The burst is nearly back, evidenced by the fact that Will Likely III appeared faster in his 40-yard dash at Maryland’s pro day Wednesday than almost every other former Terp trying out in front of representatives from 30 NFL teams at Cole Field House.
The quiet bravado with which the 5-foot-7 Likely carried himself during the 3½ seasons he played before tearing his ACL as a senior in 2016 might take awhile to return. Given what Likely has endured in the past 18 months, that’s to be expected.
A year after Likely was limited to a few position drills at pro day because he wasn’t yet fully recovered from the knee injury, the former All-Big Ten cornerback and All-America returner smiled when asked about how different he felt this time.