2010 NFL draft combine thread

[pbmax]

Bedard and the JSO Blog:

Hillsdale College offensive tackle Jared Veldheer (6-7.6, 315) said earlier in the week "there has been a lot of interest from the Packers."

[Zool]

Bedard and the JSO Blog:

Hillsdale College offensive tackle Jared Veldheer (6-7.6, 315) said earlier in the week "there has been a lot of interest from the Packers."

Well is that legit or a smoke screen?

[mission]

Bedard and the JSO Blog:

Hillsdale College offensive tackle Jared Veldheer (6-7.6, 315) said earlier in the week "there has been a lot of interest from the Packers."

Well is that legit or a smoke screen?

I don't know but I wouldn't want him in the 2nd... 3rd+ if possible ... or Indiana's Staffold. His tape has been graded very well.

Campbell is a beast but I hear his game tape leaves a lot to be desired. Just disappears at times.

[pbmax]

Bedard and the JSO Blog:

Hillsdale College offensive tackle Jared Veldheer (6-7.6, 315) said earlier in the week "there has been a lot of interest from the Packers."

Well is that legit or a smoke screen?

You're guess is as good as mine. Bedard has made the point (maybe it was McGinn?) that they have both interviewed guys they intended to take and ignored guys they eventually took.

My suspicion is that they had something specific they wanted to know more about. Some prospects simply might elude them given the time constraints and number of teams.

I think they did interview Rodgers (and Dorsey asked him what made him different from other mediocre Tedford QBs) even though he was not on the short list early.

[packrulz]

I think we fans get too fixated on certain players or positions before the draft, TT is much more flexible and will go after the best player available, at least in the first round. Like he said, Clifton wasn't drafted in the first round, so Veldheer might be on his radar. I guess we should watch what we wish for, remember John Michaels? Tony Mandarich?

[Lurker64]

There's something that I keep hearing experts saying about Veldheer that confuses me. He's got adequate length arms for an LT (33") and he's a towering 6'8 1/8", but "experts" keep saying that his arms might be too short for his height.

I understand that arm length is important because it determines how quickly you can get your hands on the guy you're trying to block, and how hard it is for who you're blocking to separate from you and get away, but why on earth would the ratio of height to arm length matter?

I mean, if you could have a 5'2 guy with 36" arms who weighs 310 and runs a 5.0 versus a 6'11" guy with 46" arms who weighs 340 lbs and runs a 5.0, would the first guy be a better prospect by virtue of his greater arm length/height ratio?

[red]

i'm with you lurker

i don't get it either

[Joemailman]

I'm guessing they feel a tall Tackle with relatively short arms will have a tougher time getting the proper hand position with pass rushers who try to go low to try to get around the Tackle. I have read however that Veldheer is able to bend his body unusually well for such a tall player.

[digitaldean]

I agree with those that believe most of your board should be set before the combines.

Those who put too much stock in the combine forget 2 names of combine greats who were NFL busts, Vernon Gholston and Mike Mamula.

[3irty1]

There are two sides to this when evaluating an OT prospect. You want your OT to have an use good natural length however you also don't want them to play too high. Being tall is an advantage as long as it means you are long. If you are 6'8" but your arms are 33" long then you'll play like a top heavy 6'3".

[3irty1]

I agree with those that believe most of your board should be set before the combines.

Those who put too much stock in the combine forget 2 names of combine greats who were NFL busts, Vernon Gholston and Mike Mamula.

Gholston may be a bust but this stuff can't be blamed on the combine. He was crazy productive in school and was the only pass rusher all year to get the best of Jake Long. If anything the workout numbers just verified that this guy was a great prospect. Who knows why he busted but it wasn't because he was chosen drafted solely on his workouts.

[packrulz]

Notebook: Green Bay Packers see good showing from LT Jared Veldheer of Hillsdale College

BY PETE DOUGHERTY • pdougher@greenbaypressgazette.com • February 27, 2010

INDIANAPOLIS – Though Maryland’s Bruce Campbell received most of the initial publicity among left tackles for his 4.85-second 40-yard dash, a less heralded prospect might have performed best on physical testing at that position at the NFL scouting combine on Saturday.

The Green Bay Packers are looking for a left tackle in the draft and surely took note of the performance by Jared Veldheer, a Division II player from Hillsdale College who finished among the top 10 offensive linemen in all five tests for which the NFL posted results Saturday.

Veldheer, who measured in at the combine at 6-feet-8 1/8 and 312 pounds, came into the weekend as probably a late second-round to third-round prospect but could get teams to take an even harder look at him after his performance Saturday.

He ran the 40 in 5.09 seconds, which was fourth among the linemen. He also tied for first in the three-cone drill (7.40 seconds) and 20-yard shuttle (4.51 seconds); tied for third in the vertical jump (33 inches), was fifth in the broad jump (9-feet, 1-inch) and ninth in the bench press (32 reps of 225 pounds).

