Five years ago, Darryl Tapp was the co-defensive line coach at Virginia Tech. On Wednesday afternoon, he was back in the Beamer-Lawson Indoor Practice Facility in Blacksburg working with that same unit — this time as the D-line coach for the Washington Commanders.
Tapp instructed five Hokies defensive linemen through drills at the program’s pro day in front of scouts from all 32 NFL teams. That included edge rusher Antwaun Powell-Ryland and defensive tackle Aeneas Peebles, who showed out at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in late February and early March.
It was a unique experience for them to work out with Tapp, an All-American and two-time All-ACC honoree as a player at Tech who has been an NFL assistant since 2021 — first in San Francisco and now Washington. It gave them a taste of what they can expect after the 2025 NFL Draft, which is from April 24-26 in Green Bay.
“It’s definitely a great honor,” Powell-Ryland said. “He’s coming back to Virginia Tech to work guys out, that’s big … because he’s got a big role in the league.”
A Portsmouth native who followed the Hokies growing up, Powell-Ryland knew of and watched Tapp — who was, up until Powell-Ryland notched 16 sacks in 2024, the last Virginia Tech player to reach double digits in 2005 with 10.
“I’ve known about him since he was at Tech,” Powell-Ryland said. “I didn’t even realize until he came to my face and he was telling me. I’m like, ‘Oh, man, that’s wild.’ Like no one had double-digit sacks [after him] until me. But being able to even be in [a sentence] with him [is amazing].”
The three other defensive linemen that participated on Wednesday — tackles Josh Fuga and Wilfried Pene and end Cole Nelson — all have ties to Tapp, too. Fuga and Nelson were recruited by Tapp. He also tried to flip Pene, who was brought into the program as a tight end, to the defensive side of the ball.
As for what those loud, high-intensity workouts with Tapp were like: “It was a great experience,” Peebles said. “I enjoyed every minute of it.”
Darryl Tapp leading DL drills pic.twitter.com/qqwIg86RB9
— Kolby Crawford (@kolby_crawford) March 26, 2025
Powell-Ryland and Peebles, two Third Team All-Americans in 2024, each shined in different ways in the weight room earlier in the day. The former had a team-best 40-inch vertical jump, an improvement of 3.5 inches from his previous score. It would’ve tied Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart for second at the combine.
“Even at the combine, I wanted to show that I had a lot of explosiveness inside of me, not just running jumping and stuff,” said Powell-Ryland, who is being viewed solely as an edge rusher at the next level. “Being able to do better than I did at the combine was great.”
Meanwhile, Peebles did an impressive 28 reps on the bench press at 225 pounds. That would’ve tied for second at the NFL Combine among defensive tackles, one shy of Maryland’s Jordan Phillips at 29. What’s more, running back Bhayshul Tuten did 24, which would’ve led all running backs at the event.
Those were six of the 17 Tech players that participated in pro day. The others on offense: quarterback Collin Schlee, wide receivers Da’Quan Felton, Stephen Gosnell, Ali Jennings and Jaylin Lane and offensive linemen Parker Clements and Kaden Moore.
On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Keonta Jenkins, cornerback Dorian Strong and safety Jaylen Jones also worked out, as did punter Peter Moore.
“I’m happy that I get to go through it with a lot of my teammates,” Jennings said. “It just shows how much talent that we had on our roster. I wish we could have done more for the season with our record, but it just shows Virginia Tech has a lot of talent coming through here and hopefully all of us end up on a team and have great careers.”
Here are other nuggets from the workout:
Lane turns heads
Outside of wideout-specific drills, Lane wasn’t super active on Wednesday because his marks at the NFL Combine were so impressive. A list:- 40-Yard Dash: 4.34 seconds (T-3rd among WRs)
- 10-Yard Split: 1.50 seconds (3rd)
- Vertical Jump: 40.00 inches (3rd)
- Broad Jump: 11 feet (3rd)
- 3-Cone Drill: 6.75 seconds (2nd)
- 20-Yard Shuttle: 4.12 seconds (3rd)
- Bench Press: 14 reps (6th)
“The Senior Bowl was a great experience because you’re going against the best competition around the country,” Lane said. “I was able to showcase there, and then at the combine, it’s one of the biggest events in sports, so it’s been a blessing being able to go out there and show what I can do. …
“It was definitely a great feeling, going to the combine and doing what I did. Not a lot of people have done it. Definitely a little weight off my shoulders, but I know I’ve got to keep my head down and keep working because I know the job’s not finished.”
The Clover, South Carolina, native wanted to improve his route running leading up to the draft, which comes with working on it consistently. “Just being clean in and out of my breaks,” he said.
He also provides versatility as a punt returner. He was one of the best return men in the country at Middle Tennessee before transferring to Virginia Tech, where he housed a 58-yard punt against Marshall in September. He worked on that part of his craft by catching punts from Moore on Wednesday.
“Return ability and special teams work is going to be huge for me,” Lane said. “But [I got] with Pete, one of the best kickers in the nation, so catching punts from him. It was a windy day today, so being able to show I can track that during the windiness, and just showcase what special teams ability I can bring to any team was big for me.”
