Combine

[Joemailman]

TT doesn't take character risks in the early rounds of the draft. He'd have to really be convinced that Jenkins is a different person than the one who played at Alabama. I doubt he'll have a 1st round grade on the guy.

[gbgary]

I have a long neck.

so you're the mertin hanks of this rat nest?

[SkinBasket]

CAM JOHNSON DE, Virginia looks nice to me. Then again, this is the first time I've ever seen any of this combine bullshit.

Ingram looks like a black midget out of pads, but man does he move nice.

[Lurker64]

Depending on the medical on his knee, I'm ecstatic to take Chandler Jones in the second.

At least his older brother is a badass...

[smuggler]

I have seen Ronnell from Oklahoma going off the boad before our 1st rounder in many mocks. He seems pretty solid, though. No complaint there.

[packrulz]

Below average safety crop exposed running 40s
With Alabama's Mark Barron the only player at his position considered by most talent evaluators to be worthy of first round consideration, it isn't news that the 2012 draft offers only a mediocre crop of safety prospects.

The timing couldn't be much worse for NFL teams needing help at the position as the 2011 season was characterized by the emergence of several tight ends as legitimate downfield threats and the continued expansion of three and four receiver spread attacks. To combat the aerial onslaught, defenses are looking for big, athletic safeties.

The safeties were the final prospects to run the 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine but with only a few exceptions they weren't able to reward scouts for their patience. In fact, of the 21 safeties invited to the Combine this year, zero recorded a time under 4.50 seconds. Worse, of the strong and free safeties given a top 125 grade by NFLDraftScout.com prior to the Combine, only Notre Dame's Harrison Smith (4.57) recorded a time under 4.66.

South Carolina State's Christian Thompson just missed the mark, clocking in at exactly 4.50 according to the "official" times released by the NFL. And while the fast time certainly helps legitimize Thompson's athleticism, considering his low level of competition and inconsistent play over his career, frankly he may have needed the workout if he is to generate anything more than mid to late Day Three consideration.

Similarly, scouts expected to see Vanderbilt's Sean Richardson work out well and he did -- enjoying the best all-around performance of any safety with a 4.52 time in the 40-yard dash, as well as demonstrating power (22 repetitions of 225 pounds) and explosiveness (38.5" vertical, 128" broad jump) but the concerns about him are about his agility, instincts and ball-skills. Richardson had just one interception in 49 career games, including 31 consecutive starts to finish his career.

Barron was unable to work out due to his recovery from hernia surgery performed after the season. Teams looking for immediate safety help may have to either reach to take him or hope one of the bigger, more instinctive and physical cornerbacks of the 2012 class can make the adjustment to safety as an NFL rookie.

Somewhere Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham and a host of other receiving specialist tight ends are smiling...
Is it just me or is there an awful lot of slow 40 times this year?
Top CBs fail to close gap on Claiborne

NFLDraftScout.com has four strong cornerback prospects rated as potential first-round picks, and LSU's Morris Claiborne remains at the top of the position as none of the elite prospects particularly stood out during testing drills at the Scouting Combine on Tuesday.

North Alabama's Janoris Jenkins is hovering around the top 10, and ran an impressive 4.46-second 40-yard dash, compared to Claiborne's 4.50. Alabama's 'Dre Kirkpatrick posted a 4.51, while Nebraska's Alfonzo Dennard ran a 4.55. All were very respectable times. (Combine 40 Times)

Dennard flipped the script a bit with an impressive 37-inch vertical jump, while Kirkpatrick (37), Claiborne (34.5) and Jenkins (33.5) lagged behind him a bit.

While Claiborne said he believes his speed helps separate him from the other top cornerbacks, he pointed to technique when asked to describe his game.

"More of a technician, and trying to funnel the guys instead of getting real physical with them at the line all the time," said Claiborne, who considers himself a better man coverage corner than zone.

The biggest mover of the day was clearly Central Florida's Josh Robinson, who torched the 40 in 4.33 seconds. He also led the defensive backs with a 133-inch broad jump and finished second in the position group with a 38 1/2-inch vertical. Currently projected as a fourth-round pick, Robinson figures to ride the wave up the draft board a bit leading into the pro day season.

