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NFL Combine musings
Eric Moneypenny / FOXSports.com
Posted: 10 hours ago
On the last day of the NFL Combine, defensive backs and linebackers worked out, showing that they were saving the fastest for lastest.
"Lastest" isn't a word, but "speed" is, and that's exactly what was on display Tuesday in Indy. We saw more 4.3 forty-yard dash times in one position group than at any other time during the combine.
Who's to thank? The speedy DBs.
Clemson's Tye Hill, South Carolina's Jonathan Joseph, Georgia's Tim Jennings, Baylor's Willie Andrews, Nebraska's Daniel Bullock were among those who turned in blazing 4.3-ish times in the forty yard dash. Even though Texas DB Michael Huff's first round status was already a given, he still showed up to work out, and posted an impressive time in the 4.3's. Take that, Reggie and Vince.
While 4.3 times are aplenty on high school recruiting sites, the NFL combine shows each year that many of those high school and college 40 times you've heard (especially the insanely fast ones) are fairly inaccurate.
Year after year, guys that supposedly run 4.5's run 4.8's in Indy. That's no secret, but that's okay. Fast is fast, and a lot of the guys on Tuesday were really fast. Tye Hill turned in the speediest 40 time of the entire combine with a 4.30, and that is flat-out smokin'. When you add that time to Hill's impressive week at Senior Bowl practice, he's definitely moving up in the draft. That's what the combine's all about.
A.J. Hawk jumps to snag a catch. (Darron Cummings / Associated Press)
Ohio State LB A.J. Hawk didn't turn in as high of a 40 time as anybody expected (4.6), on Tuesday, but he was awesome everywhere else.
Hawk excelled in the vertical leap and shuttle run, but really caught my eye in the pass drills, both rushing the passer and out in coverage. Throughout his college career, I thought he had some of the best "ball skills" I've seen in a linebacker, and he displayed those soft hands in Indy.
For those who suggest that Florida State LB Ernie Sims could be moved to safety in a Troy Polamalu-role, they're absolutely right. That guy has the all-around athleticism to be very disruptive almost anywhere on the field.
On Tuesday, Sims looked as good as Hawk in the pass coverage drills, but more explosive. After an interception, Sims looked like a tailback running the ball up the sidelines, reminding me that he was a pretty darn good RB in high school.
Stanford LB Jon Alston and UTEP LB Thomas Howard also looked like defensive backs to me. I mean that in a good way though, they're really fast. I'd have either of those guys on my team.
From watching Iowa LB Chad Greenway in today's workouts, he looked solid to me, but not spectacular. He'll be a good NFL player, but I wouldn't use a top-15 pick on him. Only because it's a first round of the draft that looks a bit more stacked to me than it did a few weeks ago.
Legends of the strength and speed of Miami (OH) LB Terna Nande have been circulating for a couple years. By now, I'd think Nande has Bill Brasky-esque status in select taverns in Oxford, Ohio. He didn't disappoint at the combine either, benching 225 forty-one times (more than all but a couple guys in the entire combine), and running a 4.5 forty.
Nande had to have opened some eyes this week, and I don't know where he falls in this draft. But with the combination of strength and speed I saw, this guy should be a monster on special teams from day one.
The LB group at the combine was deep and talented. When you factor in the number of quality backers this year, with the number of DE/LB hybrid players, there are gonna be a lot of happy 3-4 defensive teams this draft weekend.
At 3.19 seconds, Tennessee DB Jason Allen turned in one of the fastest shuttle run times that I can ever remember hearing of. Allen also exploded for nearly 11 feet in the broad jump (one of the longest jumps), and broke 4.4 in the forty. That's pretty darn good for a guy coming off of a season-ending knee injury. It's also proof of some good work done to his knee. That surgeon could put Allen's combine test times on his resume.
Wrap up: This was the first year that anybody's shown that much of the combine live on TV, so watching it was a blast. I sat around a lot over the past five days, eating some really good food, and watching some impressive workouts. Gaining six pounds while watching other people work out ranks as a slight bummer, but such is life when there are cable networks willing to provide almost 30 hours of NFL Combine coverage.
Monday
Tight ends and defensive linemen were the focus on Monday. But, after watching today's combine workouts on TV, I wanted to throw in my two cents on the thing that's been sweeping Internet discussion boards. Vince Young's Wonderlic score.
