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Posted on Wed, Feb. 21, 2007
Is it a Manning or a Mamula?
By CHAREAN WILLIAMS
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
INDIANAPOLIS -- NFL scouts know exactly what they are looking for this week at the Scouting Combine: the next Drew Brees, the next Marvin Harrison, the next Marques Colston.
They also know exactly what they aren't looking for: the next Akili Smith, the next Mike Mamula, the next Maurice Clarett.
"We're just trying to get verification of what we see on tape," said Jeff Ireland, the Cowboys' vice president of college and pro scouting. "You want to know if the football ability equals the athletic ability. From a character side, sometimes this might be your first opportunity to sit down and visit with these kids and figure out what their makeup is.
"We're hoping to find answers to a lot of questions."
National Football Scouting invited 327 players to the NFL's version of a job fair, where prospects are weighed, measured, tested, drilled, interviewed, X-rayed and evaluated. NFL scouts have learned that they have to be careful about what they hear and see.
The list of so-called workout warriors is long, with Mamula heading the list. More than six years after Mamula's 77-game NFL career ended, his name serves as a warning for scouts.
"I think everybody is aware of the 'Mike Mamula Factor,'" said Gil Brandt, former Cowboys player personnel director.
In 1995, Mamula had one of the best size-speed-strength workouts in combine history. After preparing for the workout with Boston Bruins strength and conditioning coach Mike Boyle, the Boston College defensive end ran the 40-yard dash in 4.62 seconds, benched pressed 225 pounds 26 times, had a 38-inch vertical jump and broad jumped 10 feet, 5 inches. He also scored 33 out of 50 on the Wonderlic, a 12-minute, 50-question intelligence test.
The Philadelphia Eagles ignored concerns about his weight (6-5, 252 pounds) and traded with Tampa Bay to take Mamula at No. 7. (The Buccaneers selected Miami defensive tackle Warren Sapp with the Eagles' No. 12 pick.)
Mamula finished an undistinguished career with 209 tackles, 31.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles and an interception.
Bruce Pickens, Boss Bailey, Huey Richardson, Kyle Boller, Smith, Tebucky Jones, John Thierry and Tony Mandarich are others whose workout numbers were better than their NFL statistics.
"A lot of guys get in shape and work out great, but they're not very good football players," said C.O. Brocato, the Tennessee Titans' national coordinator of college scouting who lives in Arlington. "Some people get caught up in those numbers, and that can get you in trouble."
Teams go to the combine with a draft board in place. Some players, like Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson, a top prospect, likely can't hurt their status. For others, though, the combine will go a long way in determining where they are drafted.
For small-school players, including New Hampshire's David Ball, who broke Jerry Rice's Division I-AA record for career touchdown catches, the combine is a chance to make a first impression.
And some well-known names with questions in their scouting reports have a chance to improve their draft status with a good combine.
Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson, rated behind California's Marshawn Lynch on some draft boards, needs to show he can catch the ball and be an every-down back. Fresno State cornerback Marcus McCauley, rated as a first-round pick before last season, has a chance to make up for a poor senior season.
Ohio State receiver Ted Ginn Jr. won't run in Indianapolis, but he could use a good medical report on his injured left foot. Baylor punter Daniel Sepulveda, who tore his right anterior cruciate ligament a year ago, needs to show leg strength and the ability to kick directionally.
"[The combine] can reinforce impressions or can make you question your evaluation a little bit," said Mike Mayock, a draft analyst for the NFL Network.
TOP PROSPECTS
Eight of the highest-rated players heading into the Scouting Combine:
Athlete Pos. School Ht. Wt.
Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech 6-4 228
Joe Thomas OT Wisconsin 6-7 310
JaMarcus Russell QB LSU 6-5 252
Adrian Peterson RB Oklahoma 6-2 218
Brady Quinn QB Notre Dame 6-4 228
Alan Branch DT Michigan 6-6 330
Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas 6-6 274
Gaines Adams DE Clemson 6-5 260
Charean Williams, 817-390-7760 cjwilliams@star-telegram.com
Is it a Manning or a Mamula?