[packrulz]

Winners, losers heading into final day at combine
By Vic Ketchman, packers.com editor
INDIANAPOLIS—West Virginia’s Bruce Irvin and Memphis State’s Dontari Poe are the big winners at the “NFL Scouting Combine,” heading into Tuesday’s event-closing defensive back workouts.

“He made $5 million in 4½ seconds. He went from the third round to the first round. He’s the best 3-4 backer in the whole draft now,” a scout said of Irvin following the blazing, 4.50 40 he ran on Monday.

Meanwhile, Poe (pictured), all 6-5, 350 pounds of him, ran an astonishing 4.9 and added to that one of the most athletic performances of any big man in combine history on Monday. Poe, considered to be a second/third-round pick heading into the combine, certainly pushed his way into round one with his workout.

Here’s a look at the winners and losers, by position, at this year’s combine, heading into the final day.

Offensive linemen

Mike Adams of Ohio State—At 6-7, 323, and with limited exposure to football, Adams impressed scouts at the combine the same way he did it at the Senior Bowl, by being athletic.

Phillip Blake of Baylor—In a weak crop of centers, Blake was impressive. “Sneaky late-round pick,” a scout said.

David DeCastro of Stanford—Proved his strength by doing 34 reps of 225 pounds.

Cordy Glenn of Georgia—Glenn followed the most dominant physical performance of the Senior Bowl with a light-footed and athletic display at the combine that proved he can play right tackle as well as he plays left guard. He entrenched himself in the first round.

Matt Kalil of USC—Ran and worked out well; he’s a top 10 pick.

Peter Konz of Wisconsin—Hurt himself by doing only 18 reps on the bench.

Riley Reiff of Iowa—Not elite, but proved he can start at right tackle.

Amini Silatolu of Midwestern State—He did 28 reps. “He’s the next Jahri Evans,” a scout said.

Tight ends

Dwayne Allen of Clemson—A 4.8 40 hurt him.

Michael Egnew of Missouri—He broad jumped 11-1, ran a 4.52 and turned in an athletic workout, but he wasn’t used as an in-line blocker at Missouri, which begs the question: Is he a tight end or a wide receiver?

Ledarius Green of Louisiana-Lafayette—A 4.47 really helps him, but he remains undersized.

James Hanna of Oklahoma—Helped his draft stock with a 4.48.

Quarterbacks

Kirk Cousins of Michigan State—Showed his arm at the Senior Bowl and did it again at the combine. Third-round prospect that could move into round two.

Nick Foles of Arizona—Ran a 5.1 and his passes fluttered.

Robert Griffin of Baylor—Ran 4.4 and locked down the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, for which the Rams are thankful because they’re likely to get a king’s ransom for the pick.

Ryan Lindley of San Diego State—Displayed a strong arm, but not much accuracy.

Brandon Weeden of Oklahoma State—Weeden provided an accurate scouting report on himself when he said his age, 28, is his only red flag.

Wide receivers

Joe Adams of Arkansas—Adams zipped up boards on the strength of his Senior Bowl. The 4.55 he ran at the combine might send him into free fall.

Travis Benjamin of Miami—Scouts love his 4.38 speed.

Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State—He caught well but didn’t run, which makes his pro day very important. There are questions about his speed that will determine his fate when those questions are answered.

Jarrett Boykin of Virginia Tech—He ran 4.79. Ouch!

Lavon Brazill of Ohio—Ran well, good workout.

Danny Coale of Virginia Tech—Good route-runner.

Juron Criner of Arizona—Strong at the Senior Bowl, but ran 4.6 at the combine.

Michael Floyd of Notre Dame—Ran 4.4’s, showed good hands, helped himself.

Chris Givens of Wake Forest—Ran 4.39.

T.J. Graham of N.C. State—Ran 4.38.

Stephen Hill of Georgia Tech—At 6-4, 215, Hill ran a 4.31 and left scouts asking: Is Hill the next Calvin Johnson? Hill was hidden in a wishbone offense at Tech.

