Corey Crooms, former wide receiver from the University of Minnesota and a 2024 NFL Draft prospect, shared insights into his life as he has been training at House of Athlete located in Tampa, Florida, in preparation for the NFL Draft.

“The reason I came down here is because I have been here for the past two years on spring break from school,” said Crooms. “I would come down here and get some work in. The head of it here is Yo Murphy, and I’ve been drilling with him during spring break and connected with him. I didn’t want to be anywhere else. I just wanted to be around him because he is a good dude, good connection, and good vibes. That’s how I knew where I wanted to be.”

Corey then walked us through the days of training.

“In the morning, we go to the facility, we stretch, then head over to the field,” described Crooms. “We warm up again with a light jog, then we do some 40 tests, starts, agility, 5-10-5, L drill. We just do all the pro day drills and the combine training that you would normally see. Then some days after that, we would do some skill position work with our skill coaches and go through routes. Once finished with that, we would go back to the facility and get recovery with our physical therapist. We go back and forth from where we eat and have our meals. After meals, we go back for more recovery to our lifts. That’s pretty much your day.”

Bouncing back to his previous statement, Corey has been focusing on his skills.

“When we do position work, I’ve been cleaning up routes, making sure they are polished, but my biggest focus is the 40,” said Crooms. “There is so much that goes into it, and you are just trying to get every single piece of it down. There have been days where I have a good time, but also days where I might lose a little bit of technique, and I can get into my head about that, but being consistent and trusting the process and teaching us to just take everything step-by-step.”

But, for Crooms, it doesn’t stop there. He has made sure to prioritize his body by taking his wellness needs to the next level.

“I get extra recovery just to keep my body straight because you don’t want anything setting you back, so I typically get some more recovery,” said Crooms. He does this by, “getting in the cold tub, getting into the sauna, and things like that…My physical therapist will take care of my legs, specifically my hamstrings, quads, and calves.”

Taking recovery into account, on his off days, Crooms likes to relax and stay at home to get proper rest for the upcoming week. Additionally, Crooms also prioritizes having good nutritional habits throughout his training process.

“Making sure I’m putting the right stuff in my body, whether it’s gaining weight or I’m trying to maintain weight,” shared Crooms. “Down here I’ve put on 13 pounds, making sure I maintain that and hit my goal, which I’m three pounds off of. I’ve been drinking a lot of water every day, and that’s all I drink. It’s important to be consistent with what I put in my body.”

For food, he has something light for breakfast like Nutri-Grain bars, but around lunch, he will have different variations of high-protein foods and carbs, such as chicken, pasta, broccoli, rice, and other filling foods. Finishing off his experience, Crooms made one powerful statement that sums up how the pre-draft process feels.

“You only get one shot at this, and everyone’s giving it their all.”

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