per Todd McShay...
Oklahoma WR Malcolm Kelly's much-publicized individual workout in Norman on Wednesday did not go as planned. Kelly was told 30 minutes prior to the workout that he would be running the 40-yard dash outdoors on Field Turf rather than the harder, faster surface he has trained on in Atlanta and Norman since being cleared by doctors just three weeks ago. While it caught Kelly off-guard, scouts understandably wanted Kelly to run on the same surface his Sooners teammates ran on during Oklahoma's pro day last month.
By the time the confusion was cleared up and Kelly finished changing his running shoes he had almost no time to stretch, and his first attempt came in at a disappointing disappointing 4.69 seconds. While his second attempt was a bit faster -- one scout I spoke with timed him at 4.61 and another at 4.68 -- it still left much to be desired.
The rest of Kelly's workout, however, was outstanding. He measured at 6-foot-3⅞ and 227 pounds, ran 7.02 seconds in the three-cone drill and posted a 4.21 in the short shuttle. Indiana's James Hardy was the only receiver at the combine who was 6-2 or taller and had a faster short shuttle. Kelly's position-specific drills were also a success as he ran crisp routes and caught the ball naturally from former Nebraska QB and Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch.
While his 40 time will undoubtedly be scrutinized publicly, the overall workout shouldn't hurt Kelly's draft stock much. Some teams have downgraded him due to durability concerns, but those considering him in the first round have the option of working him out again during private visits over the next couple of weeks. Kelly flew to Cincinnati as planned for a workout with the Bengals on Thursday and also has private visits scheduled with the Vikings, Steelers, 49ers, Commanders and
Cowboys over the following eight days.
As far as I'm concerned Kelly remains a mid-to-late first round prospect and should be among the top three receivers selected. However, it's safe to say Michigan State's Devin Thomas will benefit most from Kelly's unfortunate showing.
• Kelly wasn't the only player on display in Norman as DBs Reggie Smith and Marcus Walker and TE Joe Jon Finley also worked out for the large contingent of scouts. Like Kelly, Smith ran a pair of disappointing 40 times (4.63 and 4.66) but aced the remainder of the drills. He posted especially impressive marks in the vertical jump (39 inches), broad jump (10-foot-9), short shuttle (4.06) and three-cone (6.72). In my opinion, Smith is an underrated talent with the size, athleticism and versatility to warrant second-round consideration.
Finley, who was at full strength following a right hamstring injury suffered early in the East-West Shrine game, ran a top 40 time of 4.85 seconds in the 40-yard dash and notched some solid times in the short shuttle (4.18) and three-cone drill (7.14). Walker ran a pair of 40s in the 4.6-second range but leapt 37 inches in the vertical and recorded fast times in the short shuttle (4.13) and three-cone drill (6.94). Finley and Walker both project as a mid-to-late round picks.
Todd McShay is the director of college football scouting for Scouts Inc. He has been evaluating prospects for the NFL draft since 1998.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft08/insider/columns/story?columnist=mcshay_todd&id=3339588
Wasn't very impressed with this interview.