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Combine notebook: O-linemen Campbell, Williams turn heads with 40 times
Feb. 27, 2010
By Chad Reuter
NFLDraftScout.com
Tell Chad your opinion!
INDIANAPOLIS -- Offensive tackles Bruce Campbell from Maryland and Oklahoma's Trent Williams, projected first-round picks by NFLDraftScout.com, ran unofficial times of 4.78 and 4.82 seconds Saturday morning, with Campbell measuring in at 6-6 and 315 pounds and Williams at 6-5, 315. In combine history, the only player to post a similar run at a similar height and weight was Houston Pro Bowl defensive end Mario Williams, who ran 4.73 at 6-7, 295 pounds in 2006. That performance helped Williams ascend to the No. 1 overall selection.
Among offensive tackles of similar size, the times of Campbell and Williams easily outdistance those of former first-round picks Gosder Cherilus (5.21 in 2008), Jake Long (5.21, 2008), Jeff Otah (5.56 in 2008), Joe Thomas (5.0 in 2007) and Chris Williams (5.15 in 2008), as well as third-round pick Eric Winston, who clocked a 4.96 in 2006.
Teams expected Campbell to break 5.0, but coming in under 4.8 was still a surprise. Williams was expected to join the bunch of linemen in the 5.2-5.3 range, so his time was equally remarkable.
Campbell's time won't greatly enhance his draft stock, as teams will rely more heavily on game film. But a team willing to take a chance on his athleticism and upside may decide to take a shot in the top 10. Williams, pigeon-holed as a pure strong-side tackle by some scouts, backed up his claim that he has the athleticism to be a blind-side protector in the NFL.
Campbell also has 36.5-inch arms and bench-pressed 225 pounds 34 times. Said one scout said, "He has the best body of anyone I've ever seen."
Of course, the question is whether he can block. Said NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock, "If there's a star so far in the combine, it's him. What he's going to have to overcome is the tape."
Campbell also has a disorder called Arnold-Chiari, in which some areas of the brain are formed abnormally. Campbell said he had surgery to minimize the problem in high school.
"My [combine] medical test went well," Campbell said. "I had surgery in high school that a lot of doctors kind of didn't have enough information on so they wanted me to get a lot of MRI testing and things like that. But I feel great."
Miami (Fla.) tight end Jimmy Graham ran a 4.56, according to NFL.com. Graham played only one season of football for the Hurricanes, but his basketball background intrigues scouts and his blistering 40 time could lift Graham as high as the second round.
The other 40 time of note was Trindon Holliday. The LSU receiver was the only prospect invited to the combine as a return specialist, so he ran a day before the other wide receivers in Indianapolis. NFL.com listed his time at 4.34, but various times had him between 4.32 and 4.38 -- any of which is the fastest at the event this year.
The 5-5, 161-pound Holliday fell on the other end of the spectrum in the 225-pound bench press, lifting the bar just 10 times -- far fewer than punters Robert Malone (19) and Zoltan Mesko (16). Among tight ends, Missouri State's Clay Harbor posted 30 reps, more than any tight end at the combine last season. The last tight end to top 30 was Dan Coats (34) in 2007.
It's important to understand what happens to get the 40 times at the combine:
• Those who participate in the 40 actually run twice, and on each run they are timed by two hand-held stopwatches and one electronic timer (that is actually initiated by hand on the player's first movement.
• Combine data put together for NFL teams by National Scouting includes all six of those times for each player, but no single official time.
Team scouts and coaches have various approaches for getting the 40 time they use from those six timings. Some use averages. Some throw out slowest and fastest and then average the rest. Some ignore the whole thing and use a time taken by their own scout.
However, beware any 40-yard time that is labeled as "official" from the combine. In deference to the players, NFLDraftScout.com uses the best verifiable -- or listed -- time from the combine unless it is conspicuously skewed from the other times, which happens when a hand timer has an itchy trigger finger on the stopwatch. However, the times are usually well grouped.
Bradford about '85 percent
Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford isn't throwing at the combine while he continues to rehabilitate his surgically repaired right shoulder. He said the shoulder is about 85 percent, and he won't be ready to participate at Oklahoma's March 9 pro day, so he'll hold a private workout March 25 (Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen is scheduled to work out April 9).
