As with any other sporting event, we are naturally interested in crowning winners and losers for the NFL Combine. These are top level athletes known for their competitive fire and desire to win. There is no doubt that the prospects on the field this week were competing against each other in some form or fashion. For that reason, I think it is interesting to toss my two bits into the arena of opinion and name some winners and losers for this year’s Combine.
Combine Winners
- Ndamukong Suh (NFL.com)
Bruce Campbell
Just a dominant overall performance by Campbell. He looked fantastic in every drill on Saturday. Did his workout catch the eye of Al Davis and the offensive tackle-hungry Oakland Raiders?
Ndamukong Suh
Talk about nimble…. Suh was like a dancing bear. It was absolutely evident that he was prepared to compete at the Combine. 32 reps on the bench could be a key factor in separating himself from Gerald McCoy who only had 23 reps.
Taylor Mays
NFL scouts in attendance said that Mays’ actual clocked time in the 40 was closer to the 4.24 than his official time of 4.43. He was nearly as fast as advertised.
Jerry Hughes
Strength still a concern for Hughes, but there will be no questions about his athleticism and ability to transition to 3-4 OLB at the next level after putting on a display in agility during drills.
Eric Berry
Came in bigger and stronger than expected. His drills were very clean, and he ran a fast 4.47 in the 40, coupled with an amazing 43 inch vertical.
Trent Williams
Superb speed (4.88 sec) and fantastic footwork firmly plants Williams within the top 10 of the Draft. The doubts concerning his height were squashed, too. He is a solid 6′4” plus change.
Sam Bradford
Bradford has to be on this list, even though he didn’t work out. He checked out medically, which means he is again a serious contender for the #1 overall pick.
Jahvid Best
Best ran the fastest 40 time of all the running backs (4.35 sec). That is always a momentum shifter.
Jacoby Ford
Fastest man at the combine (4.28 sec) will catch the eye of evaluators. Speed causes teams to overlook a multitude of flaws.
Dorin Dickerson
The Pittsburgh prospect was better than Jared Cook last year. Dickerson was the top tight end performer in the 40-yard dash (4.40 sec), broad jump (10′10”) and vertical leap (43 inch). He also posted great marks in the bench press ( 24 reps), 3-cone drill, and 20-yard shuttle. Teams will be very intrigued by his athleticism.
Devin McCourty
Of all the defensive backs, McCourty looked the smoothest in drills. His strong suit is fluidity in his transition and breaks on the ball. He made himself some money on Tuesday.
Ryan Matthews
An very good overall, especially for a big running back (6′0,” 218 lbs.) workout might have been enough to push Matthews into the 1st round. He ran a fast 4.45 in the 40, and was a top performer in the vertical leap, 20-yard shuttle, and bench press.
Combine Losers
- Joe Haden (NFL.com)
Joe Haden
His slow 40 time (somewhere around 4.58-4.62) shocked me. His tape is fantastic, but he has to answer the speed questions to maintain top corner status.
Rolando McClain
Was the pulled hamstring a ploy? Probably not, but I wanted to see McClain answer questions I have about his speed.
Carlos Dunlap
This was supposed to be his time to shine. But his workout was very average. He looked clumsy when moving laterally, and his straight line speed wasn’t near what was expected.
Dez Bryant
I want to know why he didn’t work out.
Anthony Davis
Concerns about his work ethic were confirmed by his lack of preparation. Apparently, he looked soft in the middle, and his 23 bench press reps were not impressive for a man of his size.
Donovan Warren
An unofficial 4.58 sec in the 40 isn’t great for a cornerback. Warren wasn’t a top performer in any category.
Brandon Spikes
Another one of those guys who didn’t run for one reason or another. This raises a red flag regarding his timed speed. We know he is a great football player, but we wanted to see how good an athlete he is.
Dan LeFevour
No good reason given for not throwing. Thes4e quarterbacks don’t seem to understand that scouts only want to see their footwork and delivery. Accuracy really doesn’t matter at the combine.
Rich Eisen
Good ol’ Rich…. I thought maybe this would be the year he broke 6.0 in the 40. Guess we will have to wait until next year. Hopefull, he will wear better exercise clothes than a suit next time.
The Bruce Campbell Show
- Bruce Campbell running 40-yard dash (NFL.com)
Saturday marked the beginning of position workouts for the 2010 NFL Combine. The first day is dedicated to the offensive linemen and tight ends, who undergo a series of positional drills in addition to the standard athletic tests (40 yard dash, bench press, etc). Although there were over 50 players working out, all eyes were on a Bruce Campbell, OT from the University of Maryland.
His workout numbers:
| Rank | ||
| 40 Yard Dash | 4.85 sec. | 1 |
| Bench Press | 34 reps | 5 |
| Vertical Leap | 32 in. | 6 |
Mike Mayock went on record as saying Campbell is “the best looking offensive tackle [he has] ever seen in person in [his] life.” At the weigh-in, he was 6′6 and was a svelte 314 pounds.
Not only did he look the part in the standard drills, but Bruce shined in positional work as well. In the kick slide drill, which is used to test the player’s ability to slide in pass protection, Campbell looked very smooth and explosive out of his stance. And in the mirror drill, he also showed off his good reaction skills and lateral movement.
If you missed his workout, watch the recap here.