For those NFL braintrusts with new Vince Young doubts after his scoring a reported 16 on the Wonderlic, just remember that Dan Marino got a 14, and Jeff George got a 10.
However, like Dan Marino, Vince Young is a competitor, a leader, and a pretty darn good quarterback. On the other hand, Jeff George was known for alienating teammates since at least his freshman season at Purdue (before transferring to Illinois), and by that point, his low Wonderlic score should have been just one of many red flags. Sure, George was a big-time winner in high school, but realistically, how many top prospects played on crappy high school teams?
Vince Young is a winner. End of story. This season, all we heard was how much Young's teammates respected him, and how much his coaches enjoyed him. Then, he led his Longhorns to a national championship, over one of the most talented college teams ever assembled.
Since arriving at Texas, Vince Young has silenced skeptics as if he'd chosen that as his second college major. Therefore, my money says that this can't miss prospect probably won't, regardless of his performance on some strange test with oddly worded questions.
Vince Young talks to the media (John Harrell / Associated Press)
Besides, it's not like scoring high on the Wonderlic really makes that much of a difference for top prospects, either.
Ryan Leaf got a 32. Nice score. Nice pro career, too.
Former big-time prospect Drew Henson scored a 42, and guess what? This May, he'll be playing in NFL Europe. While that experience should help Henson immensely, it won't exactly feel like shooting the cover picture for Madden 2007. Those Rhein Fire fans will probably welcome his high Wonderlic score though.
I can comprehend the idea that the very top prospects, like Young, are huge investments for each franchise. And, as with any smart investment decision, you'd like to have every piece of possibly helpful information at your disposal.
Overanalyzing things can be dangerous, though. Sometimes, it's more helpful to go with your gut feeling.
If it's really possible for Young to slip in the draft over these test results, his throwing motion, or anything else, then I guess that some teams are simply overlooking the fact that Vince Young is awesome.
Other stuff I noticed on Monday ...
Physically, Florida State DT Broderick Bunkley looks like he's a few future Pro Bowl seasons away from having his own comic book. What a monster. At over 300 pounds with very little fat, the guy is a beast. If I looked like him, I would have already left the combine, painted myself green and started destroying stuff. Maybe The Incredible Bunk is saving that for his FSU Pro Day.
On Monday, Maryland TE Vernon Davis participated in workouts like he was trying to win the Olympic Decathlon. His effort in the leading the TE group in almost every combine drill was ridiculous. The guy is a stud. Right now, I feel that Davis would make 25 to 30 NFL teams better at the tight end position, and that's saying a lot.
Some guys ARE "workout warriors", but Davis looked Antonio Gates-like at points on the field this year for Maryland. You gotta believe that some team is about to get a very, very good one.
Davis was so impressive that he completely overshadowed a guy like UCLA TE Marcedes Lewis, who also jumped off my TV screen during the pass catching drills.
Lewis' timed runs won't blow anyone away, but on Monday, he looked like a pre-motorcycle licensed Kellen Winlsow, Jr at the RCA Dome in my eyes. Lewis won't go nearly as high as Winslow ever did, but he'll produce well in the right offense.
At 6-foot-7, 290 pounds, NC State DE Mario Williams was a force, even in a t-shirt and shorts. His demeanor reminds me a little bit of Courtney Brown. Even though he looks quiet, you don't need to see him in full pads to see the fierce intensity that will make this dude a star for years. Running the drills, he made it quite clear why he's elevated himself above Boston College's Mathias Kiwanuka and other prospects in this year's draft. His technique with hand slaps looks sick, even on a tackling dummy.
Louisville DE Elvis Dumervil is small, and looks kinda slow at the combine. Dwight Freeney might be one of his heros, but he didn't seem to show that kind of explosiveness in the drills I got to see.
I don't care, though. Dumervil is a gamer. He's posted sick sack totals in college and high school. 30 sacks the past two seasons? 78 career sacks in high school? He even got slightly abused in Senior Bowl practice drills, but did fine in the actual game. Get Elvis in some pads, get Elvis in a game, because Elvis gets to the quarterback.
N.C. State's "other" DE Manny Lawson ran a couple of 4.4 40s? Geez. If Lawson becomes a rush LB in a 3-4 defense, after a few seasons, the NFL might introduce a new rule that forces him to play with ankle weights on. Lawson looks almost too fast.