Bradford underwent surgery Oct. 28 performed by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., to repair the AC joint in his throwing shoulder.
"[Dr. Andrews] says I'm ahead of schedule right now, the velocity I'm putting on the ball, some of the throws I'm able to make right now," Bradford said. "I feel like with another month's work, by the time my pro day gets here, I'll be able to make all the throws I was able to make before, with probably some more arm strength I had before I got hurt."
Bradford is among four prospects, along with Clausen and defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska) and Gerald McCoy (Oklahoma), that St. Louis is believed to be considering with the No. 1 overall pick. The Rams said they want an independent doctor to look at Bradford's shoulder, in addition to Andrews and their own team doctor.
"Yeah, that's fine. I have nothing to hide. My shoulder's fine," Bradford said. "They can get whoever they want to look at it, and I don't think it's gonna change. I think they're gonna see it's strong, it's healthy and it's better than ever."
Bradford said he has put on about 12 pounds since he last played, and measured in at 236 pounds at the combine. One of the reasons he returned to Oklahoma last season was because of concerns voiced by scouts that Bradford's frame wouldn't hold up in the NFL.
"There were some questions about my weight last year," said Bradford. "People thought I was too small to come out. So I wanted to answer those questions this year, and it's something I put a lot of work into."
Texas' Colt McCoy is also not throwing at the combine as he recovers from the shoulder injury he suffered in the BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
"I'm way ahead of schedule," McCoy said. "Not that I can't get out there and throw, but we don't want to do anything that's going to set it back. But it's healing up great, I'm throwing every day. I'm on a strict routine, but I'm confident that everything is going well and I'll be 100 percent ready to go in a couple weeks."
McCoy's pro day is March 31 in Austin.
To compete or not compete
There have been numerous opinions expressed regarding players, especially quarterbacks, that aren't throwing at the combine. While Rams general manager Billy Devaney said he understands the thinking, others disagree.
Said Cleveland Browns president Mike Holmgren" "I've always wanted the quarterbacks to throw here. Anybody who's asked me, I've told them, 'Compete in the combine. Throw. Don't worry about it.' That message hasn't gotten across to enough of them, I don't think."
Vikings coach Brad Childress recalled the 1999 combine when Donovan McNabb was being evaluated by the Eagles, where Childress was then the quarterbacks coach. Childress believes a lot can be learned from the combine compared to the pro day.
"Most of the [quarterbacks] in that '99 draft, they worked out on the floor of the combine," Childress said. "You learn things when you're down on the floor working with them and watching them throw.
"[The quarterback] can say, 'Well, they're not my receivers.' But it's too choreographed at the pro day workout. I just think they need to go out there and compete. That's part of the deal. [You want to] watch them grit their teeth after they throw a bad one or throw one where they couldn't gauge a receiver, and see what they do with the next one. I think they do themselves a disservice by not teeing it up here."
Despite those sentiments, Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour is one uninjured quarterback not throwing ... to receivers.
He said, "I'll throw to receivers on my pro day (March 24). I'm throwing [at the combine]. I'm doing all the movements and the stationary targets. But with receivers, just being able to get into a rhythm, throw to guys that I'm used to, being able to work some of the under-center stuff a little bit more, you know I can put the best product out there on pro day."
Asked what teams will think, he said, "Well, hopefully when teams get to meet me, they see I don't have an attitude. I'm just trying to make a rational decision and do what's best for me."
Gilyard's long journey
Overcoming size issues to prove to scouts that he can be a legitimate threat in the NFL is hardly the biggest battle of Cincinnati wide receiver Mardy Gilyard's life.
Gilyard was stripped of his scholarship after being accused of cheating by a professor in 2006. He wound up living out of his car for a while, working four jobs to pay bills. He returned to the Cincinnati program in 2007, thrived in coach Brian Kelly's offense and is now considered a potential slot receiver at the next level at 6-0, 187 pounds.
