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Questions continue to swirl around USC's Taylor Mays
For USC safety Taylor Mays, the questions just keep coming. How fast did he really run? Is his NFL draft stock rising or falling? Is he a sure-fire prospect with stunning athleticism or a risky player lacking in football instincts?
The former O'Dea High star had an interesting day Tuesday at the NFL Combine, where his 40-yard dash time initially was reported at an eye-popping 4.24 seconds on the NFL Network.
That would equal the combine record run by current Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson, an unbelievable accomplishment for a 6-foot-3 safety who weighs 231 pounds.
Here's video of Mays' sprint at Tuesday's combine workout:
Turns out it was too good to be true as combine officials announced his "official" time at 4.43. Still mighty fast, just not off the charts. Fellow safety Eric Berry ran an official 4.47.
And while Berry isn't nearly as big as Mays, he's regarded as a more instinctive player with better ball skills and, thus, a sure-fire top 10 pick for a team looking for the next Ed Reed.
Mays is tougher to project and opinions are mixed. Tony Pauline, writing for sportsillustrated.com, says Mays disappointed with his on-field performance at the combine.
"During drills, Mays was in poor form. As fast as he was moving forwards, Mays was terribly slow moving in reverse. It was similar to his performance at the Senior Bowl in January. Mays looked uncomfortable backpedaling during drills and one scout called his defensive back fundamentals "just bad." When asked to change direction, Mays would come to a complete stop then start up again. The contrast between Mays and players such as Earl Thomas and T.J. Ward, who lost little momentum changing direction, was striking."
On the flip side, Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post says his sources indicate some teams -- including the San Francisco 49ers -- are very intrigued by Mays and that he's a legitimate Top 10 prospect.
Pete Carroll has said all along that jaws would drop among NFL scouts when they saw Mays work out and with his swift 40-yard dash time and 24 bench-press reps of 225 pounds, he certainly did that.
What will that mean when the first round of the draft plays out on April 22? At this point, that remains one of the biggest question marks facing numerous teams.
The Seahawks have an interesting advantage in all this, given Carroll knows Mays' strengths and weaknesses better than anyone as his coach the past four years.
This is a topic we previously discussed with NFL draft expert Rob Rang, who feels Berry is the only safety worth discussing with one of Seattle's top picks, given the team's numerous other needs.
I agree with Rang on this one. I don't see the Seahawks picking Mays, but it will be intriguing to see where he does wind up and whether his unquestionable physical talents convert to stardom at the NFL level.
SeahawksHawksNFLfootballcoachteamstatisticsgamesSeattle
« Could Pierre-Paul backflip his way into Seahawks' sights? | Main
Questions continue to swirl around USC's Taylor Mays
For USC safety Taylor Mays, the questions just keep coming. How fast did he really run? Is his NFL draft stock rising or falling? Is he a sure-fire prospect with stunning athleticism or a risky player lacking in football instincts?
The former O'Dea High star had an interesting day Tuesday at the NFL Combine, where his 40-yard dash time initially was reported at an eye-popping 4.24 seconds on the NFL Network.
That would equal the combine record run by current Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson, an unbelievable accomplishment for a 6-foot-3 safety who weighs 231 pounds.
Here's video of Mays' sprint at Tuesday's combine workout:
Turns out it was too good to be true as combine officials announced his "official" time at 4.43. Still mighty fast, just not off the charts. Fellow safety Eric Berry ran an official 4.47.
And while Berry isn't nearly as big as Mays, he's regarded as a more instinctive player with better ball skills and, thus, a sure-fire top 10 pick for a team looking for the next Ed Reed.
Mays is tougher to project and opinions are mixed. Tony Pauline, writing for sportsillustrated.com, says Mays disappointed with his on-field performance at the combine.
"During drills, Mays was in poor form. As fast as he was moving forwards, Mays was terribly slow moving in reverse. It was similar to his performance at the Senior Bowl in January. Mays looked uncomfortable backpedaling during drills and one scout called his defensive back fundamentals "just bad." When asked to change direction, Mays would come to a complete stop then start up again. The contrast between Mays and players such as Earl Thomas and T.J. Ward, who lost little momentum changing direction, was striking."
On the flip side, Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post says his sources indicate some teams -- including the San Francisco 49ers -- are very intrigued by Mays and that he's a legitimate Top 10 prospect.
Pete Carroll has said all along that jaws would drop among NFL scouts when they saw Mays work out and with his swift 40-yard dash time and 24 bench-press reps of 225 pounds, he certainly did that.
What will that mean when the first round of the draft plays out on April 22? At this point, that remains one of the biggest question marks facing numerous teams.
The Seahawks have an interesting advantage in all this, given Carroll knows Mays' strengths and weaknesses better than anyone as his coach the past four years.
This is a topic we previously discussed with NFL draft expert Rob Rang, who feels Berry is the only safety worth discussing with one of Seattle's top picks, given the team's numerous other needs.
I agree with Rang on this one. I don't see the Seahawks picking Mays, but it will be intriguing to see where he does wind up and whether his unquestionable physical talents convert to stardom at the NFL level.
