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Texas pro day exclusive: WR Limas Sweed
March 20, 2008 10:27 AM
The wide receiver position in this draft is still a crapshoot. We're still waiting for Oklahoma's Malcolm Kelly to hold a workout (April 9 in Norman), and some teams remain concerned about Texas receiver Limas Sweed's wrist injury that sidelined him for much of last season.
Last night, I visited with a couple of scouts who attended Sweed's pro day workout in Austin on Wednesday. The crowd was a little down this year because of floods in Dallas, where a lot of scouts have to change planes.
Here's what one veteran AFC scout had to say after watching Sweed, who ran anywhere from a 4.40 to a 4.54 in the 40-yard dash. I noticed the local newspaper in Austin reported a 4.40, but the scout I talked to had him at 4.51. Sweed also had a 37 1/2 vertical leap and a 10' 8" broad jump.
Update: Bill Barnwell of Football Outsiders fame just informed me that the average 40-yard dash time for players 6-4 or over at the combine is 4.61. That obviously means Sweed had a pretty strong day on UT's indoor track.
March 20, 2008 10:27 AM
The wide receiver position in this draft is still a crapshoot. We're still waiting for Oklahoma's Malcolm Kelly to hold a workout (April 9 in Norman), and some teams remain concerned about Texas receiver Limas Sweed's wrist injury that sidelined him for much of last season.
Last night, I visited with a couple of scouts who attended Sweed's pro day workout in Austin on Wednesday. The crowd was a little down this year because of floods in Dallas, where a lot of scouts have to change planes.
Here's what one veteran AFC scout had to say after watching Sweed, who ran anywhere from a 4.40 to a 4.54 in the 40-yard dash. I noticed the local newspaper in Austin reported a 4.40, but the scout I talked to had him at 4.51. Sweed also had a 37 1/2 vertical leap and a 10' 8" broad jump.
"That's not a bad time at all for a big guy like him (6-4, 215). He has that type of extra gear to go get it, and that's one of the things I really like about him. He needs to become a better route runner.
OK, I'm going to sound like I'm contradicting myself, but I'm really not. He's a good receiver in traffic, but he's not good at making contested catches. He simply doesn't use his body to shield the ball properly. The wrist injury happened in practice before the season, and he was never quite the same. I honestly don't think the injury is going to be an issue, though. They'll bring him in for the combine re-check next week and check it out.
OK, I'm going to sound like I'm contradicting myself, but I'm really not. He's a good receiver in traffic, but he's not good at making contested catches. He simply doesn't use his body to shield the ball properly. The wrist injury happened in practice before the season, and he was never quite the same. I honestly don't think the injury is going to be an issue, though. They'll bring him in for the combine re-check next week and check it out.
Honestly, I don't have any receivers in the top 10 this year. No one will get taken until the bottom third unless someone's reaching. Personally, I'd rather have Sweed than Kelly."
Later today our panel of experts will handicap the receivers who are projected to go in the first round. As many of you know, it's not a long list.
Update: Bill Barnwell of Football Outsiders fame just informed me that the average 40-yard dash time for players 6-4 or over at the combine is 4.61. That obviously means Sweed had a pretty strong day on UT's indoor track.
