Combine

[3irty1]

Well top of my wish list is Bruce Irvin. Athletically he's off the charts, looks like a ROLB to me.

[Cleft Crusty]

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

I agree with your view of Konz; any team who likes his technique ought to be able to help him improve his strength, especially if they have a guy like Rock Gullickson as their strength and conditioning coach.

[Deputy Nutz]

Ingram, needs to learn actual moves to rush the passer rather than standing straight up. Great athlete, but any team that drafts him is going to have to work with him.

[Deputy Nutz]

Well top of my wish list is Bruce Irvin. Athletically he's off the charts, looks like a ROLB to me.

He is a pass rusher, but he has very limited experience playing football and West Virgina was happy having him start in a sprinter stance and attack the qb. He is to thin to play defensive end in the NFL on a regular basis, and he doesn't have the experience or the skills at this point to play outside linebacker. See Eric Walden, there is more to playing OLB in a 3-4 than rushing the passer, you have to recognize run and hold your responsibilities or the whole defense caves in. I wish it were that simple because Irvin is a fantastic athlete, he is just behind the curve at this point to be anything more than a KGB type player, which the Packers don't need.

[mraynrand]

He is a pass rusher, but he has very limited experience playing football and West Virgina was happy having him start in a sprinter stance and attack the qb. He is to thin to play defensive end in the NFL on a regular basis, and he doesn't have the experience or the skills at this point to play outside linebacker. See Eric Walden, there is more to playing OLB in a 3-4 than rushing the passer, you have to recognize run and hold your responsibilities or the whole defense caves in. I wish it were that simple because Irvin is a fantastic athlete, he is just behind the curve at this point to be anything more than a KGB type player, which the Packers don't need.

I realize everyone is fixated on the pass rush, but are there vids that show any of these guys in space, or actually setting an edge in the run defense? That Jake Bequette video was all pass rush. BTW, you only compared him to Aaron Kampman because he is black. racist.

[Deputy Nutz]

I might be a little harsh on him, he is a hell of a pass rusher, I just didn't see a whole lot on him playing the run or dropping into coverage. He is a risk as a 3-4 olb, could be the next LT, could become a situational pass rusher. He is fast though.

[Deputy Nutz]

I realize everyone is fixated on the pass rush, but are there vids that show any of these guys in space, or actually setting an edge in the run defense? That Jake Bequette video was all pass rush. BTW, you only compared him to Aaron Kampman because he is black. racist.

You make some valid points, and it is very difficult to find these guys playing the run which is important see Erik Walden play the run.

[Deputy Nutz]

I like Keenan Robinson from Texas. Good in space, plays more of a WOLB in a 4-3 but has the size of a 3-4 outside linebacker. Better OLB than any one but clay mathews on the Packer.

[Lurker64]

You make some valid points, and it is very difficult to find these guys playing the run which is important see Erik Walden play the run.

This is why Youtube scouting is just so unreliable these days, since you're mostly going to get highlight reels (and everybody looks good on their highlight reels), and even if you get full games that's generally the television broadcast which is really bad at showing you useful information.

I mean, everybody should feel good about watching guys on youtube and seeing what they like, but you're never going to see enough to really get a complete picture on the guy. The only people who really do thorough and useful tape study are actually employed by the NFL (since they're the only ones who can get the 22s.)

So I have no idea if Bruce Irvin can play the run, but I'm pretty sure that Ted Thompson, Eliot Wolf, etc know. That's why I hate it when people imply they're smarter than professional scouts, the pros have access to so much more information than anybody else does.

[Smidgeon]

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

Except they don't have 10 yard splits there. :\

[SkinBasket]

[Cheesehead Craig]

I might be a little harsh on him, he is a hell of a pass rusher, I just didn't see a whole lot on him playing the run or dropping into coverage. He is a risk as a 3-4 olb, could be the next LT, could become a situational pass rusher. He is fast though.

Damn, he is fast. I don't see him getting too overpowered in that video but like you said, not much vs the run or in coverage. I like him though just for the speed factor. Can't coach speed.