A 241-pound DE should not be outrunning 90 percent of the running backs and receivers at the combine, that's insane.
Tomorrow is the last day of workouts at this year's combine. Linebackers and defensive backs. Can't wait to see if any small school DB's explode during drills like Jerome Mathis did last year.
Sunday
On Sunday, the quarterbacks got out there on the turf of the RCA Dome and threw it around a bit. Also, we got to see more fast people running and jumping, as the receivers and quarterbacks joined the on-field festivities. I watched all of this go down from my couch. Here's what I thought ...
Florida WR Chad Jackson started the day as a likely second rounder in this year's draft, and probably pushed himself into the first round during the first hour of today's telecast.
In 4.32 seconds, Chad Jackson instantly improved his draft position. (Michael Conroy / Associated Press)
Jackson ripped off two 4.3-ish 40 times, was really smooth running the deep routes, and did a great job catching the ball in the weird "Gauntlet" drill. I assume that these receivers will never again need to run across the field, catching six to eight balls hurled at them from different directions. However, if league rules change, route-runners like Jackson would thrive.
Either way, Chad Jackson looks like a sure thing at the next level, fully realizing that "sure thing at the next level" is a VERY curious label to give a wideout from the University of Florida.
While Jackson's yards per catch in the Urban Meyer offense (10.2) wasn't breathtaking by any stretch, he appears much more physical than many of the prolific pass catchers from the recent Spurrier/Zook eras. He's no Jacquez Green or Reidel Anthony.
Oregon State WR Mike Hass can run all the 4.6 forties that he wants, but he was money in other drills that dealt more directly with his receiving of a football.
I think Hass will put up Anquan Boldin-like numbers for some lucky team picking in the second round. Boldin ran 4.7s, and he catches 100 Wilsons a season. I predict that Hass will do the exact same thing. Forties shmorties.
Here's a Wonderlic-ious question for ya.
1. After watching the combine on Sunday, which of these grouped pairs are the most alike?
a). Virginia Tech QB Marcus Vick = Michael Vick
b) Virginia QB Marques Hagans = Antwaan Randle-El
c) Vanderbilt QB Jay Cutler = Brett Favre
d) Eastern Washington QB Erik Meyer = Kurt Warner
My answer is D. The past couple of college seasons, I've been regularly checking up on Erik Meyer's stats, after seeing he had been slinging up some impressive ones.
It was nice to see that the 2005 Walter Payton Award winner didn't disappoint on Sunday. Meyer had a good day throwing the ball, and exhibiting some decent quickness. I have a gut feeling that Meyer, the second-most efficient passer in I-AA history, could be a pretty darn good NFL starter in five or six years if he finds the right QB situation.
Toledo QB Bruce Gradkowski might look like my uncle Ed, but after turning in some very quick 4.6 times in the 40-yard dash on Sunday, he didn't run like him. Gradkowski was throwing the ball pretty well on TV, and should hear his name called in April. 2007 NFL Europe here we come. I love NFL Europe, so that's no knock.
I'm a big fan of Missouri QB Brad Smith. However, he sometimes threw today like he wanted to become a receiver. Either way, I'm assuming the Steelers will probably wind up drafting Smith, Virginia's Marques Hagans, and Penn State's Michael Robinson. Maybe by 2009, the entire Pittsburgh offense will consist of Ben Roethlisberger and former college quarterbacks.
You could probably bulk up Grambling's 260-pound QB Bruce Eugene and stick him on that Steelers O-line. That way, Pittsburgh could call the old pulling guard double-reverse-rooskie throwback play. Kidding aside, I've loved Eugene's arm for a few years, thought he threw some excellent balls on Sunday.
Bruce Eugene throws a football in front of a radar gun. (Michael Conroy / Associated Press)
In case you missed it, even after all the skiing, Jeremy Bloom can still run fast.
I'm totally stoked about seeing some of these defensive lineman run and jump on Monday. If the DL agility drills were like an old episode of "The SuperStars," I bet N.C. State's Manny Lawson would win. I have a feeling that not many other defensive linemen in Indianapolis this year have won ACC championships in track events.
Ohio State DL Mike Kudla benched 225 pounds 45 times on Sunday, tying the combine record. Florida State DT Broderick Bunkley garnered second place honors for Sunday's "Geez Louise" award with 44 reps.
