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NFL scouting combine review
07:56 PM CST on Saturday, March 4, 2006
By RICK GOSSELIN/STAFF WRITER
GOING UP
Five on the rise coming out of the combine:
1. Manny Lawson, OLB, N.C. State
Lawson played weakside end for the Wolfpack and was voted the team's best defensive lineman each of the last two seasons. That's no small feat with Mario Williams playing the other end. Lawson is undersized for an end at 241 pounds – but at 6-5 he's exactly what the NFL wants in a 3-4 outside linebacker.
2. Offensive line
There appear to be six tackles worthy of first- round consideration: D'Brickashaw Ferguson of Virginia, Winston Justice of Southern California, Jonathan Scott of Texas, Jeremy Trueblood of Boston College, Eric Winston of Miami (Fla.) and Ryan O'Callaghan of Cal.
3. Jeremy Bloom, WR, Colorado
Reggie Bush and a handful of other top prospects dished up excuses for not feeling ready to run a 40-yard dash. How much time do you think Jeremy Bloom spent preparing to run a 40 in Turin, Italy? Less than three days after returning from the Olympics, he ran a 4.54. A superb kick returner in college who hasn't played in two years because of his skiing, Bloom wowed teams with his charismatic personality.
4. FieldTurf
For years prospects were intimidated by the slow surface at the RCA Dome, fearing that a disappointing 40 time would send their stock plummeting. But the Colts installed a faster surface in 2004, and times have been light- ning fast since. Twelve prospects ran under 4.40 at this combine, topped by the 4.30 of Clemson CB Tye Hill.
5. Chad Jackson, WR, Florida
Ohio State's Santonio Holmes was the top receiver on draft boards heading into the combine. But he opted not to run – and Jackson shot past him at wideout after a 4.32 40. Jackson also is bigger (6-1, 213) than Holmes (5-10, 188). Holmes will have to run in the 4.2s during his campus workout to get back in the hunt for the top spot at his position.
GOING DOWN
Five on the fall coming out of the combine:
1. Wide receivers
These are supposed to be the game-breakers in NFL offenses – but only six of the 39 wideouts at the combine were able to crack 4.45 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Receivers flooded the top of drafts in recent years. There were three selected in the top 10 in 2005, four in the top 15 in 2004 and two in the top three in 2003. But there may not be a wide receiver taken in the top 20 of this draft.
2. Vince Young, QB, Texas
Young arrived expecting to be a top-three pick. He passed up a chance to work out for all the general managers, head coaches and talent evaluators assembled, so questions about his throwing motion and ability to operate under center remained unanswered. In the meantime, Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler – a potential top-10 pick himself – did work out and did impress the men who build draft boards.
3. Kickers
There were only 11 kickers and punters at the combine, and only one kicker – Josh Huston of Ohio State – managed to put one kickoff into the end zone. A kicker and a punter have been drafted in the first day of each of the last two drafts. There likely will not be a first-day kicker in 2006, and it may not be until the sixth or seventh round that the first kicker is selected.
4. Brian Calhoun, HB, Wisconsin
Calhoun was bigger on the stat sheet than in stature in the Big Ten. He finished sixth in the NCAA in rushing last season with 1,636 yards. But he's only 5-9, 201, and he ran a 4.62 at the combine. Small backs must be fast backs to survive in the NFL.
5. Wonderlic testers
Look for fallout from the Vince Young debacle. I wouldn't want to be the NFL representative who administered and graded Young's test. Only one set of eyes had access to the leaked results.
THE DRAFT BOARD
Reggie Bush overcame stiff competition from a couple of quarterbacks – teammate Matt Leinart of Southern California and Vince Young of Texas – to win the 2005 Heisman Trophy. Bush again finds himself ahead of those quarterbacks for an even bigger prize: first overall selection of the 2006 NFL draft. Houston will pick No. 1, and the Texans already have a young quarterback in place in David Carr. The Texans need playmakers for the league's 30th-ranked offense, and there are none better in this draft than Bush. The 10 players at the top of the draft board coming out of the scouting combine:
1. Reggie Bush, HB, Southern Cal
Bush looks to become the first running back to go No. 1 overall since Cincinnati took Penn State's Ki-Jana Carter in 1995. But few runners have had Bush's credentials since then – a Heisman Trophy, a 7.3-yard career rushing average and dynamic abilities as a kick returner. His two 2,000-yard seasons in all-purpose yardage tied an NCAA record.