By CHAREAN WILLIAMS
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
INDIANAPOLIS -- NFL scouts know exactly what they are looking for this week at the Scouting Combine: the next Drew Brees, the next Marvin Harrison, the next Marques Colston.
They also know exactly what they aren't looking for: the next Akili Smith, the next Mike Mamula, the next Maurice Clarett.
"We're just trying to get verification of what we see on tape," said Jeff Ireland, the Cowboys' vice president of college and pro scouting. "You want to know if the football ability equals the athletic ability. From a character side, sometimes this might be your first opportunity to sit down and visit with these kids and figure out what their makeup is.
"We're hoping to find answers to a lot of questions."
National Football Scouting invited 327 players to the NFL's version of a job fair, where prospects are weighed, measured, tested, drilled, interviewed, X-rayed and evaluated. NFL scouts have learned that they have to be careful about what they hear and see.
The list of so-called workout warriors is long, with Mamula heading the list. More than six years after Mamula's 77-game NFL career ended, his name serves as a warning for scouts.
"I think everybody is aware of the 'Mike Mamula Factor,'" said Gil Brandt, former Cowboys player personnel director.
In 1995, Mamula had one of the best size-speed-strength workouts in combine history. After preparing for the workout with Boston Bruins strength and conditioning coach Mike Boyle, the Boston College defensive end ran the 40-yard dash in 4.62 seconds, benched pressed 225 pounds 26 times, had a 38-inch vertical jump and broad jumped 10 feet, 5 inches. He also scored 33 out of 50 on the Wonderlic, a 12-minute, 50-question intelligence test.
The Philadelphia Eagles ignored concerns about his weight (6-5, 252 pounds) and traded with Tampa Bay to take Mamula at No. 7. (The Buccaneers selected Miami defensive tackle Warren Sapp with the Eagles' No. 12 pick.)
Mamula finished an undistinguished career with 209 tackles, 31.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles and an interception.
Bruce Pickens, Boss Bailey, Huey Richardson, Kyle Boller, Smith, Tebucky Jones, John Thierry and Tony Mandarich are others whose workout numbers were better than their NFL statistics.
"A lot of guys get in shape and work out great, but they're not very good football players," said C.O. Brocato, the Tennessee Titans' national coordinator of college scouting who lives in Arlington. "Some people get caught up in those numbers, and that can get you in trouble."
Teams go to the combine with a draft board in place. Some players, like Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson, a top prospect, likely can't hurt their status. For others, though, the combine will go a long way in determining where they are drafted.
For small-school players, including New Hampshire's David Ball, who broke Jerry Rice's Division I-AA record for career touchdown catches, the combine is a chance to make a first impression.
And some well-known names with questions in their scouting reports have a chance to improve their draft status with a good combine.
Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson, rated behind California's Marshawn Lynch on some draft boards, needs to show he can catch the ball and be an every-down back. Fresno State cornerback Marcus McCauley, rated as a first-round pick before last season, has a chance to make up for a poor senior season.
Ohio State receiver Ted Ginn Jr. won't run in Indianapolis, but he could use a good medical report on his injured left foot. Baylor punter Daniel Sepulveda, who tore his right anterior cruciate ligament a year ago, needs to show leg strength and the ability to kick directionally.
"[The combine] can reinforce impressions or can make you question your evaluation a little bit," said Mike Mayock, a draft analyst for the NFL Network.
TOP PROSPECTS
Eight of the highest-rated players heading into the Scouting Combine:
Athlete Pos. School Ht. Wt.
Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech 6-4 228
Joe Thomas OT Wisconsin 6-7 310
JaMarcus Russell QB LSU 6-5 252
Adrian Peterson RB Oklahoma 6-2 218
Brady Quinn QB Notre Dame 6-4 228
Alan Branch DT Michigan 6-6 330
Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas 6-6 274
Gaines Adams DE Clemson 6-5 260
Charean Williams, 817-390-7760 cjwilliams@star-telegram.com