On Sunday, I think I heard Kudla say during a press conference that his max on the bench was 610 pounds. I'm not sure though, after hearing that his personal best began with a six, I was more concerned with my jaw that had just dropped to the floor.
In case you were wondering, the world record for the bench press is 1,005 pounds. After seeing the guy that set the record, I'd rather have Kudla for football purposes. Still, 1,005 pounds is amazing. I can't top more than 1,000 of anything at once, except ingesting calories.
Sunday's combine-viewing caloric intake: Because this was Sunday, and kinda still football, I ordered out for a specific kind of pepperoni, sausage, and bacon pizza that a college friend and I had affectionately named the "Pigskin Classic." It was good.
Saturday
I watched five hours of combine coverage Saturday, here are some notes and assorted musings.
If you're an NFL team and want USC RB Reggie Bush but don't have the first pick in the draft (and I'm assuming that 31 of you out there don't), wait a round or three for UCLA RB Maurice Drew.
Drew's on-field exploits this past season were no secret, and the do-it-all back didn't disappoint on Saturday, either. He's a little taller than expected (almost 5-foot-7), a little faster than expected (4.39 unofficially in the 40-yard dash) and looked pretty special in the drills.
NFL Network's Mike Mayock compares Drew to Chargers RB Darren Sproles. Now, no disrespect to Mayock, who watches roughly one million more hours of college game tape per week than I do, which is as impressive as it is mathematically impossible. But, to me, Maurice Drew looks like a souped-up Priest Holmes coming out of college. Having watched almost every UCLA game this season, I think Drew has the potential to be a big NFL star down the road, not just a third-down scat-back.
Speaking of Mike Mayock, over the past few days watching the combine coverage, I think I've developed a pretty good Mike Mayock impression.
While the friends I've called on my cell as Mayock don't really "get it" yet, I swear that it sounds just like him. By the way, Mel Kiper impressions are for hacks. When it comes to mimicking draft gurus, doing a "good Kiper" is like being able to do a "good DeNiro." Too easy.
I think watching the combine on TV is driving me bonkers. Next year, I'm going to Indy, even if I have to hitchhike. It's frustrating to let Rich Eisen dictate which 40-yard dashes I get to see. I wanna see them all.
Washington State RB Jerome Harrison had a fine day. Too bad he accidentally broke a piece off of the device that measures vertical leaps during one of his jumps. Hope that no scouts wrote "breaks stuff" into their notes on Harrison. Another bad thing to see in Harrison's file would be, "Can't Jerome let us have anything nice?"
Man, I wish Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and Vince Young were working out at this thing. It'd add a little bit of intrigue. Honestly, by working out this weekend, would any of those three slip at all?
Would Matt Leinart or Reggie Bush really have done themselves any damage if they attend the NFL Combines? (Frazer Harrison / Getty Images)
I could care less about Virginia tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson not participating in the drills, but that's only because the offensive linemen drills are pretty boring. I'm actually a big Ferguson fan; that dude looks like a can't-miss prospect.
Maybe it's because I'm a big D'Brickashaw Ferguson fan, or maybe it's because I've watched too much combine coverage the past few days, but today, I actually contemplated naming my first son "D'Brickashaw Moneypenny."
Moving along to the offensive linemen, let's hear it for the "mirror drills." Like the name states, the mirror drills are where a lineman has to stay in front of, or "mirror" the man he's not really blocking. You have to love a combine drill that's sort of like something you'd see in a college improvisation class. Maybe, at next year's combine, they'll have the linemen stand in a circle and pass around an invisible ball of energy.
Miami offensive tackle Eric Winston and Oklahoma offensive lineman Chris Chester turned out some impressive times in the various drills. This was of little surprise to anyone, since both players were converted from tight end in college.
That said, I took a quick look at the list of combine invitees. This year, 50 offensive linemen were invited to Indianapolis, while only 20 tight ends were. That should be food for thought for some of you 6-foot-5, 250-pound tight ends coming out of high school. If your college coach asks you to switch to tackle, go for it. Not everyone can be Tony Gonzales or Antonio Gates, while Winston and Chester are two examples of guys that should be cashing pro paychecks very soon for realizing that.
Today's combine-watching party meals for Moneypenny: For a late breakfast and early dinner, I had a corn dog and nachos, both times. I guess I thought I wasn't watching the NFL combine inside my home, but at the state fair instead. Maybe for tomorrow, I'll have cotton candy. Just trying to put on more weight for my school's pro day in March.