2. Mario Williams, DE, North Carolina State
Mario Williams may follow in the footsteps of Julius Peppers. Carolina's Julius Peppers is the prototype at the strongside end position in today's NFL. Williams is a bigger Peppers. He's 6-7, 295 pounds and ran a 4.66 40-yard dash at the combine. Williams set school records for sacks in a season (13 in 2005) and tackles for losses in a career (51 ½ ). Size, speed and productivity are a tough combination to beat on draft day.
3. A.J. Hawk, OLB, Ohio State
A.J. Hawk impressed with his physical skills and personality. The Buckeyes have a knack for producing legends in cleats at linebacker: Randy Gradishar, Chris Spielman and now Hawk, who was a three-year starter, three-time All-Big Ten, two-time All-American and two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. He also came across as a dynamic personality in his interviews. The team that selects him will get a natural leader. Hawk also goes 6-1, 248, and he runs a 4.59-second 40-yard dash.
4. D'Brickashaw Ferguson, OT, Virginia
In a superb tackle class, Ferguson stood apart from his peers. Physically imposing, he's 6-6, 312 pounds, and he has the longest arms in this draft class at 35 ½ inches. Those attributes will allow him to steer rushers in pass protection. Also, he treated the combine for what it was – a job interview – and he visited with teams wearing a suit and tie. Talk about a powerful first impression.
5. Matt Leinart, QB, Southern Cal
If Leinart had left school after winning a national championship and Heisman Trophy in 2004, he probably would have been the first overall pick of the 2005 draft. He stayed, and failed to secure either accomplishment. But he's far more prepared for the NFL now and is the only quarterback in this class viewed as a walk-in starter. He won 37 of his 39 career starts at USC, passing for 10,683 yards and 99 touchdowns.
6. Vernon Davis, TE, Maryland
Maybe the most impressive physical specimen on the draft board. Davis ran a 4.38 40-yard dash – the fastest time ever for a tight end at the combine. He's 6-3, 254 pounds and capable of stretching defenses. He averaged 17.1 yards per catch last season and 16.5 yards in his career. He's a Shannon Sharpe-type: a player a team can line up at tight end, on the flank or send in motion.
7. Michael Huff, CB Texas
Teams may see Michael Huff at cornerback because of his speed. Every team in the NFL is searching for coverage safeties, and Huff is the best on this draft board. But he probably will be drafted as a cornerback because he is a unique physical package. Huff goes 6-0, 204 pounds, and some NFL teams clocked him in the mid-4.3s in his 40-yard dash. He was a four-year starter at Texas and winner of the Thorpe Award as college football's best defensive back in 2005.
8. Laurence Maroney, HB, Minnesota
In an undersized running back class, Maroney stands out because he has the size to be an every-down player at 5-11, 217. Southern Cal's LenDale White is the only other elite back on this draft board who fits the NFL size prototype. That fact will drive both players up the board. Maroney is the only player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons. He left Minnesota a year early as the school's No. 2 all-time rusher with 3,933yards.
9. Jay Cutler, QB, Vanderbilt
The fastest riser on the draft board. He projected as a second-day draft pick heading into the 2005 season. But when you win SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors, you get the NFL's attention. Cutler threw for 3,073 yards, 21 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. He ran a 4.79-second 40 at the combine and, although it's not required, he was the one of only two quarterbacks to bench press. He lifted 225 pounds 23 times, which topped 13 offensive linemen there.
10. Vince Young, QB, Texas
The Wonderlic flap certainly hasn't helped Young. But by not working out at the combine, he let Cutler slip past him on the draft board. The NFL is less concerned about his Wonderlic score than his ability to take snaps from under center. Young was a shotgun quarterback at Texas, and he'll have to view the field from a different vantage point in the NFL. A solid campus workout March 22 would point his arrow back up.