Analysis
Pete Prisco
Forget the charade, Rams. Forget the defensive tackles. Bradford is the easy -- and only -- choice. More
Chad Reuter
The Rams and Lions have the top two picks, and could use McCoy and Suh on their porous defenses. More
Clark Judge
Who's the No. 3 QB behind Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen? The common answer is Colt McCoy. More
More combine coverage
Live Blog: Rang reports from combine
Judge: Clausen played with pain
Spagnuolo | Haley | Ryan | McClain
Reuter: What to watch for in Indy
SI.com: What teams look for in interviews
B/R: Wonderlic test QB score predictions
NFL Draft links
Prospect Ratings: Nebraska DT Suh leads pack
Mock Drafts: Rang | Reuter
Risers and Fallers: Reuter's players to watch
Community
NFL Collaborative Mock Draft 2010
"It took me from a kid that felt like he was full -- from a kid that felt like I was everything and anything to football in Cincinnati -- to someone that didn't have anything at all," Gilyard said of being kicked off the team. "I was homeless in the city. I lost my scholarship. I got evicted from my house. With that all in mind, I had to find faith and myself. I had to grow up. I was a real knucklehead kid. Arrogant, cocky, immature. I had to grow up, so that helped me out a lot. I wouldn't change it for nothing."
The No. 12-rated receiver by NFLDraftScout.com, Gilyard could hear his name called as early as the second round due to his return skills. He ranked seventh in the country with a 30.5-yard average on kick returns last season, including two touchdowns, and was 17th with a 12.63-yard punt return average.
"It just shows that I'm versatile and I'm not just a receiver that catches balls," Gilyard said. "I can also play outside. I can play in the slot and back slot. Just to add that element of kick return and punt return and knowing that I'm dangerous at both of them, too. Adds an extra plus to the game."
Next Elvis in the building?
Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham is trying to catch the attention of a team running a 3-4 defense in the first round. At 6-1 and 268 pounds, he knows he'll have to move from end to linebacker in the NFL.
It's a move that was made successfully by Denver's Elvis Dumervil, who led the NFL with 16 sacks last season, and Graham's former Michigan teammate and current Pittsburgh Steeler LaMarr Woodley.
"I look at myself as the next one," Graham said of Dumervil. He's 6-1, he's small. A lot of people didn't think he could do it. But believe whoever gets me is going to love me."
Graham said his transition to linebacker should be smooth because that's what he played until arriving at Michigan.
"I'm very comfortable because growing up I've been playing linebacker since I was 7 and I got to Michigan and played defensive end," said Graham. "So I knew, I always wanted to stand up, that was my dream, coming out playing linebacker. They moved me to D-line, I had to adjust. I think I'll fit straight-in as soon as I get back."
What they are asking
Players at the combine have to be prepared for anything when they sit down with teams for interviews. They usually get it.
Michigan punter Zoltan Mesko said, "The Atlanta Falcons special teams coach and the Pittsburgh special teams coaches, there was one other one I can't remember, sat me down and said, 'Tell us a joke.' I was like, 'Uhhh, I wasn't prepared for this.'
"I told this joke that was so bad and they were like, 'OK, let's just get your cell phone number and stuff for draft day.' It was two guys in a bar, one of those generic jokes. I stopped them and said, 'I have to apologize for that bad joke.' They were just looking at each other like, 'OK, let's move on.'"
The Buccaneers asked a bizarre question of Florida State safety Myron Rolle, who left school for the 2009 season for a Rhodes scholarship. They wanted to know how Rolle felt deserting his team.
Rolle said, "I hadn't heard that one before. My initial reaction was a bit of confusion. It never was anger, but I was more bothered by the question because if anyone knew my involvement with my teammates, how much they care about me and how much I care about them."
Quotebook
• "I don't think you can look at it that way. I mean, you take the pick that's best for the football team, and the support of the ownership takes care of that." -- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo, on whether it's difficult to spend No. 1 overall money on a defensive tackle instead of a quarterback.
• "Obviously going home in Nebraska, it's a little more easier. But being down in McKinnie, Texas, 20 minutes outside of Dallas, people recognize you. That's kind of a little scary." -- Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh on the most surprising part of the draft process.
NFLDraftScout.com's Howard Balzer, Derek Harper and Rob Rang contributed to this report.
