When Jordan Kunaszyk got back into town for Cal's 2019 Pro Day and walked into the Cal football locker room, he was greeted by a roar of cheers and "hellos" from his former teammates. Their reaction comes as little surprise considering the impact the former co-captain's senior season and lasting mark on the program.
 
"I just haven't stopped smiling this whole week, just being back to where I call home," Kunaszyk said. "I love Berkeley; I love this football program. To be back in my natural habitat feels amazing."
 
Also among the 13 former Golden Bears back at California Memorial Stadium on Thursday to showcase their skills for NFL scouts was fellow 2018 co-captain, running back Patrick Laird. Kunaszyk and Laird both exemplify what it means to be a Cal football player, through their hard-to-come-by character, leadership and intelligence. But neither player received an invite to the NFL Combine.
 
"When I didn't get the invite, obviously I was disappointed because I felt like I should have been there," Kunaszyk said. "It didn't really bother me much. I knew that I was going to have the opportunity to showcase what I'm about out here on Pro Day, so my focus shifted from Combine training to Pro Day training."
 
Kunaszyk has been training in Carlsbad in Southern California, at the EXOS Facility and Laird has been in Bellevue, Wash., at Ford Sports Performance. Both have been working on getting in the best shape possible for Pro Day, and both had solid outings.
 
On Thursday, Laird ran a 4.56 40-yard dash, 6.84 3-cone drill, 3.96 20-yard shuttle, 11.36 60-yard shuttle. His 3-cone drills and 20-yard shuttle times would have been the best at the Combine among running backs.
 
"When I talk to teams, they like my times, (Pro Day) just basically confirms what they saw on film," Laird said. "They like what I can do, so just coming out here and putting up some solid times made them happy."
 
Following the 2018 campaign, Kunaszyk was named a Sports Illustrated second-team All-American and was an Associated Press, Athlon, Pac-12 Coaches and Phil Steele first-team All-Pac-12 choice. Laird was named a Senior CLASS Award second-team Senior All-American, one of three national finalists for the Burlsworth Trophy, and a member of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® for his work in the community with his reading challenge last summer.
 
Kunaszyk is also praised for his football intelligence and his ability to lead his teammates on the field — traits exemplified when you watch him on film.
 
"When you watch the film, you'll see somebody who knows what he's doing, and you'll see somebody who's running the show on defense," Kunaszyk said. "(My football intelligence) allows me to play faster and be a better football player. If I didn't develop that intelligence, I don't think I would be quite the player that I am today."
 
Atop the players' successful Cal careers and skills on the field, Kunaszyk and Laird possess great characters that are attractive to coaches, fellow players, fans and scouts alike.
 
"They interview other people before they talk to me, so they interview coaches or people around the building and they always say they hear good things," Laird said. "I just try to portray to them that I love this game. The reason I was able to find success as a walk-on at Cal is because I love football. I love the process."
 
Kunaszyk and Laird — both players not committed to a Division I program out of high school — are no strangers to the hard work and dedication it takes to achieve their goals, and they show no signs of stopping. Both players are looking forward to the next few months of training and getting back to football, with their sights set on joining an NFL team.
 
Other former Bears participating were defensive linemen Rusty Becker, offensive lineman Kamryn Bennett, tight end Ian Bunting, quarterback Chase Forrest, outside linebacker Alex Funches, tight end/fullback Malik McMorris, offensive lineman Patrick Mekari, defensive lineman Chris Palmer, wide receiver Moe Ways, wide receiver Vic Wharton III and long snapper Alonso Vera. In addition to Laird's top marks, other highlights from the competitors were included Becker's 30" vertical jump and 9'3" broad jump, Bunting's 10'1" broad jump and Ways' marks in the 40-yard dash (4.58), vertical jump (35") and bench press (18 reps). Mekari and Palmer had the top performances on the bench press with 23 reps each, while Bennett had 21 reps. Notably, McMorris weighed in at 270 pounds - 20 pounds lighter than his playing weight as a 2018 senior and 40 pounds below his high of 310 pounds during his 2016 sophomore campaign.