Jennings, Gosnell finally healthy
When Jennings transferred to the Hokies from Old Dominion in 2023, he hoped to have a breakout season that would springboard him to the NFL. However, a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 vs. Purdue cut that short.
After taking a redshirt, he returned and played well in Tech’s opener at Vanderbilt last fall, hauling in two catches for 91 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown. But he hurt his hamstring the following week at ODU, which limited his effectiveness in the contests that followed.
Jennings’ goal at Wednesday’s pro day: Prove that he’s recovered.
“I just wanted to show that I’m healthy, that I still have my explosion,” Jennings said. “I think I did a pretty good job of that. I know I didn’t do as well on some tests that I had hoped for and that I have done well on in the past, but I just tried not to let it affect me going to the next step of the day.”
Some of his numbers included 17 reps on the bench press, a 32-inch vertical leap and a 10-foot, 1-inch broad jump — the third-best mark of the 11 Hokies who participated behind Schlee (10-8) and Jones (10-6).
Since the Duke's Mayo Bowl, he's worked on his ankle strength and flexibility, which were impacted by the surgery. Participating in the Hula Bowl in Orlando in January was a positive. He also slimmed down a little bit while training at Yo Murphy Performance in Tampa alongside fellow Virginia natives Antwane Wells Jr. (Ole Miss), KeAndre Lambert-Smith (Auburn) and TreVeyon Henderson (Ohio State).
He’ll stay in Blacksburg for a short period of time and work out with Jarrett Ferguson, Tech’s newly promoted strength & conditioning coach.
“He’s like a little fireball, man,” Jennings said of Ferguson. "You can tell that he cares about our health and our performance, and he implies that in our training, make sure we’re prepared for everything that we’re about to do, and … I can’t wait to get back to training with him.”
It was a different type of injury for Gosnell, who tore his ACL in the 2023 Military Bowl. Yet, he made a full recovery, playing in all 13 of the Hokies’ games last season and leading the team in receiving yards with 506. That included a 118-yard outing at Syracuse in November.
His goal leading up to the NFL Draft: Develop “supreme” confidence in his leg again. For what it’s worth, he had a 10-foot broad jump on Wednesday.
“There were some routes that I couldn’t do this season because of [the injury],” Gosnell said, “so getting back 100 percent healthy, not having to wear a sleeve and having any problems with it, that was my goal and that’s what I obtained. … I’m finally glad I can stop training against the clock and start training for football.”
Like most guys training for the NFL, he has a daily regimen — wake up, eat, sleep, train and repeat. He’s got an espresso machine and always has a double shot of latte with honey, coconut and cinnamon, which he drinks while eating two dates and five eggs.
He’s also been reading a lot — most recently, "The Book of Five Rings" by Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi.
“It’s interesting,” Gosnell said. “He was a smart dude. He was a samurai, so their mentality is a whole lot different. … [Just] trying to develop knowledge and not keep my mind on football at all times.”
The specialist’s dynamic
Unlike most offensive or defensive players, Moore understands there’s a slim chance he gets drafted. Eight punters have been taken in the past three years, including three in the fourth round — Iowa’s Tory Taylor went there to Chicago in 2024. But it’s often a spot that’s decided in training camp.
He’s got a slightly different mentality than most of his Tech teammates as a result. It helped that he recently spent time with John Parker Romo, a former Hokies kicker — Moore was his holder in 2021 — who’s spent time with a few NFL franchises, including Minnesota. In sort of a full-circle moment, Romo snapped for Moore on Wednesday.
“Me and him talk very often and it was great to have him out here,” Moore said, “especially because I held for him for his pro day. … We just talked about mentality and mindset, what it takes to be elite and go into camp with an NFL team and beat another guy out, even somebody that might be there for 10 years, just a veteran. How do you go in there with the mentality to win the job and attack it? …
“For me, it doesn’t matter if I’m drafted or not. I’m going to go into camp with a team and beat out whoever’s there. That’s the mindset and that’s the mentality I have to have to be successful, and it doesn’t matter where, it doesn’t matter what day. Just go in and take somebody’s job and punt to the best of my ability.”
A two-time All-ACC third-team pick, Moore finished his career second in Virginia Tech history in total punting yards (11,299) and average yardage (43.3) — behind A.J. Hughes and Oscar Bradburn, respectively.
Since his six-punt, 241-yard performance in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl vs. Minnesota, which included a 69-yarder, he’s hopped around between Buffalo, Florida and Phoenix at different showcases. In Upstate New York, he stayed with 20 other specialists in a house, which helped him measure up some of his punting competition: Arkansas State’s Ryan Heicher, San Diego State’s Tyler Pastula, Auburn’s Oscar Chapman and Buffalo’s Ethan Duane.
“Having that competitive atmosphere puts myself in a good position going into the draft just because I’ve had sessions that are at a high level,” Moore said. “We’ve kind of held the standard high for each other and I think that made me a lot better.”