Eric Moneypenny / FOXSports.com
Posted: 10 hours ago
On the last day of the NFL Combine, defensive backs and linebackers worked out, showing that they were saving the fastest for lastest.
"Lastest" isn't a word, but "speed" is, and that's exactly what was on display Tuesday in Indy. We saw more 4.3 forty-yard dash times in one position group than at any other time during the combine.
Who's to thank? The speedy DBs.
Clemson's Tye Hill, South Carolina's Jonathan Joseph, Georgia's Tim Jennings, Baylor's Willie Andrews, Nebraska's Daniel Bullock were among those who turned in blazing 4.3-ish times in the forty yard dash. Even though Texas DB Michael Huff's first round status was already a given, he still showed up to work out, and posted an impressive time in the 4.3's. Take that, Reggie and Vince.
While 4.3 times are aplenty on high school recruiting sites, the NFL combine shows each year that many of those high school and college 40 times you've heard (especially the insanely fast ones) are fairly inaccurate.
Year after year, guys that supposedly run 4.5's run 4.8's in Indy. That's no secret, but that's okay. Fast is fast, and a lot of the guys on Tuesday were really fast. Tye Hill turned in the speediest 40 time of the entire combine with a 4.30, and that is flat-out smokin'. When you add that time to Hill's impressive week at Senior Bowl practice, he's definitely moving up in the draft. That's what the combine's all about.
A.J. Hawk jumps to snag a catch. (Darron Cummings / Associated Press)
Ohio State LB A.J. Hawk didn't turn in as high of a 40 time as anybody expected (4.6), on Tuesday, but he was awesome everywhere else.
Hawk excelled in the vertical leap and shuttle run, but really caught my eye in the pass drills, both rushing the passer and out in coverage. Throughout his college career, I thought he had some of the best "ball skills" I've seen in a linebacker, and he displayed those soft hands in Indy.
For those who suggest that Florida State LB Ernie Sims could be moved to safety in a Troy Polamalu-role, they're absolutely right. That guy has the all-around athleticism to be very disruptive almost anywhere on the field.
On Tuesday, Sims looked as good as Hawk in the pass coverage drills, but more explosive. After an interception, Sims looked like a tailback running the ball up the sidelines, reminding me that he was a pretty darn good RB in high school.
Stanford LB Jon Alston and UTEP LB Thomas Howard also looked like defensive backs to me. I mean that in a good way though, they're really fast. I'd have either of those guys on my team.
From watching Iowa LB Chad Greenway in today's workouts, he looked solid to me, but not spectacular. He'll be a good NFL player, but I wouldn't use a top-15 pick on him. Only because it's a first round of the draft that looks a bit more stacked to me than it did a few weeks ago.
Legends of the strength and speed of Miami (OH) LB Terna Nande have been circulating for a couple years. By now, I'd think Nande has Bill Brasky-esque status in select taverns in Oxford, Ohio. He didn't disappoint at the combine either, benching 225 forty-one times (more than all but a couple guys in the entire combine), and running a 4.5 forty.
Nande had to have opened some eyes this week, and I don't know where he falls in this draft. But with the combination of strength and speed I saw, this guy should be a monster on special teams from day one.
The LB group at the combine was deep and talented. When you factor in the number of quality backers this year, with the number of DE/LB hybrid players, there are gonna be a lot of happy 3-4 defensive teams this draft weekend.
At 3.19 seconds, Tennessee DB Jason Allen turned in one of the fastest shuttle run times that I can ever remember hearing of. Allen also exploded for nearly 11 feet in the broad jump (one of the longest jumps), and broke 4.4 in the forty. That's pretty darn good for a guy coming off of a season-ending knee injury. It's also proof of some good work done to his knee. That surgeon could put Allen's combine test times on his resume.
Wrap up: This was the first year that anybody's shown that much of the combine live on TV, so watching it was a blast. I sat around a lot over the past five days, eating some really good food, and watching some impressive workouts. Gaining six pounds while watching other people work out ranks as a slight bummer, but such is life when there are cable networks willing to provide almost 30 hours of NFL Combine coverage.
Monday
Tight ends and defensive linemen were the focus on Monday. But, after watching today's combine workouts on TV, I wanted to throw in my two cents on the thing that's been sweeping Internet discussion boards. Vince Young's Wonderlic score.
