With gyms closed, Borderland NFL Draft hopefuls train in streets

EL PASO, Texas -- The NFL Draft will still go on as scheduled next week. And for the hopefuls anxious to hear their name called, there is little time to waste.

So with gyms closed due to Covid-19, prospects are getting in their training anyway they can. If that means sprinting through construction sites, so be it.

"A lot of people don't have access to things at he so you just gotta find your materials," says UTEP Defensive Lineman and draft prospect Chris Richardson. "Like use gods given gift out here which is the make of the workout."

Under the watchful eye of noted local trainer Roberto Godinez of Top View Fitness, Richardson and Arizona safety Tristan Cooper are getting in final preparation for the biggest week of their lives.

"This is really crunch week. This week, next week right before the draft and then the following week," says Cooper. "Those three weeks upcoming, I should getting a lot more calls. Hopefully everything goes good. If not I'm just hoping to get on a squad."

Cooper, an Andress High School alum who registered 123 tackles over four years in the Pac-12, has seen two teams in particular take interest.

"The falcons and the Chargers. I'd love to go play in LA and I'd love to go play in Atlanta," he says.

For Richardson, a captain on UTEP's defensive line this past season and 2018 C-USA All-Conference Honorable Mention, he's caught the eye of a team that would excite El Pasoans.

"I've been in contact with a few teams, the one that showed the most love so far has been the cowboys has been on different occasions," says Richardson, who also an All-Conference Freshman Team performer in 2016.

"I hear from a few others, but the most consistent has been the Cowboys. If I don't get drafted, I'll be a priority guy for them."

The NFL Draft kicks off next Thursday night on ABC-7.