Combine Blog: Tuesday
by Will Spencer
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
News and notes from the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine: Tuesday, March 2nd
– Controversy filled the air at the Combine this week regarding 40 times. Unofficially, USC S Taylor Mays tied the Combine record of 4.24 in the 40, only to find that his official time was 4.43. According to several sources, most scouts had Mays 40 time somewhere in the low 4.3s. Mays still looked stiff in coverage drills and many continue to question whether or not his best fit is at OLB in the NFL.
– Rutgers CB Devin McCourty continued to help himself today and is rising fast in the cornerback rankings. McCourty ran a 4.48 40 yard dash and looked smooth and natural in the position drills.
– Boise State CB Kyle Wilson did not participate in any drills due to a hamstring injury.
– I fully expected a faster time from Florida State CB Patrick Robinson, who ran only a 4.46.
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Combine Blog: Monday
by Will Spencer
Monday, March 1st, 2010
News and notes from the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine: Monday, March 1st
– Alabama LB Rolando McClain didn’t participate in any drills today. He is reportedly suffering from a hamstring injury.
– After running the 40 yard dash (4.72 official), Michigan DE/OLB Brandon Graham tweeked his hamstring and was unable to participate in position drills.
– TCU DE Jerry Hughes helped himself today by running a 4.69 40 yard dash. Hughes opted out of the Senior Bowl and Brandon Graham vaulted himself in front of Hughes in most rankings.
– Jason Pierre-Paul, the physical freak out of South Florida, is still climbing draft boards. Though he only put up 19 reps on the bench press, he ran a nice 40 time at 4.64 and looked smooth in the position drills.
– Florida ILB Brandon Spikes decided to not participate in the 40 yard dash, as we reported earlier via Twitter. Spikes did, however, participate in the linebacker drills, where he looked stiff and slow. This further solidifies my early-mid 2nd round grade.
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Combine Blog: Sunday
by Will Spencer
Sunday, February 28th, 2010
News and notes from the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine: Sunday, February 28th
– Clemson WR Jacoby Ford ran an official 4.28 40 today.
– Syracuse WR Mike Williams looked rusty in the gauntlet drills today and has a lot to answer about his character to NFL teams. He’s reportedly been saying that he did not quit the team, but no further clarification was given.
– West Virginia QB Jarrett Brown opened some eyes today with his athleticism. He posted a 4.54 40 time.
– Though LeFevour didn’t throw today, he ran well in the 40, putting up a 4.66 official time. He seems very mobile on tape and displayed that at the Senior Bowl.
– Tulane WR Jeremy Williams looked the most comfortable in gauntlet drills today. He was very fluid and catches the ball naturally.
– Tim Tebow showed his athletic ability today. He ran a nice 40 time of 4.72 and posted a 38.5″ vertical jump and 9’7″ long jump.
– Ole Miss RB/WR Dexter McCluster knocked out 22 reps on the bench press today. That was higher than much bigger, supposedly stronger, running backs. However, his 40 time was only 4.58.
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Combine Blog: Saturday
by Will Spencer
Saturday, February 27th, 2010
News and notes from the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine: Saturday, February 27th
– Not known as a “strong” guy, BYU TE Dennis Pitta put up 27 reps on the bench press today, finishing 2nd among all tight ends.
– Oklahoma OT Trent Williams ran his 40 today with unofficial times of 4.82 and 4.91, which is very fast for a man his size.
– Alabama NT Terrence “Mount” Cody weighed in today at 354 pounds. That’s down 16 from his 370 lbs weigh in at the Senior Bowl. He’s getting there but just dropping that weight shows improvement and will get scouts’ attention.
– Pitt TE Dorin Dickerson ran a blazing 4.40 40 yard dash today, leading all tight ends. Behind Dickerson were Miami’s Jimmy Graham (4.57) and BYU’s Dennis Pitta (4.62).