[3irty1]

Well Bruce clearly has the speed to threaten the edge and some insane closing speed as well to make sacks happen but the guy looks physical too, I mean he was playing DE in a 3-3-5 base D at WV. The dude can shed a tackle and beat anyone to the outside, I don't think he's a major concern against the run at this point... but even if he were, a situational pass rusher is arguably EXACTLY what we need and with where Bruce is projected to go I'd be thrilled for a KGB type player out of him. Hell, Brad Jones does a fine job in the 3-4, we need a solid 4th pass rusher in the 2-4 and 3-3 on passing situations. That said, his 3-cone and SS suggest the guy has the change of direction skills to cover. Dude's a former wideout for christsakes.

[packrulz]

Tuesday February 28, 2012 - 5:27 PM
Draft Tip Sheet: Freakishly talented Poe might fit in any defense
By Len Pasquarelli | The Sports Xchange/CBSSports.com

Dontari Poe could land with a 4-3 team now instead of a 3-4. (US Presswire)
Although he was officially designated as a defensive tackle by NFL combine officials, many scouts felt even before the workouts that Dontari Poe of Memphis best projected as a nose tackle at the pro level.

Without question one of the prospects who generated the most buzz at the scouting combine, Poe exhibited such freakish skills that it doesn't seem to matter now what kind of front is utilized as a "base" defense by the team that selects him.

The massive Poe (6-feet-3 1/2, 346 pounds), who registered 44 repetitions in the bench press and clocked a 4.98 time in the 40, demonstrated abilities that translate to the 3-4, for sure, but also displayed that he can clearly play in a 4-3.

While he wasn't one of only four defensive linemen labeled nose tackles who were invited to the Indy workouts, the suspicion was that was his best position. But it's now possible, given Poe's scintillating performance, that he could become the second highest-regarded nose prospect in a row to be chosen by a 4-3 team.

Last year, Phil Taylor of Baylor was viewed by many scouts as the premier nose tackle in the draft pool. Taylor was selected 21st overall by Cleveland, which had begun the transition to a 4-3 under new coordinator Dick Jauron, and was paired with another very good nose tackle, veteran Ahtyba Rubin, inside.
Some observers questioned the sagacity of the Browns but, a year later, no one can argue with the results.

Despite winning only four games, Cleveland finished 10th in the league in overall defense. Taylor recorded 59 tackles and four sacks, only 1.5 sacks fewer than he had in his college career. Although he struggled at times early in the season, Taylor became a force inside, once he improved using his hands more than just his size.

"(The position) never really mattered as much to me as it did some other people," Taylor said.

Poe might not duplicate the Taylor move, but there is certainly a chance, and coaches and coordinators from 4-3 teams were intrigued by putting him in the inside of their line.

"The guy is pretty rare," said Seattle coordinator Gus Bradley.

For his part, Poe doesn't seem to care where, and in what kind of defense, he plays. He cited Pittsburgh perennial Pro Bowl nose tackle Casey Hampton as a player he followed -- and the Steelers have been mentioned as a potential landing spot -- but also pointed out that he played various fronts in college. And that he even lined up at end in some defenses. There are a few scouts who insisted to The Sports Xchange the last few days that Poe might be able to log some snaps at end in a 3-4.

"I've played outside. I could do it," Poe said. "But I think I can cause a lot more problems inside, no matter the (scheme)."

• On the subject of nose tackles, there is a dearth of prospects at the position, and this year's draft doesn't appear to be much different. With the switches anticipated by some teams, there likely will be only 11 franchises using the 3-4 as a "base" front in 2012, but as many as five or six of them need nose tackles. Part of the need will be filled in free agency, with a very good veteran like Sione Pouha of the Jets expected to change teams. But clubs still need to draft young nose tackles, and, if Poe is taken by a 4-3 club, some teams could be scrambling. Of the four players labeled as nose tackles at the combine, two of them, USC Christian Tupou (289 pounds) and Kheeston Randall of Texas (293), might not have the kind of bulk teams are seeking at the position. The other two nose tackle candidates in Indy, Michigan's Mike Martin and Josh Chapman of Alabama, checked in at 306 and 316, respectively.

