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!

Winner’s Circle

Superman Linebacker Aaron Curry runs 40 yard dash (thanks to NFL.com)

1. Aaron Curry–Wake Forest/OLB

Solidified himself as a legit top 3 pick by running faster than all the linebackers, and actually placed a better time than a large number of the defensive backs at the combine. But keep in mind, he is also about 60 pounds heavier than most of the defensive backs! Furthermore, if you watched him in the position drills, he looked super smooth and fluid. Everything came effortlessly to him.  He should be a serious candidate at number 1 for the Lions after what he did this week. To top things off, he was the top performer in the 40 yard dash (4.56 sec), vertical leap (37 in), broad jump (10’4 ft), and 60 yard shuttle (11.35 sec). He finished 7th in the bench press, which was the only drill he participated in where he failed to achieve the top performance!

2. Jason Smith–Baylor/OT

After successfully navigating through all the drills, Smith emerged as a top performer in the bench press (33 reps), 3-cone drill (7.53 sec), and put up a respectable 5.22 sec in the 40 yard dash. He generally looked good in the position drills (especially the one where they mirror the defender), and Tom Kowalski of MLive.com said Smith was the most composed and mature of the elite tackle prospects during interviews.

3. Darrius Heyward-Bey–Maryland/WR

This was his coming out party. At Maryland, he was never properly utilized. But on Sunday, we saw a glimpse of what this guy could have done, and what he could athletically do  in the NFL.  Heyward-Bey was a top finisher in the bench press (16 reps), 40 yard dash (4.30 sec-fastest time at combine), broad jump (10’6 ft), vertical leap (38.5 in), 3-cone drill (6.80 sec), and 20 yard shuttle (4.18 sec). If he lives up to his athletic potential, the sky is the limit for him. But can he use that speed to get open?

To see him run at the combine click the wide receiver video here at NFL.com

4. Brian Cushing–USC/OLB

Had the top performance for bench press in the linebacker group. He was 7th fastest amongst linebackers in the 40 yard dash (4.76 sec), 10th in vertical leap (35 in), 7th in broad jump (10’0 ft), 1st in the 3-cone drill (6.84 sec), and 4th in 20 yard shuttle (4.22 sec).

5. Jared Cook–South Carolina/TE

Ran the fastest time for tight ends (4.50 sec), finished 1st in vertical leap (41 in), 1st in broad jump (10’3 ft), and 7th in bench press (23 reps).

Honorable Mentions

6. Evander Hood–Missouri/DT

He was 4th best bench presser (34 reps), and recorded one of the only defensive tackles to break 5.0 seconds in the 40 yard dash (4.91 sec).

7. Clay Matthews–USC/OLB

A walk-on at USC, and son of former NFL player Bruce Matthews. Finished in the top 10 in each of the following categories: 40 yard dash (4.67 sec), vertical leap (35.5 in), broad jump (10’1 ft), 3-cone drill (6.90 sec), and 20 yard shuttle (4.18 sec).

How did I do?

I published an article about a week ago, calling attention to 10 players to watch at the combine. Out of the 10 players to whom I called attention, I am excited to say only 1 player didn’t do as I hoped (Alex Mack). But he decided not to participate, so you’ll have to forgive me for that oversight. But every one of those players performed in the top 10 in at least one category. I’m excited! Take a look and tell me how you think I did.

Here are the NFL combine results for February 24th:

1) Malcolm Jenkins–Ohio St/DB

Malcolm Jenkins photo provided by NFL.com

Bench press- 15 reps

40 yard dash- 4.55 sec

2) Vontae Davis–Illinois/CB

Bench press- 25 reps

40 yard dash- 4.49 sec

3) Alphonso Smith–Wake Forest/CB

40 yard dash- 4.56 sec

4) D.J. Moore–Vanderbilt/CB

40 yard dash- 4.58 sec

Vertical leap-39.5 in

5) Louis Delmas–Western Michigan/S

Bench press- 12 reps

40 yard dash- 4.55 sec

6) William Moore–Missouri/S

40 yard dash- 4.56 sec

7) Rashad Johnson–Alabama/S

40 yard dash- 4.56 sec

Vertical leap-

8 ) Patrick Chung–Oregon/S

Bench press- 25 reps

40 yard dash- 4.54 sec

*Best Performance:*

9)  Darius Butler–Connecticut/CB

40 yard dash- 4.53 sec

Vertical leap- 43 in

But I want to note that Aaron Curry looked fantastic today. He was calm, composed, and he definitely impressed in every drill.