Feb. 27, 2010
By Chad Reuter
NFLDraftScout.com
Tell Chad your opinion!
INDIANAPOLIS -- Offensive tackles Bruce Campbell from Maryland and Oklahoma's Trent Williams, projected first-round picks by NFLDraftScout.com, ran unofficial times of 4.78 and 4.82 seconds Saturday morning, with Campbell measuring in at 6-6 and 315 pounds and Williams at 6-5, 315. In combine history, the only player to post a similar run at a similar height and weight was Houston Pro Bowl defensive end Mario Williams, who ran 4.73 at 6-7, 295 pounds in 2006. That performance helped Williams ascend to the No. 1 overall selection.
Among offensive tackles of similar size, the times of Campbell and Williams easily outdistance those of former first-round picks Gosder Cherilus (5.21 in 2008), Jake Long (5.21, 2008), Jeff Otah (5.56 in 2008), Joe Thomas (5.0 in 2007) and Chris Williams (5.15 in 2008), as well as third-round pick Eric Winston, who clocked a 4.96 in 2006.
Teams expected Campbell to break 5.0, but coming in under 4.8 was still a surprise. Williams was expected to join the bunch of linemen in the 5.2-5.3 range, so his time was equally remarkable.
Campbell's time won't greatly enhance his draft stock, as teams will rely more heavily on game film. But a team willing to take a chance on his athleticism and upside may decide to take a shot in the top 10. Williams, pigeon-holed as a pure strong-side tackle by some scouts, backed up his claim that he has the athleticism to be a blind-side protector in the NFL.
Campbell also has 36.5-inch arms and bench-pressed 225 pounds 34 times. Said one scout said, "He has the best body of anyone I've ever seen."
Of course, the question is whether he can block. Said NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock, "If there's a star so far in the combine, it's him. What he's going to have to overcome is the tape."
Campbell also has a disorder called Arnold-Chiari, in which some areas of the brain are formed abnormally. Campbell said he had surgery to minimize the problem in high school.
"My [combine] medical test went well," Campbell said. "I had surgery in high school that a lot of doctors kind of didn't have enough information on so they wanted me to get a lot of MRI testing and things like that. But I feel great."
Miami (Fla.) tight end Jimmy Graham ran a 4.56, according to NFL.com. Graham played only one season of football for the Hurricanes, but his basketball background intrigues scouts and his blistering 40 time could lift Graham as high as the second round.
The other 40 time of note was Trindon Holliday. The LSU receiver was the only prospect invited to the combine as a return specialist, so he ran a day before the other wide receivers in Indianapolis. NFL.com listed his time at 4.34, but various times had him between 4.32 and 4.38 -- any of which is the fastest at the event this year.
The 5-5, 161-pound Holliday fell on the other end of the spectrum in the 225-pound bench press, lifting the bar just 10 times -- far fewer than punters Robert Malone (19) and Zoltan Mesko (16). Among tight ends, Missouri State's Clay Harbor posted 30 reps, more than any tight end at the combine last season. The last tight end to top 30 was Dan Coats (34) in 2007.
It's important to understand what happens to get the 40 times at the combine:
• Those who participate in the 40 actually run twice, and on each run they are timed by two hand-held stopwatches and one electronic timer (that is actually initiated by hand on the player's first movement.
• Combine data put together for NFL teams by National Scouting includes all six of those times for each player, but no single official time.
Team scouts and coaches have various approaches for getting the 40 time they use from those six timings. Some use averages. Some throw out slowest and fastest and then average the rest. Some ignore the whole thing and use a time taken by their own scout.
However, beware any 40-yard time that is labeled as "official" from the combine. In deference to the players, NFLDraftScout.com uses the best verifiable -- or listed -- time from the combine unless it is conspicuously skewed from the other times, which happens when a hand timer has an itchy trigger finger on the stopwatch. However, the times are usually well grouped.
Bradford about '85 percent
Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford isn't throwing at the combine while he continues to rehabilitate his surgically repaired right shoulder. He said the shoulder is about 85 percent, and he won't be ready to participate at Oklahoma's March 9 pro day, so he'll hold a private workout March 25 (Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen is scheduled to work out April 9).