07:56 PM CST on Saturday, March 4, 2006
By RICK GOSSELIN/STAFF WRITER
GOING UP
Five on the rise coming out of the combine:
1. Manny Lawson, OLB, N.C. State
Lawson played weakside end for the Wolfpack and was voted the team's best defensive lineman each of the last two seasons. That's no small feat with Mario Williams playing the other end. Lawson is undersized for an end at 241 pounds – but at 6-5 he's exactly what the NFL wants in a 3-4 outside linebacker.
2. Offensive line
There appear to be six tackles worthy of first- round consideration: D'Brickashaw Ferguson of Virginia, Winston Justice of Southern California, Jonathan Scott of Texas, Jeremy Trueblood of Boston College, Eric Winston of Miami (Fla.) and Ryan O'Callaghan of Cal.
3. Jeremy Bloom, WR, Colorado
Reggie Bush and a handful of other top prospects dished up excuses for not feeling ready to run a 40-yard dash. How much time do you think Jeremy Bloom spent preparing to run a 40 in Turin, Italy? Less than three days after returning from the Olympics, he ran a 4.54. A superb kick returner in college who hasn't played in two years because of his skiing, Bloom wowed teams with his charismatic personality.
4. FieldTurf
For years prospects were intimidated by the slow surface at the RCA Dome, fearing that a disappointing 40 time would send their stock plummeting. But the Colts installed a faster surface in 2004, and times have been light- ning fast since. Twelve prospects ran under 4.40 at this combine, topped by the 4.30 of Clemson CB Tye Hill.
5. Chad Jackson, WR, Florida
Ohio State's Santonio Holmes was the top receiver on draft boards heading into the combine. But he opted not to run – and Jackson shot past him at wideout after a 4.32 40. Jackson also is bigger (6-1, 213) than Holmes (5-10, 188). Holmes will have to run in the 4.2s during his campus workout to get back in the hunt for the top spot at his position.
GOING DOWN
Five on the fall coming out of the combine:
1. Wide receivers
These are supposed to be the game-breakers in NFL offenses – but only six of the 39 wideouts at the combine were able to crack 4.45 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Receivers flooded the top of drafts in recent years. There were three selected in the top 10 in 2005, four in the top 15 in 2004 and two in the top three in 2003. But there may not be a wide receiver taken in the top 20 of this draft.
2. Vince Young, QB, Texas
Young arrived expecting to be a top-three pick. He passed up a chance to work out for all the general managers, head coaches and talent evaluators assembled, so questions about his throwing motion and ability to operate under center remained unanswered. In the meantime, Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler – a potential top-10 pick himself – did work out and did impress the men who build draft boards.
3. Kickers
There were only 11 kickers and punters at the combine, and only one kicker – Josh Huston of Ohio State – managed to put one kickoff into the end zone. A kicker and a punter have been drafted in the first day of each of the last two drafts. There likely will not be a first-day kicker in 2006, and it may not be until the sixth or seventh round that the first kicker is selected.
4. Brian Calhoun, HB, Wisconsin
Calhoun was bigger on the stat sheet than in stature in the Big Ten. He finished sixth in the NCAA in rushing last season with 1,636 yards. But he's only 5-9, 201, and he ran a 4.62 at the combine. Small backs must be fast backs to survive in the NFL.
5. Wonderlic testers
Look for fallout from the Vince Young debacle. I wouldn't want to be the NFL representative who administered and graded Young's test. Only one set of eyes had access to the leaked results.
THE DRAFT BOARD
Reggie Bush overcame stiff competition from a couple of quarterbacks – teammate Matt Leinart of Southern California and Vince Young of Texas – to win the 2005 Heisman Trophy. Bush again finds himself ahead of those quarterbacks for an even bigger prize: first overall selection of the 2006 NFL draft. Houston will pick No. 1, and the Texans already have a young quarterback in place in David Carr. The Texans need playmakers for the league's 30th-ranked offense, and there are none better in this draft than Bush. The 10 players at the top of the draft board coming out of the scouting combine:
1. Reggie Bush, HB, Southern Cal
Bush looks to become the first running back to go No. 1 overall since Cincinnati took Penn State's Ki-Jana Carter in 1995. But few runners have had Bush's credentials since then – a Heisman Trophy, a 7.3-yard career rushing average and dynamic abilities as a kick returner. His two 2,000-yard seasons in all-purpose yardage tied an NCAA record.