For those NFL braintrusts with new Vince Young doubts after his scoring a reported 16 on the Wonderlic, just remember that Dan Marino got a 14, and Jeff George got a 10.
However, like Dan Marino, Vince Young is a competitor, a leader, and a pretty darn good quarterback. On the other hand, Jeff George was known for alienating teammates since at least his freshman season at Purdue (before transferring to Illinois), and by that point, his low Wonderlic score should have been just one of many red flags. Sure, George was a big-time winner in high school, but realistically, how many top prospects played on crappy high school teams?
Vince Young is a winner. End of story. This season, all we heard was how much Young's teammates respected him, and how much his coaches enjoyed him. Then, he led his Longhorns to a national championship, over one of the most talented college teams ever assembled.
Since arriving at Texas, Vince Young has silenced skeptics as if he'd chosen that as his second college major. Therefore, my money says that this can't miss prospect probably won't, regardless of his performance on some strange test with oddly worded questions.
Vince Young talks to the media (John Harrell / Associated Press)
Besides, it's not like scoring high on the Wonderlic really makes that much of a difference for top prospects, either.
Ryan Leaf got a 32. Nice score. Nice pro career, too.
Former big-time prospect Drew Henson scored a 42, and guess what? This May, he'll be playing in NFL Europe. While that experience should help Henson immensely, it won't exactly feel like shooting the cover picture for Madden 2007. Those Rhein Fire fans will probably welcome his high Wonderlic score though.
I can comprehend the idea that the very top prospects, like Young, are huge investments for each franchise. And, as with any smart investment decision, you'd like to have every piece of possibly helpful information at your disposal.
Overanalyzing things can be dangerous, though. Sometimes, it's more helpful to go with your gut feeling.
If it's really possible for Young to slip in the draft over these test results, his throwing motion, or anything else, then I guess that some teams are simply overlooking the fact that Vince Young is awesome.
Other stuff I noticed on Monday ...
Physically, Florida State DT Broderick Bunkley looks like he's a few future Pro Bowl seasons away from having his own comic book. What a monster. At over 300 pounds with very little fat, the guy is a beast. If I looked like him, I would have already left the combine, painted myself green and started destroying stuff. Maybe The Incredible Bunk is saving that for his FSU Pro Day.
On Monday, Maryland TE Vernon Davis participated in workouts like he was trying to win the Olympic Decathlon. His effort in the leading the TE group in almost every combine drill was ridiculous. The guy is a stud. Right now, I feel that Davis would make 25 to 30 NFL teams better at the tight end position, and that's saying a lot.
Some guys ARE "workout warriors", but Davis looked Antonio Gates-like at points on the field this year for Maryland. You gotta believe that some team is about to get a very, very good one.
Davis was so impressive that he completely overshadowed a guy like UCLA TE Marcedes Lewis, who also jumped off my TV screen during the pass catching drills.
Lewis' timed runs won't blow anyone away, but on Monday, he looked like a pre-motorcycle licensed Kellen Winlsow, Jr at the RCA Dome in my eyes. Lewis won't go nearly as high as Winslow ever did, but he'll produce well in the right offense.
At 6-foot-7, 290 pounds, NC State DE Mario Williams was a force, even in a t-shirt and shorts. His demeanor reminds me a little bit of Courtney Brown. Even though he looks quiet, you don't need to see him in full pads to see the fierce intensity that will make this dude a star for years. Running the drills, he made it quite clear why he's elevated himself above Boston College's Mathias Kiwanuka and other prospects in this year's draft. His technique with hand slaps looks sick, even on a tackling dummy.
Louisville DE Elvis Dumervil is small, and looks kinda slow at the combine. Dwight Freeney might be one of his heros, but he didn't seem to show that kind of explosiveness in the drills I got to see.
I don't care, though. Dumervil is a gamer. He's posted sick sack totals in college and high school. 30 sacks the past two seasons? 78 career sacks in high school? He even got slightly abused in Senior Bowl practice drills, but did fine in the actual game. Get Elvis in some pads, get Elvis in a game, because Elvis gets to the quarterback.
N.C. State's "other" DE Manny Lawson ran a couple of 4.4 40s? Geez. If Lawson becomes a rush LB in a 3-4 defense, after a few seasons, the NFL might introduce a new rule that forces him to play with ankle weights on. Lawson looks almost too fast.
A 241-pound DE should not be outrunning 90 percent of the running backs and receivers at the combine, that's insane.