Other Notable Performers
Besides Campbell, several other players stood out-some for good reasons, others for bad. Oklahoma Sooner Trent Williams showed he can run with the best of them, putting up a 4.88 sec 40 yard dash. He also looked very capable in the position drills. Unfortunately, he failed to live up to expectations on the bench press ( 23 reps).
Pittsburgh TE Dorin Dickerson ran a blazing 4.40 in the 40 yard dash, and leaped an amazing 43 inches in the vertical.
Texas Tech OG Brandon Carter looked very out of place today. He showed up out of shape, and looked very awkward in all the drills. His lack of lateral mobility was exposed several times, and was caught lunging from the waist in the kick slide drill.
Iowa OL Kyle Calloway also didn’t look good. He was all-around sluggish and couldn’t move well.
Idaho OG Mike Iupati struggled in agility drills. He did nothing to convince teams that he can play tackle at the next level.
Long overdue, I updated my Draft scenarios Mock Draft.
Although there is no change at the top of the draft, there are some surprises including a top player getting pushed out of the top 10.
So feel free to check it out and let me know what me know what you think!
Click here to view David’s Draft Scenarios/Mock Draft
Also, make sure to watch the Combine coverage, which starts tomorrow at 9 AM eastern time. Watch it live for free on NFL.com.
With Draft season in full gear, we now enter the highly anticipated NFL Combine, which every Draft nut loves!
Last year I previewed 10 different players who I thought would have strong performances at the NFL Combine. It was lots of fun doing that list, so I felt it would be good to carry on the tradition this year. But I want to go a step further, and will prognosticate 5 players who should underwhelm scouts this week.
On an administrative note, I should have another mock draft coming out soon. So, please check back again to see when it’s up.
Top 10 Players To Watch at NFL Combine
- NFL Combine (NFL.com)
10) Chad Jones
At 6′3 and 230 pounds, the two-sport star for LSU is the unhyped equivalent of Taylor Mays. I expect him to have a very well balanced performance, impressing scouts with his strength, speed, and explosion.
9) Bruce Campbell
The most impressive offensive line specimen is certainly Bruce Campbell from Maryland. Measuring 6′7 and 310 pounds, Campbell will leave scouts talking about his physique, quick feet, and noteworthy strength on the bench press. With a solid performance, he will be able to distinguish himself as the best OT in the second tier (behind the big four) and a sure-fire 1st round pick.
8 ) Carlos Dunlap
Expected to run in the 4.6 range, Dunlap is as blessed physically(6′6/290 lbs) as any defensive end to come out in the last decade. The only reason he isn’t ranked higher is that he could really struggle in interviews, which could kill any momentum he might gain in Indy.
7) Sergio Kindle
The Texas star is a fantastic athlete. He takes after his former teammate, Brian Orakpo, except that he is faster, but not as strong. Don’t be surprised if he runs a low 4.5 40 yard dash.
6) Jason Pierre-Paul
barring a disaster Wonderlic test and interview (which could happen), Jason Pierre-Paul is the athlete on the edge that NFL teams demand. 6′6, 265 lbs, and super long arms will have the scouts salivating. He should run around a 4.6 40 yard dash, and will jump a very high vertical, but will struggle on the bench press because of his long arms.
5) Joe Haden
Basically the defensive version of Percy Harvin, Joe Haden should post top marks in nearly every category. He is just a freakishly gifted corner. Look out for an especially strong performance in position drills.
4) Brandon Graham
Another Mike Barwis product, Graham has outstanding strength and explosion. After his performance in Indy, teams will be comparing him to Dwight Freeney, who also dominated at the combine. I predict 30+ bench reps, and Graham has said he wants to run in the 4.5 range. His only obstacle might come in linebacker drills.
3) Taylor Mays
Probably the most hyped athlete/football player of the last couple years, Mays will shine in this venue. He will be a top performer in all but the agility drills.
2) Ndamukong Suh
Super strong man Suh will have fantastic interviews, in addition to his expected triumphs on the bench press and in agility drills. Anything less than 35 reps will surprise me.
1) C.J. Spiller
No player should have more momentum going into the draft if Spiller runs the sub 4.3 40 time that some expect from him. After this week, he will be compared to the young Chris Johnson, who ran a blazing 4.24 two years ago.
Top 5 Players Who Will Underwhelm
5) Rolando McClain
Alabama prospects haven’t done well recently at the Combine. McClain will have to answer questions about his strength, burst, and range. A slow time in the 40 will silence talk of him going early in the 1st round.
4) Derrick Morgan
Productivity doesn’t mean a thing at the combine. Morgan lacks burst, and could be just an average performer.
3) Jimmy Clausen
The weigh-in will make ore break Clausen’s draft chances. If he measures around 6′1, instead of his listed 6′3, then he could fall a lot in April.
2) Brandon Spikes
Despite being very strong, Spikes is expected to run around the 5.0 mark in the 40. I don’t need to tell you how much that can hurt his chances of being a 1st round pick.
1) Terrence Cody
After the shirtless fiasco in Mobile, Cody will have done nothing to the change the perception that his is a two-down player. His long arms will hurt his bench press, and really the only way he could help himself is if he does all the drills to dismiss comparisons to his former teammate Andre Smith.
Take this invitation to post your predictions below. I would love to hear what you have to say!