Here are the NFL Combine results for february 23:

1) Brian Orakpo –Texas/DE

Aaron Curry photo provided by NFL.com

Bench press-31 reps

40 yard dash-4.70 sec

vertical leap- 39.5 in

2) Aaron Maybin–Penn St/DE

40 yard dash-4.89 sec

3) )Larry English–Northern Illinois/DE

Bench press-24 reps

40 yard dash-4.90 sec

4) Everette Brown–Florida St/DE

Bench press-26 reps

40 yard dash- 4.73 sec

5) Michael Johnson–Georgia Tech/DE

40 yard dash- 4.75 sec

6) B.J Raji–Boston College/DT

Bench press-33 reps

40 yard dash-5.13 sec

7) Terrance Taylor–Michigan/DT

Bench press-37 reps

40 yard dash-5.24 sec

8 ) Ron Brace–Boston College/DT

Bench press- 32 reps

40 yard dash- 5.47 sec

9) Evander Hood–Missouri/DT

Bench press- 34 reps

40 yard dash-4.91 sec

10) Jarron Gilbert–San Jose St/DT

40 yard dash- 4.87 sec

vertical leap-35.5 in

11) Rey Maualuga–USC/MLB

Bench press-23 reps

40 yard dash-4.83 (unofficial)

12) Aaron Curry–Wake Forest/OLB

Bench press 25 reps

40 yard dash- 4.56 sec

13) James Laurinaitis–Ohio St/MLB

Bench press- 22 reps

40 yard dash- 4.82 sec

14) Brian Cushing–USC/OLB

Bench press- 30 reps

40 yard dash- 4.74 sec

15) Scott McKillop–Pittsburgh/MLB

Bench press- 27 reps

40 yard dash- 4.77 sec

16) Clay Matthews–USC/OLB

40 yard dash- 4.67 sec

17) Clint Sintim–Virginia/OLB

40 yard dash- 4.78 sec

*Surprise Performer:*

18) Connor Barwin–Cincinnati/DE

Bench press-22 reps

40 yard dash-4.66 sec

vertical leap- 40.5 in

Darrius Heyward-Bey– Maryland/WR

Kory Sheets photo provided by NFL.com

Bench press-16 reps

40 yard dash- 4.30 sec

vertical leap-38.5 in

Percy Harvin–Florida/WR

Bench press- 19 reps

40 yard dash- 4.41 sec

vertical leap- n/a

Jeremy Maclin–Missouri/WR

40 yard dash- 4.44 sec

Chris Wells–Ohio St/HB

Bench press-25 reps

40 yard dash- 4.59 sec

vertical leap-33.5 in

Knowshon Moreno–Georgia/HB

Bench press-25 reps

40 yard dash- 4.60 sec

vertical leap-35.5 in

*Surprise Performance:*

Andre Brown– North Carolina St/HB

Bench press-24 reps

40 yard dash- 4.49 sec

vertical leap-37 in

Jason Smith photo provided by NFL.com

I had fun watching the offensive linemen and tight ends compete in today’s drills. As promised, here are some of the top prospect stats for day 1.

Jason Smith –Baylor/OT

Bench press-33 reps

40 yard dash-5.22 sec

Jamon Meredith–South Carolina/OT

Bench press- 31 reps

40 yard dash-5.03 sec

Michael Oher–Ole Miss/OT

Bench press- 21 reps

40 yard dash- 5.19 sec

Eugene Monroe–Virgina/OT

Bench press- 23 reps

40 yard dash- 5.16 sec

Brandon Pettigrew–Oklahoma St/TE

Bench press- 22 reps

40 yard dash-4.85 sec

vertical leap- 33 in

Surprise performer:

Jared Cook–South Carolina/TE

Bench press- 23 reps

40 yard dash- 4.50 sec

vertical leap-41 in

(for reference, 225 lbs are the standard weight used for bench press drill)

if you’re like me and don’t have NFL network to watch the combine (which starts today), then go to the following website to watch live coverage!