Bradford underwent surgery Oct. 28 performed by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., to repair the AC joint in his throwing shoulder.
"[Dr. Andrews] says I'm ahead of schedule right now, the velocity I'm putting on the ball, some of the throws I'm able to make right now," Bradford said. "I feel like with another month's work, by the time my pro day gets here, I'll be able to make all the throws I was able to make before, with probably some more arm strength I had before I got hurt."
Bradford is among four prospects, along with Clausen and defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska) and Gerald McCoy (Oklahoma), that St. Louis is believed to be considering with the No. 1 overall pick. The Rams said they want an independent doctor to look at Bradford's shoulder, in addition to Andrews and their own team doctor.
"Yeah, that's fine. I have nothing to hide. My shoulder's fine," Bradford said. "They can get whoever they want to look at it, and I don't think it's gonna change. I think they're gonna see it's strong, it's healthy and it's better than ever."
Bradford said he has put on about 12 pounds since he last played, and measured in at 236 pounds at the combine. One of the reasons he returned to Oklahoma last season was because of concerns voiced by scouts that Bradford's frame wouldn't hold up in the NFL.
"There were some questions about my weight last year," said Bradford. "People thought I was too small to come out. So I wanted to answer those questions this year, and it's something I put a lot of work into."
Texas' Colt McCoy is also not throwing at the combine as he recovers from the shoulder injury he suffered in the BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
"I'm way ahead of schedule," McCoy said. "Not that I can't get out there and throw, but we don't want to do anything that's going to set it back. But it's healing up great, I'm throwing every day. I'm on a strict routine, but I'm confident that everything is going well and I'll be 100 percent ready to go in a couple weeks."
McCoy's pro day is March 31 in Austin.
To compete or not compete
There have been numerous opinions expressed regarding players, especially quarterbacks, that aren't throwing at the combine. While Rams general manager Billy Devaney said he understands the thinking, others disagree.
Said Cleveland Browns president Mike Holmgren" "I've always wanted the quarterbacks to throw here. Anybody who's asked me, I've told them, 'Compete in the combine. Throw. Don't worry about it.' That message hasn't gotten across to enough of them, I don't think."
Vikings coach Brad Childress recalled the 1999 combine when Donovan McNabb was being evaluated by the Eagles, where Childress was then the quarterbacks coach. Childress believes a lot can be learned from the combine compared to the pro day.
"Most of the [quarterbacks] in that '99 draft, they worked out on the floor of the combine," Childress said. "You learn things when you're down on the floor working with them and watching them throw.
"[The quarterback] can say, 'Well, they're not my receivers.' But it's too choreographed at the pro day workout. I just think they need to go out there and compete. That's part of the deal. [You want to] watch them grit their teeth after they throw a bad one or throw one where they couldn't gauge a receiver, and see what they do with the next one. I think they do themselves a disservice by not teeing it up here."
Despite those sentiments, Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour is one uninjured quarterback not throwing ... to receivers.
He said, "I'll throw to receivers on my pro day (March 24). I'm throwing [at the combine]. I'm doing all the movements and the stationary targets. But with receivers, just being able to get into a rhythm, throw to guys that I'm used to, being able to work some of the under-center stuff a little bit more, you know I can put the best product out there on pro day."
Asked what teams will think, he said, "Well, hopefully when teams get to meet me, they see I don't have an attitude. I'm just trying to make a rational decision and do what's best for me."
Gilyard's long journey
Overcoming size issues to prove to scouts that he can be a legitimate threat in the NFL is hardly the biggest battle of Cincinnati wide receiver Mardy Gilyard's life.
Gilyard was stripped of his scholarship after being accused of cheating by a professor in 2006. He wound up living out of his car for a while, working four jobs to pay bills. He returned to the Cincinnati program in 2007, thrived in coach Brian Kelly's offense and is now considered a potential slot receiver at the next level at 6-0, 187 pounds.