Martin, who also had a strong showing at the Senior Bowl, may have established himself as the best "pure" nose tackle in the pool. Perhaps the surest bet, though, is Alameda Ta'amu of Washington, who like Poe was listed as a defensive tackle, but who has the size (6-3, 348), bulk, and demeanor to project as a nose tackle. There is only one 3-4 team in the top 10 of the first round -- Washington at No. 6, and the Redskins have bigger priorities -- but there are five in the top half of the stanza.

• A few weeks ago in this space, we cited the possibilities that tailback LaMichael James of Oregon might be able to play some in the slot, as a part-time receiver in the NFL. The jury is still out on James' potential as a receiver, as it is on other undersized burner, Florida's Chris Rainey. Both James (5-8, 194) and Rainey (5-8 3/8, 180), ran 4.45, tied for the second quickest time among backs, and both caught the ball well. But scouts want to see them catch the ball even more, and will spend time evaluating their hands at the pro days for the players. For now, they are regarded as complementary or change-of-pace backs and potential return men. But a few scouts noted that James, in particular, could be surprisingly rugged at times.

• One tailback who seemed to grow on scouts was Isaiah Pead of Cincinnati, who followed up a very good Senior Bowl week by performing well in most facets of the combine workouts. Pead was a little stouter than many scouts expected who hadn't seen him up close but felt he would be at 5-10, 197, but still ran under 4.41, and looked pretty smooth and fluid in the drills, including a 6.95-second three-cone drill.

• There are mixed opinions on the fact the St. Louis Rams are advertising so early -- two months before the draft -- that they plan to deal the second overall pick in the draft, but the consensus is that it won't make much of a difference.

"Look, everyone knows they're going to trade it anyway, so what the big deal?" said one general manager with a pick in the top 10, who won't make a move, despite some questions at quarterback. "Everyone has plenty of time to conduct due diligence now, to examine (Robert Griffin III) in every way possible, and for the Rams to gauge the price. In the end, (the early advertising) won't make much difference."

In the unlikely event the Rams get stuck with the choice, St. Louis officials told The Sports Xchange they are still examining the top prospects on the board after Andrew Luck and have a few in mind. It is expected that Southern Cal tackle Matt Kalil and wide receiver Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State are two near the top of the Rams' board.
Irvin leads group of pass rushers
By Vic Ketchman, packers.com editor
Posted Feb 27, 2012
INDIANAPOLIS—The late-morning workout group of defensive linemen revealed several more pass-rush prospects to play outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. The Packers employ a 3-4 defensive scheme and are thought to be interested in drafting a pass rusher.

Bruce Irvin, an undersized defensive end at West Virginia, ran one of the fastest times for a defensive lineman in scouting combine history in the early-morning workouts on Monday at Lucas Oil Stadium. Irvin’s 4.43 40 led a group of at least 11 college defensive ends that, as a result of their 40 times on Monday, are candidates to play outside linebacker in a 3-4 defensive scheme. All of the 11 are undersized college defensive ends and accomplished pass rushers.

To put Irvin’s 4.43 into perspective, it would be welcomed by most wide receiver prospects. At 245 pounds, Irvin is far too light to play defensive end in the NFL. His 40 time on Monday immediately shot him up draft boards around the league.

These college defensive ends also defined themselves as prospects to play outside linebacker in an NFL 3-4 defense: Southern Cal’s Nick Perry (4.50), Clemson’s Andre Branch (4.62), Illinois’ Whitney Mercilus (4.63), Boise State’s Shea McLellin (4.65), Miami’s Olivier Vernon (4.68), Missouri’s Jacquies Smith (4.68), South Carolina’s Melvin Ingram (4.66), Virginia’s Cam Johnson (4.75), Pitt’s Brandon Lindsey (4.78) and Arkansas’ Jake Bequette (4.78).

The cutoff time for an outside linebacker is widely considered to be 4.8. Marshall defensive end Vinny Curry, an undersized defensive end thought to project to outside linebacker, ran a 4.85.

All of the times above were provided by NFL Network and are unofficial. Linebackers were to work out in the afternoon.

[Deputy Nutz]

Good change of direction, comes off the ball really well, doesn't get confused by misdirection. Needs to stay lower when engaging with offensive linemen, needs a better punch and extention. Looked to tire out at the end of the game. Looks like an olb to me, from this small sample I think he would be a good fit for the Packers.