That’s what I am doing right now. I hope you enjoy it.

The live coverage is from 11am-2pm Eastern time.

http://www.nfl.com/combine/live/app

For those of you who cannot get any video coverage, I’ll make sure to post a few of the key statistics later today. If there are any specific players you would like to hear about, let me know and I can try to post their stats as well.

What is the combine, if it isn’t one big football meat market?

It really is the greatest spectacle of its kind in sports. No other sport draws so much attention from their standard evaluation process like the NFL combine. None even come close.

But just so you know what I mean, let’s pretend we are on a tour of the Combine (Order may be somewhat jumbled).

First, players are led into a poorly lit room, where they are told to stand at the front of a cold room, at which time they take off their shirts while hundreds of front office personnel evaluate their musculature and overall physique. Are they fat, skinny, well toned?

Second, teams can interrogate players about anything they wish. And I mean ANYTHING. Do you have a girlfriend? Are you married? Have you ever smoked pot? Why haven’t you lost weight? On this particular point, I think it has gone beyond an attempt at being thorough. Every aspect of a player’s life is fair game. Why? Teams want to know how committed a player is to the game. And apparently, having a family or girlfriend has to do with that….

Third, it is time to pull out the tape measure and have a player’s hand size, waist, legs, wingspan, and just about every other body part measured. After this is done, hop on the scales to find out whether the their college team wasn’t dyslexic with the numbers. Whoops!

Forth is the bread and butter portion of the show-the part fans get to see: the workout drills. Each prospect will be allowed to participate in each of the individual workout drills. They include: bench press, 3-cone drill, broad jump, vertical leap, shuttle, and the all-important 40 yard dash. Then position-specific drills will be completed for each offensive and defensive group. Of all the drills, these position drills are the most indicative of the tests given at the combine. Without them, I would have a difficult time differentiating this from a track meet.

What I enjoy about this portion of the combine is seeing gifted athletes do what the average Joe cannot. Not too many of my friends can leap 40 inches vertically while weighing 250 lbs. These big fellas stretch the bounds of what we previously thought was possible. Although the combine has some less than savory aspects to it, I believe this aforementioned reason is why we love the combine, and will continue to enjoy it for years to come.

So I would like to draw your attention to 10 players to whom you should pay special attention in Indianapolis this weekend:

10) Terrance Taylor-DT/Michigan/ht. 6’0/ wt. 308 

Training with Michigan strength and conditioning coach Mike Barwis should allow Taylor to shine. Has very good top end speed for a DT. Great strength should give him 30+ reps on bench press.

9) Alex Mack-C/Cal/ht. 6’4/wt. 316

Word at the Senior Bowl was that he has a rock solid body. Could be a top bench presser.

8 ) Darrius Heyward-Bey-WR/Maryland/ht. 6’3/wt. 206

Incredible straight-line speed. Will have one of the fastest 40 times.

7) Jason Smith-OT/Baylor/ht. 6’5/wt. 305

Should be great in the positional drills. He has terrific feet, and is very agile.

6) Jarron Gilbert- DT/San Jose State/ht. 6’6/wt. 290

Small school prospect that is extraordinarily strong. I want him on my team!

5) Evander Hood-DT/Missouri/ht. 6’4/wt. 295

One of my favorites.  Expect him to put up good numbers all around. Scouts will love his intensity in position drills.

4) Percy Harvin-WR/Florida/ht. 5’11/wt. 195

Not many guys his size can bench press 400 lbs and run a sub 4.40 forty yard dash.

3) Vontae Davis-CB/Illinois/ht. 6’0/wt. 203

Needs a great showing to offset his conduct problems during the season. Could be the fastest cornerback at the event.

2) Aaron Curry-OLB/Wake Forest/ht. 6’3/wt. 247

Super strong, and rumor has it that he is faster than teammate Alphonso Smith (Cornerback). Will hold his place among the top 5 players in this draft with a strong showing.

1) Brian Orakpo- DE/Texas/ht. 6’4/wt. 260

I expect numbers similar to Vernon Gholston last year. Orakpo might help himself more than any player in the combine.  An absolute beast. Check out the video on him here.