Tomorrow is the last day of workouts at this year's combine. Linebackers and defensive backs. Can't wait to see if any small school DB's explode during drills like Jerome Mathis did last year.
Sunday
On Sunday, the quarterbacks got out there on the turf of the RCA Dome and threw it around a bit. Also, we got to see more fast people running and jumping, as the receivers and quarterbacks joined the on-field festivities. I watched all of this go down from my couch. Here's what I thought ...
Florida WR Chad Jackson started the day as a likely second rounder in this year's draft, and probably pushed himself into the first round during the first hour of today's telecast.
In 4.32 seconds, Chad Jackson instantly improved his draft position. (Michael Conroy / Associated Press)
Jackson ripped off two 4.3-ish 40 times, was really smooth running the deep routes, and did a great job catching the ball in the weird "Gauntlet" drill. I assume that these receivers will never again need to run across the field, catching six to eight balls hurled at them from different directions. However, if league rules change, route-runners like Jackson would thrive.
Either way, Chad Jackson looks like a sure thing at the next level, fully realizing that "sure thing at the next level" is a VERY curious label to give a wideout from the University of Florida.
While Jackson's yards per catch in the Urban Meyer offense (10.2) wasn't breathtaking by any stretch, he appears much more physical than many of the prolific pass catchers from the recent Spurrier/Zook eras. He's no Jacquez Green or Reidel Anthony.
Oregon State WR Mike Hass can run all the 4.6 forties that he wants, but he was money in other drills that dealt more directly with his receiving of a football.
I think Hass will put up Anquan Boldin-like numbers for some lucky team picking in the second round. Boldin ran 4.7s, and he catches 100 Wilsons a season. I predict that Hass will do the exact same thing. Forties shmorties.
Here's a Wonderlic-ious question for ya.
1. After watching the combine on Sunday, which of these grouped pairs are the most alike?
a). Virginia Tech QB Marcus Vick = Michael Vick
b) Virginia QB Marques Hagans = Antwaan Randle-El
c) Vanderbilt QB Jay Cutler = Brett Favre
d) Eastern Washington QB Erik Meyer = Kurt Warner
My answer is D. The past couple of college seasons, I've been regularly checking up on Erik Meyer's stats, after seeing he had been slinging up some impressive ones.
It was nice to see that the 2005 Walter Payton Award winner didn't disappoint on Sunday. Meyer had a good day throwing the ball, and exhibiting some decent quickness. I have a gut feeling that Meyer, the second-most efficient passer in I-AA history, could be a pretty darn good NFL starter in five or six years if he finds the right QB situation.
Toledo QB Bruce Gradkowski might look like my uncle Ed, but after turning in some very quick 4.6 times in the 40-yard dash on Sunday, he didn't run like him. Gradkowski was throwing the ball pretty well on TV, and should hear his name called in April. 2007 NFL Europe here we come. I love NFL Europe, so that's no knock.
I'm a big fan of Missouri QB Brad Smith. However, he sometimes threw today like he wanted to become a receiver. Either way, I'm assuming the Steelers will probably wind up drafting Smith, Virginia's Marques Hagans, and Penn State's Michael Robinson. Maybe by 2009, the entire Pittsburgh offense will consist of Ben Roethlisberger and former college quarterbacks.
You could probably bulk up Grambling's 260-pound QB Bruce Eugene and stick him on that Steelers O-line. That way, Pittsburgh could call the old pulling guard double-reverse-rooskie throwback play. Kidding aside, I've loved Eugene's arm for a few years, thought he threw some excellent balls on Sunday.
Bruce Eugene throws a football in front of a radar gun. (Michael Conroy / Associated Press)
In case you missed it, even after all the skiing, Jeremy Bloom can still run fast.
I'm totally stoked about seeing some of these defensive lineman run and jump on Monday. If the DL agility drills were like an old episode of "The SuperStars," I bet N.C. State's Manny Lawson would win. I have a feeling that not many other defensive linemen in Indianapolis this year have won ACC championships in track events.
Ohio State DL Mike Kudla benched 225 pounds 45 times on Sunday, tying the combine record. Florida State DT Broderick Bunkley garnered second place honors for Sunday's "Geez Louise" award with 44 reps.
On Sunday, I think I heard Kudla say during a press conference that his max on the bench was 610 pounds. I'm not sure though, after hearing that his personal best began with a six, I was more concerned with my jaw that had just dropped to the floor.