One of the biggest concerns coming into the combine was the length of Veldheer’s arms, which measured at 33 inches, which is short for a left tackle but at least passed the 32-inch barrier, which many scouts consider too short for the position.

Campbell, in the meantime, fulfilled the predictions he’d do well on the physical testing. He’s a raw player and scouts are split on whether he is or ever will be a good left tackle, but his workout displayed impressive athletic talent and could help solidify for at least some teams that he’s worth a pick in the top 20 overall.

Campbell ran the fastest 40-yard dash of the offensive linemen at 4.85 seconds, which is faster than some tight ends and is excellent for his position. He also did 34 reps on the bench press, which tied for fifth-best, and had the fifth-best vertical jump at 32 inches.
Another linebacker from USC?

Could the Packers select an outside linebacker from USC in the first round in back-to-back drafts? It’s not out of the question.

Last year, they picked USC’s Clay Matthews at No. 26 pick overall, and he finished third in the voting for NFC defensive rookie of the year as the Packers’ starting right outside linebacker the final 12 games.

USC has another good prospect at outside linebacker this year in Everson Griffen, who is entering the draft after his junior season and in fact as a sophomore was replaced by Matthews in USC’s starting lineup in the fourth game of the 2008 season.

Griffen figures to be drafted anywhere from the late first round through the second round as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense or defensive end in a 4-3 scheme. The Packers pick at No. 23 in the first round.

Griffen said he was terribly disappointed when he lost his starting job to Matthews early in 2008 but said the decision by the USC coaching staff was fair.

“Of course, oh yeah,” he said, “the guy (Matthews) is a good football player. If it happens, it happens – you just can’t let that happen.”

Griffen said he’s had interviews here with Buffalo and Cleveland -- which both project him as an outside linebacker in their 3-4 defenses – but not the Packers.

He measured out at 6-foot-3 and 273 pounds and says he expects to run the 40 in the 4.5s on Monday.

“One-hundred percent realistic,” he said of hitting that time. “You’ll see when the time comes.”
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Wisconsin's Schofield aiming for speedy recovery
INDIANAPOLIS -- It's a long shot O'Brien Schofield will be recovered enough to make an impact in the NFL in 2010, but the injured Wisconsin product spoke today as though he expects to play as a rookie.

Schofield tore his left ACL and meniscus during practice at the Senior Bowl on Jan. 25, had surgery four days later with Dr. James Andrews and said he was given a six-month recovery timeline -- the absolute minimum, and well below the nine- to 11-month timeline espoused by many teams, including the Packers.

"I feel in four months I’ll be able to start doing some things," said Schofield, who played end for the Badgers but could be a 3-4 oustide linebacker in the NFL.

"I met with Dr. Andrews (Friday), and I’m pretty far ahead of schedule — I’m only a month out and I’m doing a lot, compared to only being a month out. So, my goal is just to be able to, if I’m in a minicamp, to be able to do some walkthroughs and if I can jog through some things, be able to do that. But when (training) camp comes along, my mind-set is to be able to be full-go, but I’m also going to be cautious and do whatever my knee allows me to do."

Though he acknowledged the injury will impact his draft stock and won't work out here, Schofield is interviewing with teams, hoping it will help him to meet people and be seen walking around.

"Honestly, I see myself being drafted," he said. "I think I did a tremendous job this year. I put stats up. I have great film. I showed what I can do by playing linebacker in just a week. Great character, never been in trouble. I feel like I have a lot of things in my favor."

Asked if he could see himself staying in Wisconsin with the Green Bay Packers, Schofield said, "I could see myself with whoever wants to play me, whoever gives me a shot. But a 3-4 scheme, I think that would maximize what I can do, both pass rush and dropping into coverage. That’d be a pretty good scheme for me as a player."

-- Tom Pelissero, tpelisse@greenbaypressgazette.com

http://twitter.com/tompelissero

[Fritz]

I've often thought that players are physically just getting bigger and bigger and faster and faster. Schofield - a 270 lb guy? - says he thinks he can run a 4.5 40? And Gil Brandt says the players are better physically than ever, ever before on the offensive line?

A mediocre NFL team from 2009 would likely crush the '66 Packers. How could the guys of that time - offensive linemen who probably went about 250 or so - stop guys like Johnny Jolly, who's not even seen as an elite player? How coud Carroll Dale get off the line against Al Harris? How would Herb Adderly outmuscle or keep up with Donald Driver?

The players today are freakazoids.

[Joemailman]

I remember one of the 1960's Packers (don't remember who) saying pretty much the same thing. The players these days are just so much faster and stronger. I'll bet a 300+ pound guy like Cullen Jenkins runs faster than Willie Davis did. Doesn't take anything away from the 1960's guys, but it's a different game, especially in the trenches. I suspect a guy like Adderley could play against today's players, but Fuzzy Thurston wouldn't have a chance.

[Brandon494]

Anyone watching the NFL combine right now? These WRs aren't looking good at all. Still waiting to see the RB group come up next.