2. Mario Williams, DE, North Carolina State
Mario Williams may follow in the footsteps of Julius Peppers. Carolina's Julius Peppers is the prototype at the strongside end position in today's NFL. Williams is a bigger Peppers. He's 6-7, 295 pounds and ran a 4.66 40-yard dash at the combine. Williams set school records for sacks in a season (13 in 2005) and tackles for losses in a career (51 ½ ). Size, speed and productivity are a tough combination to beat on draft day.
3. A.J. Hawk, OLB, Ohio State
A.J. Hawk impressed with his physical skills and personality. The Buckeyes have a knack for producing legends in cleats at linebacker: Randy Gradishar, Chris Spielman and now Hawk, who was a three-year starter, three-time All-Big Ten, two-time All-American and two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. He also came across as a dynamic personality in his interviews. The team that selects him will get a natural leader. Hawk also goes 6-1, 248, and he runs a 4.59-second 40-yard dash.
4. D'Brickashaw Ferguson, OT, Virginia
In a superb tackle class, Ferguson stood apart from his peers. Physically imposing, he's 6-6, 312 pounds, and he has the longest arms in this draft class at 35 ½ inches. Those attributes will allow him to steer rushers in pass protection. Also, he treated the combine for what it was – a job interview – and he visited with teams wearing a suit and tie. Talk about a powerful first impression.
5. Matt Leinart, QB, Southern Cal
If Leinart had left school after winning a national championship and Heisman Trophy in 2004, he probably would have been the first overall pick of the 2005 draft. He stayed, and failed to secure either accomplishment. But he's far more prepared for the NFL now and is the only quarterback in this class viewed as a walk-in starter. He won 37 of his 39 career starts at USC, passing for 10,683 yards and 99 touchdowns.
6. Vernon Davis, TE, Maryland
Maybe the most impressive physical specimen on the draft board. Davis ran a 4.38 40-yard dash – the fastest time ever for a tight end at the combine. He's 6-3, 254 pounds and capable of stretching defenses. He averaged 17.1 yards per catch last season and 16.5 yards in his career. He's a Shannon Sharpe-type: a player a team can line up at tight end, on the flank or send in motion.
7. Michael Huff, CB Texas
Teams may see Michael Huff at cornerback because of his speed. Every team in the NFL is searching for coverage safeties, and Huff is the best on this draft board. But he probably will be drafted as a cornerback because he is a unique physical package. Huff goes 6-0, 204 pounds, and some NFL teams clocked him in the mid-4.3s in his 40-yard dash. He was a four-year starter at Texas and winner of the Thorpe Award as college football's best defensive back in 2005.
8. Laurence Maroney, HB, Minnesota
In an undersized running back class, Maroney stands out because he has the size to be an every-down player at 5-11, 217. Southern Cal's LenDale White is the only other elite back on this draft board who fits the NFL size prototype. That fact will drive both players up the board. Maroney is the only player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons. He left Minnesota a year early as the school's No. 2 all-time rusher with 3,933yards.
9. Jay Cutler, QB, Vanderbilt
The fastest riser on the draft board. He projected as a second-day draft pick heading into the 2005 season. But when you win SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors, you get the NFL's attention. Cutler threw for 3,073 yards, 21 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. He ran a 4.79-second 40 at the combine and, although it's not required, he was the one of only two quarterbacks to bench press. He lifted 225 pounds 23 times, which topped 13 offensive linemen there.
10. Vince Young, QB, Texas
The Wonderlic flap certainly hasn't helped Young. But by not working out at the combine, he let Cutler slip past him on the draft board. The NFL is less concerned about his Wonderlic score than his ability to take snaps from under center. Young was a shotgun quarterback at Texas, and he'll have to view the field from a different vantage point in the NFL. A solid campus workout March 22 would point his arrow back up.