In case you were wondering, the world record for the bench press is 1,005 pounds. After seeing the guy that set the record, I'd rather have Kudla for football purposes. Still, 1,005 pounds is amazing. I can't top more than 1,000 of anything at once, except ingesting calories.
Sunday's combine-viewing caloric intake: Because this was Sunday, and kinda still football, I ordered out for a specific kind of pepperoni, sausage, and bacon pizza that a college friend and I had affectionately named the "Pigskin Classic." It was good.
Saturday
I watched five hours of combine coverage Saturday, here are some notes and assorted musings.
If you're an NFL team and want USC RB Reggie Bush but don't have the first pick in the draft (and I'm assuming that 31 of you out there don't), wait a round or three for UCLA RB Maurice Drew.
Drew's on-field exploits this past season were no secret, and the do-it-all back didn't disappoint on Saturday, either. He's a little taller than expected (almost 5-foot-7), a little faster than expected (4.39 unofficially in the 40-yard dash) and looked pretty special in the drills.
NFL Network's Mike Mayock compares Drew to Chargers RB Darren Sproles. Now, no disrespect to Mayock, who watches roughly one million more hours of college game tape per week than I do, which is as impressive as it is mathematically impossible. But, to me, Maurice Drew looks like a souped-up Priest Holmes coming out of college. Having watched almost every UCLA game this season, I think Drew has the potential to be a big NFL star down the road, not just a third-down scat-back.
Speaking of Mike Mayock, over the past few days watching the combine coverage, I think I've developed a pretty good Mike Mayock impression.
While the friends I've called on my cell as Mayock don't really "get it" yet, I swear that it sounds just like him. By the way, Mel Kiper impressions are for hacks. When it comes to mimicking draft gurus, doing a "good Kiper" is like being able to do a "good DeNiro." Too easy.
I think watching the combine on TV is driving me bonkers. Next year, I'm going to Indy, even if I have to hitchhike. It's frustrating to let Rich Eisen dictate which 40-yard dashes I get to see. I wanna see them all.
Washington State RB Jerome Harrison had a fine day. Too bad he accidentally broke a piece off of the device that measures vertical leaps during one of his jumps. Hope that no scouts wrote "breaks stuff" into their notes on Harrison. Another bad thing to see in Harrison's file would be, "Can't Jerome let us have anything nice?"
Man, I wish Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and Vince Young were working out at this thing. It'd add a little bit of intrigue. Honestly, by working out this weekend, would any of those three slip at all?
Would Matt Leinart or Reggie Bush really have done themselves any damage if they attend the NFL Combines? (Frazer Harrison / Getty Images)
I could care less about Virginia tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson not participating in the drills, but that's only because the offensive linemen drills are pretty boring. I'm actually a big Ferguson fan; that dude looks like a can't-miss prospect.
Maybe it's because I'm a big D'Brickashaw Ferguson fan, or maybe it's because I've watched too much combine coverage the past few days, but today, I actually contemplated naming my first son "D'Brickashaw Moneypenny."
Moving along to the offensive linemen, let's hear it for the "mirror drills." Like the name states, the mirror drills are where a lineman has to stay in front of, or "mirror" the man he's not really blocking. You have to love a combine drill that's sort of like something you'd see in a college improvisation class. Maybe, at next year's combine, they'll have the linemen stand in a circle and pass around an invisible ball of energy.
Miami offensive tackle Eric Winston and Oklahoma offensive lineman Chris Chester turned out some impressive times in the various drills. This was of little surprise to anyone, since both players were converted from tight end in college.
That said, I took a quick look at the list of combine invitees. This year, 50 offensive linemen were invited to Indianapolis, while only 20 tight ends were. That should be food for thought for some of you 6-foot-5, 250-pound tight ends coming out of high school. If your college coach asks you to switch to tackle, go for it. Not everyone can be Tony Gonzales or Antonio Gates, while Winston and Chester are two examples of guys that should be cashing pro paychecks very soon for realizing that.
Today's combine-watching party meals for Moneypenny: For a late breakfast and early dinner, I had a corn dog and nachos, both times. I guess I thought I wasn't watching the NFL combine inside my home, but at the state fair instead. Maybe for tomorrow, I'll have cotton candy. Just trying to put on more weight for my school's pro day in March.