A.J. Jenkins of Illinois—Beep, beep at 4.37.

Kashif Moore of UConn—Vertical jump of 43½ on legs that ran a 4.41.

Derek Moye of Penn State—Tall and athletic receiver. “He’s my sleeper,” a scout said.

Chris Owusu of Stanford—Seldom healthy in college, but he ran a 4.35 and that’ll get the scouts’ attention.

Randle Rueben of LSU—Probably fell out of the top 10 after running 4.58.

Kendall Wright of Baylor—A 4.61 really hurt this very productive player.

Running backs

Vick Ballard of Mississippi State—Nice Senior Bowl but ran 4.6 and crashed into an electronic timer at the combine.

Lennon Creer of Louisiana Tech—Jumped up as a late addition at the Senior Bowl, but fell back down with a 4.72 and bad-hands display at the combine.

Ronnie Hillman of San Diego State—Ran 4.38, caught well. “Poor man’s Maurice Jones Drew,” a scout said.

Lamar Miller of Miami—One of the combine’s big winners after running a 4.37.

Robert Turbin of Utah State—"Best body at the combine,” a scout said.

Defensive linemen

Jake Bequette of Arkansas—Ran 4.7’s and has the look of a true 3-4 outside linebacker.

Andre Branch of Clemson—Ran 4.6 and looked athletic.

Michael Brockers of LSU—A 5.4 probably dropped him out of the top 10.

Loni Fangupo of BYU—A 5.1 moved this short, squat nose tackle up draft boards.

Jaye Howard of Florida—Ran 4.79 and worked out well.

Melvin Ingram of South Carolina—His speed helps him, but teams will struggle with his height and short arms.

Ronnell Lewis of Oklahoma—He ran a 4.65 and a scout said Lewis is a solid second/third-round prospect for a 3-4 team.

Shea McLellin of Boise State—Opened eyes at the Senior Bowl and then made those eyes pop on Monday with 4.6’s and good drills.

Whitney Mercilus of Illinois—Ran 4.6’s and into the first round.

Nick Perry of USC—Ran 4.51 on 271 pounds. Why has he under-achieved?

Kendall Reyes of UConn—Solid postseason in every way.

Olivier Vernon of Miami—Very fluid in his drops.

Linebackers

Zach Brown of North Carolina—Ran 4.4, athletic workout.

Vontaze Burfict of Arizona State—A very bad day; ran 5.0 and didn’t finish workout.

Mychal Kendricks of California—Ran 4.5’s, good drills.

Luke Kuechly of Boston College—Likely to be first linebacker picked after a fast, fluid workout.

Sean Spence of Miami—His 12 reps hurt him.

Courtney Upshaw of Alabama—“I don’t think he can play linebacker,” a scout said following a workout in which Upshaw declined to run.

[Fritz]

This Jake Bequette of Arkansas...why not more buzz about him? The dude is huge for on OLB - I think he's 6'5" or so and around 265, but he tied for the best three-cone drill time amongst the top prospects. Plus his forty time was good.

What's the word?

[Bretsky]

This Jake Bequette of Arkansas...why not more buzz about him? The dude is huge for on OLB - I think he's 6'5" or so and around 265, but he tied for the best three-cone drill time amongst the top prospects. Plus his forty time was good.

What's the word?

The Word
Vinny Curry


West Virginia DL Bruce Irvin posted the fasted three-cone drill out of defensive lineman in the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine with a result of 6.70 seconds. Those that followed included South Carolina DL Melvin Ingram (6.83), Arkansas DL Jake Bequette (6.90), Marshall DL Vinny Curry (6.90) and Rutgers DL Justin Francis (7.05).



Read more: http://www.kffl.com/gnews.php?id=772...#ixzz1nmFmB7bd

[Deputy Nutz]

Bruce Irvin is fast as shit and a great athlete but I wouldn't draft him for anything more than a pass rusher coming out of a three point stance. I don't think he has the instincts to play OLB in a 3-4.

