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http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/9281192
Some post-Combine thoughts -- offense Enjoy guys, remember we might be looking for a TE besides OT or OG, if we let Dan Campbell go.
[Gil Brandt] By Gil Brandt
NFL.com Senior Analyst
(March 3, 2006) -- After a week of talking with players and watching them being interviewed by the media throng, then watching the coaches put them through their paces in physical tests and positional drills at the NFL Scouting Combine, I hope to give you more insight as to what to expect on draft day.
Wide receiver
Unlike previous years, there won't be many receivers taken in the first round. We've seen six or seven in recent years, but there might be only one or two in 2006.
Florida's Chad Jackson had a great workout and helped himself a great deal. Other receivers who worked out and looked good were Arizona State's Derek Hagan, Sinorice Moss of Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma's Travis Wilson and New Mexico's Hank Baskett.
Tight ends
[Maryland's Vernon Davis impressed the scouts with his speed and explosiveness. ]
Maryland's Vernon Davis impressed the scouts with his speed and explosiveness.
This might be the best group in many years. They were big, fast and athletic.
Maryland's Vernon Davis was 6-3¼ and 254 pounds, and he ran the 40 in 4.37 seconds -- the fastest ever recorded for a tight end at the Combine.
Oregon's Tim Day, Colorado's Joe Klopfenstein, Georgia's Leonard Pope, Western Michigan's Tony Scheffler and Texas' David Thomas had good workouts. Tulsa's Garrett Mills and Auburn's Cooper Wallace caught the ball well.
Klopfenstein, Mills and Thomas all showed the ability to long snap, which should enhance their draft status.
Offensive linemen
Virginia's D'Brickashaw Ferguson did not work out. His height (6-6) and weight (312) and ability to play left tackle make him a top-10 pick, and maybe even top five if he has a great workout March 21 at Virginia.
[LSU's Andrew Whitworth was the best leaper in his group. ]
LSU's Andrew Whitworth was the best leaper in his group.
Eric Winston of Miami (Fla.), had a great workout and made lots of money. Players like Boise State's Daryn Colledge, Ohio State's Eric Mangold, Oklahoma's Chris Chester, Texas' Jonathan Scott, Washington's Joe Toledo and LSU's Andrew Whitworth worked out well.
Only three of the 50 offensive linemen weighed less than 300 pounds; 10 of them were over 330. Twenty-one of them were at least 6 feet 5.
This was a very impressive group of players. All but nine worked out, and four of those nine were medically excused.
Two of the linemen played high school football in Alaska, where the season ends in mid-October and where some schools are so isolated from each other that their teams routinely fly to games. I think Colledge (North Pole) and North Dakota's Chris Kuper (Anchorage) have a chance to play in the NFL next season.
Quarterbacks
A special mention to three participants who came early and stayed late -- Texas State's Barrick Nealy, Boston College's Quinton Porter and Central Michigan's Kent Smith. They threw passes to linebackers and defensive backs, in addition to throwing to tight ends, wide receivers and running backs. Obviously, they can throw harder than the coaches running the drills, and this helps the coaches and scouts evaluate the defensive players' abilities to catch the ball.
[Paul Pinegar is striving to be the next Fresno State quarterback in the NFL. ]
Paul Pinegar is striving to be the next Fresno State quarterback in the NFL.
Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler was the only blue-chip quarterback who worked out. Matt Leinart was ill and Vince Young chose to put off working out until his Pro Day on March 22. (NFL Network will cover Texas' Pro Day for the third consecutive year.)
Oregon's Kellen Clemens (who did not run because of an injury), Alabama's Brodie Croyle, Toledo's Bruce Gradowski, Texas A&M's Reggie McNeal, Fresno State's Paul Pinegar and Clemson's Charlie Whitehurst all did some good things during the workout.
Penn State's Michael Robinson and Missouri's Brad Smith will be under close inspection at their Pro Days and other workouts to see which position will suit them best in the NFL.
Running backs
[Jerious Norwood made a name for himself with an impressive all-around performance. ]
Jerious Norwood made a name for himself with an impressive all-around performance.
We will not have three drafted in the first five picks like we did last year, but this is a strong group.
The first four selected likely will be Southern California's Reggie Bush, Minnesota's Laurence Maroney, Southern California's LenDale White and Memphis' DeAngelo Williams.
LSU's Joseph Addai, Wisconsin's Brian Calhoun, UCLA's Maurice Drew, Washington State's Jerome Harrison, Fresno State's Wendell Mathis and Florida State's Leon Washington are players who did some good things. They should be able to help an NFL team in the future.
Addai ran the fastest 40 of this group (4.37), and at 5-11¼ and 214 pounds. Mississippi State's Jerious Norwood ran 4.40 and looked good catching the ball.
Network watcher
On March 1, a day after the Combine wrapped up, I received a call from Birdie King. Her son is Texas cornerback Michael Huff, and after watching the Combine workouts, she wanted to know what I thought of her son's performance. My answer was, "Your son made a lot of money with his outstanding workout." (Ms. King's stepson is Marcus King, who played cornerback at Missouri and also has a chance to be drafted this year).
Iowa linebacker A.J. Hawk ran his 40s in 4.59 and 4.60. That's outstanding for someone who weighs 248 pounds. He also was outstanding in all of his position drills. However, he feels he can run in the low 4.5s, and said he will run the 40 again at Ohio State's Pro Day. This tells you why Hawk is such a great player. No matter how well he does, he is never satisfied with his performance.