Analysis
Pete Prisco
Forget the charade, Rams. Forget the defensive tackles. Bradford is the easy -- and only -- choice. More
Chad Reuter
The Rams and Lions have the top two picks, and could use McCoy and Suh on their porous defenses. More
Clark Judge
Who's the No. 3 QB behind Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen? The common answer is Colt McCoy. More
More combine coverage
Live Blog: Rang reports from combine
Judge: Clausen played with pain
Spagnuolo | Haley | Ryan | McClain
Reuter: What to watch for in Indy
SI.com: What teams look for in interviews
B/R: Wonderlic test QB score predictions
NFL Draft links
Prospect Ratings: Nebraska DT Suh leads pack
Mock Drafts: Rang | Reuter
Risers and Fallers: Reuter's players to watch
Community
NFL Collaborative Mock Draft 2010
"It took me from a kid that felt like he was full -- from a kid that felt like I was everything and anything to football in Cincinnati -- to someone that didn't have anything at all," Gilyard said of being kicked off the team. "I was homeless in the city. I lost my scholarship. I got evicted from my house. With that all in mind, I had to find faith and myself. I had to grow up. I was a real knucklehead kid. Arrogant, cocky, immature. I had to grow up, so that helped me out a lot. I wouldn't change it for nothing."
The No. 12-rated receiver by NFLDraftScout.com, Gilyard could hear his name called as early as the second round due to his return skills. He ranked seventh in the country with a 30.5-yard average on kick returns last season, including two touchdowns, and was 17th with a 12.63-yard punt return average.
"It just shows that I'm versatile and I'm not just a receiver that catches balls," Gilyard said. "I can also play outside. I can play in the slot and back slot. Just to add that element of kick return and punt return and knowing that I'm dangerous at both of them, too. Adds an extra plus to the game."
Next Elvis in the building?
Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham is trying to catch the attention of a team running a 3-4 defense in the first round. At 6-1 and 268 pounds, he knows he'll have to move from end to linebacker in the NFL.
It's a move that was made successfully by Denver's Elvis Dumervil, who led the NFL with 16 sacks last season, and Graham's former Michigan teammate and current Pittsburgh Steeler LaMarr Woodley.
"I look at myself as the next one," Graham said of Dumervil. He's 6-1, he's small. A lot of people didn't think he could do it. But believe whoever gets me is going to love me."
Graham said his transition to linebacker should be smooth because that's what he played until arriving at Michigan.
"I'm very comfortable because growing up I've been playing linebacker since I was 7 and I got to Michigan and played defensive end," said Graham. "So I knew, I always wanted to stand up, that was my dream, coming out playing linebacker. They moved me to D-line, I had to adjust. I think I'll fit straight-in as soon as I get back."
What they are asking
Players at the combine have to be prepared for anything when they sit down with teams for interviews. They usually get it.
Michigan punter Zoltan Mesko said, "The Atlanta Falcons special teams coach and the Pittsburgh special teams coaches, there was one other one I can't remember, sat me down and said, 'Tell us a joke.' I was like, 'Uhhh, I wasn't prepared for this.'
"I told this joke that was so bad and they were like, 'OK, let's just get your cell phone number and stuff for draft day.' It was two guys in a bar, one of those generic jokes. I stopped them and said, 'I have to apologize for that bad joke.' They were just looking at each other like, 'OK, let's move on.'"
The Buccaneers asked a bizarre question of Florida State safety Myron Rolle, who left school for the 2009 season for a Rhodes scholarship. They wanted to know how Rolle felt deserting his team.
Rolle said, "I hadn't heard that one before. My initial reaction was a bit of confusion. It never was anger, but I was more bothered by the question because if anyone knew my involvement with my teammates, how much they care about me and how much I care about them."
Quotebook
• "I don't think you can look at it that way. I mean, you take the pick that's best for the football team, and the support of the ownership takes care of that." -- Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo, on whether it's difficult to spend No. 1 overall money on a defensive tackle instead of a quarterback.
• "Obviously going home in Nebraska, it's a little more easier. But being down in McKinnie, Texas, 20 minutes outside of Dallas, people recognize you. That's kind of a little scary." -- Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh on the most surprising part of the draft process.
NFLDraftScout.com's Howard Balzer, Derek Harper and Rob Rang contributed to this report.