Disappointed in Vontaze Burfict, I watched him run and he looked like the combine was the last place he wanted to be. No explosion and looked to give up mid run. Maybe he was hurting but a guy with an already questionable make up it is hard to look past his effort at the combine. He was a mid rounder that will be happy if he is picked in the 6th round.

I liked what I saw of Ronnell Lewis on film, but the guy's only instinct is to attack, I don't like the fact that he doesn't diagnose, or make reads in the running game, he will get picked on in play action. He would be worth a 3rd round pick, but he might be the 2012 version of Torrence Marshall

Whitney Mercilius is someone to keep an eye on, hard to predict because he is a one year wonder, but he has the athleticsm you want when drafting a 3-4 OLB, same with Nick Perry. Perry is cut up, big and imposing, but where the hell has this guy been his whole career at USC? Maybe pairing him up with a guy like Mathews would keep his motor running.

Peter Konz, WEAK SAUCE!!! buddy. I did 26 reps when I was 20 years old and just finishing a grueling 1.5 mile run. I did 28 reps when I was 22 years old, and I am not 6-5 315 pounds. I think weight lifting has a lot to do with genetics. I wouldn't rule Konz out of the first round because he failed to bench the bar 20 times, maybe if he was a 340 pound road grader of a guard and he couldn't lift then you would have a serious problem. Konz has great technique and agility for a center and if he falls to the end of the second round he is the steal of the draft

[Fritz]

Bruce Irvin is fast as shit and a great athlete but I wouldn't draft him for anything more than a pass rusher coming out of a three point stance. I don't think he has the instincts to play OLB in a 3-4.

Disappointed in Vontaze Burfict, I watched him run and he looked like the combine was the last place he wanted to be. No explosion and looked to give up mid run. Maybe he was hurting but a guy with an already questionable make up it is hard to look past his effort at the combine. He was a mid rounder that will be happy if he is picked in the 6th round.

I liked what I saw of Ronnell Lewis on film, but the guy's only instinct is to attack, I don't like the fact that he doesn't diagnose, or make reads in the running game, he will get picked on in play action. He would be worth a 3rd round pick, but he might be the 2012 version of Torrence Marshall

Whitney Mercilius is someone to keep an eye on, hard to predict because he is a one year wonder, but he has the athleticsm you want when drafting a 3-4 OLB, same with Nick Perry. Perry is cut up, big and imposing, but where the hell has this guy been his whole career at USC? Maybe pairing him up with a guy like Mathews would keep his motor running.

Peter Konz, WEAK SAUCE!!! buddy. I did 26 reps when I was 20 years old and just finishing a grueling 1.5 mile run. I did 28 reps when I was 22 years old, and I am not 6-5 315 pounds. I think weight lifting has a lot to do with genetics. I wouldn't rule Konz out of the first round because he failed to bench the bar 20 times, maybe if he was a 340 pound road grader of a guard and he couldn't lift then you would have a serious problem. Konz has great technique and agility for a center and if he falls to the end of the second round he is the steal of the draft

This is Nutz at his best. Thanks for the insight!

But this Bequette guy tested pretty well, and he's a big guy. Anybody see him play or know anything about him other than the raw numbers?

And what's the downside of Vinny Curry? (Don't say "none" Bretsky!)

[SkinBasket]

What made Poe impressive is that not only did he score well in the drills, and demonstrate some amazing athleticism, but he was also showing a lot of toughness hitting the pads hard during the drills, whereas the guys trying to score better times were just slapping them or in some cases tickling them.

I will find myself rooting for Melvin Ingram because he reminded me of a black Cornholio with amazing hips.

[pbmax]

JSO has listed some of the numbers for OLB only. Same link and list as in other thread. But if this 4 year old Combine thread is to be the official one, it seems to belong here.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/140806933.html

[Deputy Nutz]

This is Nutz at his best. Thanks for the insight!

But this Bequette guy tested pretty well, and he's a big guy. Anybody see him play or know anything about him other than the raw numbers?

And what's the downside of Vinny Curry? (Don't say "none" Bretsky!)

Jake Bequette,

Sorry he doesn't look like a 3-4 outside linebacker, he looks like Aaron Kampman.

[Deputy Nutz]