[Team News]
[Related]
? Brandt: Combine was rousing success
? Brandt's pre-Combine rankings: Offense
Some post-Combine thoughts -- offense Enjoy guys, remember we might be looking for a TE besides OT or OG, if we let Dan Campbell go.
[Gil Brandt] By Gil Brandt
NFL.com Senior Analyst
(March 3, 2006) -- After a week of talking with players and watching them being interviewed by the media throng, then watching the coaches put them through their paces in physical tests and positional drills at the NFL Scouting Combine, I hope to give you more insight as to what to expect on draft day.
Wide receiver
Unlike previous years, there won't be many receivers taken in the first round. We've seen six or seven in recent years, but there might be only one or two in 2006.
Florida's Chad Jackson had a great workout and helped himself a great deal. Other receivers who worked out and looked good were Arizona State's Derek Hagan, Sinorice Moss of Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma's Travis Wilson and New Mexico's Hank Baskett.
Tight ends
[Maryland's Vernon Davis impressed the scouts with his speed and explosiveness. ]
Maryland's Vernon Davis impressed the scouts with his speed and explosiveness.
This might be the best group in many years. They were big, fast and athletic.
Maryland's Vernon Davis was 6-3¼ and 254 pounds, and he ran the 40 in 4.37 seconds -- the fastest ever recorded for a tight end at the Combine.
Oregon's Tim Day, Colorado's Joe Klopfenstein, Georgia's Leonard Pope, Western Michigan's Tony Scheffler and Texas' David Thomas had good workouts. Tulsa's Garrett Mills and Auburn's Cooper Wallace caught the ball well.
Klopfenstein, Mills and Thomas all showed the ability to long snap, which should enhance their draft status.
Offensive linemen
Virginia's D'Brickashaw Ferguson did not work out. His height (6-6) and weight (312) and ability to play left tackle make him a top-10 pick, and maybe even top five if he has a great workout March 21 at Virginia.
[LSU's Andrew Whitworth was the best leaper in his group. ]
LSU's Andrew Whitworth was the best leaper in his group.
Eric Winston of Miami (Fla.), had a great workout and made lots of money. Players like Boise State's Daryn Colledge, Ohio State's Eric Mangold, Oklahoma's Chris Chester, Texas' Jonathan Scott, Washington's Joe Toledo and LSU's Andrew Whitworth worked out well.
Only three of the 50 offensive linemen weighed less than 300 pounds; 10 of them were over 330. Twenty-one of them were at least 6 feet 5.
This was a very impressive group of players. All but nine worked out, and four of those nine were medically excused.
Two of the linemen played high school football in Alaska, where the season ends in mid-October and where some schools are so isolated from each other that their teams routinely fly to games. I think Colledge (North Pole) and North Dakota's Chris Kuper (Anchorage) have a chance to play in the NFL next season.
Quarterbacks
A special mention to three participants who came early and stayed late -- Texas State's Barrick Nealy, Boston College's Quinton Porter and Central Michigan's Kent Smith. They threw passes to linebackers and defensive backs, in addition to throwing to tight ends, wide receivers and running backs. Obviously, they can throw harder than the coaches running the drills, and this helps the coaches and scouts evaluate the defensive players' abilities to catch the ball.
[Paul Pinegar is striving to be the next Fresno State quarterback in the NFL. ]
Paul Pinegar is striving to be the next Fresno State quarterback in the NFL.
Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler was the only blue-chip quarterback who worked out. Matt Leinart was ill and Vince Young chose to put off working out until his Pro Day on March 22. (NFL Network will cover Texas' Pro Day for the third consecutive year.)
Oregon's Kellen Clemens (who did not run because of an injury), Alabama's Brodie Croyle, Toledo's Bruce Gradowski, Texas A&M's Reggie McNeal, Fresno State's Paul Pinegar and Clemson's Charlie Whitehurst all did some good things during the workout.
Penn State's Michael Robinson and Missouri's Brad Smith will be under close inspection at their Pro Days and other workouts to see which position will suit them best in the NFL.
Running backs
[Jerious Norwood made a name for himself with an impressive all-around performance. ]
Jerious Norwood made a name for himself with an impressive all-around performance.
We will not have three drafted in the first five picks like we did last year, but this is a strong group.
The first four selected likely will be Southern California's Reggie Bush, Minnesota's Laurence Maroney, Southern California's LenDale White and Memphis' DeAngelo Williams.
LSU's Joseph Addai, Wisconsin's Brian Calhoun, UCLA's Maurice Drew, Washington State's Jerome Harrison, Fresno State's Wendell Mathis and Florida State's Leon Washington are players who did some good things. They should be able to help an NFL team in the future.
Addai ran the fastest 40 of this group (4.37), and at 5-11¼ and 214 pounds. Mississippi State's Jerious Norwood ran 4.40 and looked good catching the ball.
Network watcher
On March 1, a day after the Combine wrapped up, I received a call from Birdie King. Her son is Texas cornerback Michael Huff, and after watching the Combine workouts, she wanted to know what I thought of her son's performance. My answer was, "Your son made a lot of money with his outstanding workout." (Ms. King's stepson is Marcus King, who played cornerback at Missouri and also has a chance to be drafted this year).
Iowa linebacker A.J. Hawk ran his 40s in 4.59 and 4.60. That's outstanding for someone who weighs 248 pounds. He also was outstanding in all of his position drills. However, he feels he can run in the low 4.5s, and said he will run the 40 again at Ohio State's Pro Day. This tells you why Hawk is such a great player. No matter how well he does, he is never satisfied with his performance.
[Team News]
[Related]
? Brandt: Combine was rousing success
? Brandt's pre-Combine rankings: Offense