– Texas DE/OLB Sergio Kindle measured in at 6’2 7’8″ 250 lbs, which is smaller than his listed size of 6’4″ 255 lbs. I’ll have to change my grade for height/weight.
– UMass OT Vladimir Ducasse runs an unofficial 40 time of 5.21
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Combine Blog: Friday
by Will Spencer
Friday, February 26th, 2010
News and notes from the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine: Friday, February 26th
– Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen measured in at 6’2 1/2″ 222 lbs, ending the speculation that he could measure in shorter than expected.
– Former NFL GM Charlie Casserly told members of the media that he’s polled about half of NFL teams in regards to Bradford vs. Clausen. The result? They all have Bradford rated above Clausen.
– Lots of talks today about the future of the league in 2011. Looks like the 2010 year will be uncapped and the future of the 2011 season is still in the air.
– Kansas State return specialist Brandon Banks measured in at 5’7″ and 149 lbs. That’s right….149 lbs.
– Illinois G Jon Asomoah spoke to the media about Penn State DT Jared Odrick. “I watched him on film, but you don’t get the magnitude of his power from film.”
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Combine Blog: Thursday
by Will Spencer
Thursday, February 25th, 2010
News and notes from the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine: Thursday, February 25th
– Word around the horn is that Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen is going to measure in smaller than his listed size of 6’2″.
– LSU return specialist Trindon Holliday, who is only 5’5″, says he plans on breaking Chris Johnson’s Combine 40 time record of 4.24, hoping to run a 4.23.
– Expect Florida State CB Patrick Robinson to put up one of the fastest 40 times among defensive backs. However, speed was never a concerns for Robinson….technique is.
– USC OT Charles Brown can breathe a sigh of relief after weighing in at 303 lbs. Scouts were concerned that he would weigh in below 300 and would need to add more bulk before the NFL season. This shows that Brown can add weight, and will probably add a few more pounds of muscle once in an NFL weight training program.
– Maryland OT Bruce Campbell could be one of the workout warriors of this year’s combine. He measured in today at 6’6 3/8″, 314 lbs and has 36 1/4″ arms. That’s not a typo. 36 1/4″ arms. That’s huge! Campbell has probably the most impressive physique of any offensive tackle and scouts are certainly taking notice.
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Tebow among QBs not throwing at Combine
by Will Spencer
Monday, February 22nd, 2010
It was announced today that Tim Tebow will not be throwing at the NFL Scouting Combine this week. This puts Tebow in the same category as Sam Bradford, Jimmy Clausen, Colt McCoy and Dan LeFevour, who also will not throw in Indianapolis.
Reports indicate that Tebow is working hard on his throwing motion and will display his new and improved mechanics at his Pro Day event. Some are starting to beat the Tebow drum a little louder now with his attempt to change his mechanics. If Tebow does show an improvement in his throwing motion, we can be sure that some folks in the media will be starting with the “1st round pick” talk again. After a poor Senior Bowl performance, most got off the Tebow bandwagon and actually weren’t afraid to say something negative about one of the most respected players in college football history.
If Tebow does show improvement in his throwing motion, my hope is that people stay grounded when evaluating his draft stock. Mechanics are extremely hard for a quarterback to change. Many forget that Florida brought in a QB specialist before the 2009 season to work with Tebow and help his mechanics. It was clear that the work with the specialist didn’t do anything to change his throwing motion as it was exactly the same as before.
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Two receivers will not participate in Combine
by Will Spencer
Saturday, February 20th, 2010
Georgia Tech WR Demaryius Thomas and Missouri WR Danario Alexander will not participate in the NFL Scouting Combine.
Thomas suffered a broken foot while preparing for the Combine. According to his agent, it’s a clean break and he should be ready for an NFL training camp.
Alexander elected to have his knee scoped to clean up some torn cartilage. I spoke with Alexander and he stated that the surgery went well and it was an elective procedure for long term maintenance. Danario told me that he hopes to perform at Georgia Tech’s pro day in March.
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