this.”

He also has plenty of other prospects to talk with at Michael Johnson Performance as well such as Carter, or Louisville offensive lineman Mekhi Becton, a Richmond native just like Robinson. Robinson said Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, Missouri quarterback Kelly Bryant and Ohio State wide receiver Binjimen Victor are there too.

“A lot of big names here, and for the most part when I got here I didn’t know anybody,” Robinson said. “I was really on my own. But all the guys are cool and the coaches are cool, so it’s easy to mingle with everybody because everyone has that same goal and that’s to get to the next level so everyone is helping each other out.”