INDIANAPOLIS––Conversations with draft prospects at the NFL Combine revealed nothing but good things to say about the Packers' newly hired assistant strength and conditioning coach Zac Woodfin.

Woodfin comes to the Packers after serving as a performance specialist at Athletes Performance Institute (API) in Los Angeles where he worked with several players preparing for the Combine.

"He's taught me a lot of things," said defensive tackle Sione Fua of Stanford. "The thing about Zac, he just really takes care of us. He really wants the best for us.

"He's showing us how to compete, really how to be a pro. A lot of us, we don't know what that means yet, so he's really trying to show us what that means, and he's really done a good job."

API is one of several facilities across the nation that work with college athletes to specifically get ready for the process known as the Combine that specialize in strength and conditioning to nutrition.

The Combine is the equivalent of a job interview for football players, so no stone is typically left unturned when preparing for drills that may seem as trivial as the vertical jump and the bench press. Players know that thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, even million of dollars––for the elite players––are at stake based upon how they do at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianpolis.

Fua said he can make plays across the football field, and is overall athleticism is the primary thing he wanted to show off for teams this week, which is what he worked with Woodfin on at API.

"I think a lot of the teams think that I'm just a straight nose tackle," said Fua, "but I want to come out and show that I'm more athletic than just being a nose tackle where I can play three-technique also. So just showing my athletic abilities."

A stark contrast to Fua would be Taiwan Jones of Eastern Washington.

Whereas Fua is a 6-2, 308 pound defensive lineman known for his strength, Jones is a 5-11, 194 pound running back known for his speed and elusiveness.

While Fua comes from a Stanford team fresh off an appearance in the Orange Bowl, Jones comes from a comparatively small team in the FCS division of NCAA football.

And where Fua is considered by some to be among the top 100 players in this year's draft class, Jones is trying to prove he's worthy of being drafted at all.

Both chose to get ready for the Combine at API in Los Angeles where Woodfin had to meet the needs and demands of the two distinctly different types of players.

"That's a great guy," Jones said of Woodfin. "I've grown real close to him in the little time that he was there. He definitely made a difference in my training.

"Just the two weeks that I've been there, he's put at least 11 or 12 pounds on me and he brung my reps (on the bench press) from six to 12 in two weeks. He definitely had an impact on my workout there."

Woodfin was hired to replace Dave Redding, who retired after spending 24 seasons in the NFL, the last two on the strength and conditioning staff of the Packers.

He'll work under coordinator Mark Lovat.

Woodfin was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Packers coming out of UAB in 2005 where he's still the Blazers' career leader in tackles and helped lead them to their only bowl appearance in school history.

He spent part of that season on the Packers' practice squad and went on to play with the Baltimore Ravens as part of their 53-man roster later that season.

General manager Ted Thompson said he anticipates using Woodfin as a resource with inside knowledge of some of the players they'll be considering in the draft.

"I would assume we'll pick the brain of anybody if they have knowledge about a player," said Thompson, "certainly someone that has been around them and knows how they work and knows how they act, that sort of thing. We think character is very important."

As to whether Woodfin will advocate for the players he trained at API, they want him to.

"I hope so," said Jones with a smile.

"I told him when he went to Green Bay to put in a good word for all of us at the API facility," said Fua.

BONUS AUDIO: University of Washington linebacker Mason Foster shared his thoughts on training with Woodfin at API.

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