|
 NCAA Scouting
2010 Combine Review
by Paul Emery
3/4/2010
The Combine throws up tons of data but what does it all mean I’ll examine by position and discuss who were the winners and losers plus I’ll highlight any height/weight/speed type prospects that Raiders fans might well see in silver and black next season.
Running Back
Winners
Toby Gerhart Stanford. If Gerhart had run a slow 40 time, then many would have viewed him as a FB only which would have dropped him considerably in the Draft. However, he ran a 4.50 40 and at 231 lbs, that’s a load. His all round workout was above average amongst RB’s and he looks like he’s secured a Day Two draft slot.
Monatrio Hardesty Tennessee had the best workout in the RB group. At the top end on all drills excellent particularly in the broad and vertical jumps. This performance will have moved him up boards. His big question mark is going to be durability.
Ben Tate Auburn at 220 lbs Tate ran a 4.34 40 showing excellent straight line speed but also a 4.12 shuttle (2nd best amongst RB’s) showing quick feet. The one concern highlighted was below average hand length a concern as he may be more likely to fumble.
Losers
Jonathan Dwyer Georgia Tech I rated Dwyer’s combine performance at rock bottom for the RB’s. Very small hands, a slow 40 (4.64) and very poor broad, vertical, shuttle and cone. He may slip down into Day Three and possibly be viewed as a FB.
Charles Scott LSU coming into the Combine, Scott was viewed much like Gerhart needing a solid 40 time to be viewed at TB and not FB. However, Scott was only able to run a 4.68 40. Vertical, broad and shuttle drills were also all below average. He was viewed as a first round pick coming into the season he’ll likely be a mid round pick now.
Height/Weight/Speed
The top height/weight/speed prospect was Ryan Mathews out of Fresno State running a 4.37 40 I think he’s one of those deceptive guys who are faster than they look. He’s a glider and looks very smooth running the football but having breakaway speed will only help his stock.
Tight End
Winners
Jimmy Graham Miami (Fl) Graham’s stock has been steadily on the rise all season his combine performance was a slam dunk! Long arms and excellent 40, vertical, broad and cone. His shuttle was only average meaning he might be a bit of a straight liner but overall an excellent performance.
Dennis Pitta BYU Pitta has been viewed all season as an excellent receiver, but lacking top end speed. He surprised many with an above average 4.68 40. He also turned in the best shuttle time for TE’s meaning that unlike Graham, he has loose hips and is very quick. Pitta’s age will go against him (he’s 25 after spending two years on a Mormon mission), but this performance will swing the balance back in the positive.
Losers
Ed Dickson Oregon Dickson isn’t a blocker and as a HB prospect needed to show some athletic ability to show he can stretch the field. His 40 time was very good at 4.59, but he wasn’t explosive out of the blocks as his 10 and 20 yard splits were only average. His shuttle time was the worst in the TE group so that’s shown him as being a long strider who’s slow to get moving and being tight in the hips.
Aaron Hernandez Florida Hernandez will have slipped down some boards simply by being measured. He came in at just under 6’3 the shortest of all the TE’s. He also has short arms and small hands and was not good in the explosion drills (vertical and broad). He’s going to be viewed as a HB only.
Height/Weight/Speed
You might think Graham would win this but because he’s 6’6 he loses points as he’s a little too tall (will struggle for leverage as a blocker). Therefore Jermaine Grisham of Oklahoma comes out on top with ideal size and a 4.66 40.
Wide Receiver
Winners
Blair White Michigan State White had the possession receiver label, but had an excellent combine to demonstrate he can be more. A nice 4.49 40 and the best shuttle time for WR’s that shows not only that he’s got speed to be more than a possession type, he’s also very quick so is able to get out of his breaks quickly and get separation all important for a WR.
Scott Long Louisville Long was viewed as a free agent type prospect but after consistently producing in all the drills, he may well have moved up into a later round pick. He will certainly have scouts going back to film.
Emmanuel Sanders SMU Sanders doesn’t score many points for his slight frame, but he shows he’s got some explosion as he had the best broad and also an excellent vertical. His shuttle was excellent and his 40 was also good at 4.40.
Losers
Jacoby Ford Clemson despite Ford running a superb 40 time, his overall workout was poor. His vertical, broad and cone were all below average and his shuttle was poor at 4.44. He might have some value as a deep threat and kick returner, but not being able to change direction quickly is a red flag.
Mike Williams Syracuse I don’t put a great deal of stock in the bench press for WR’s but it does show a level of commitment and Williams at 221 lbs only put up 8 reps, which was the worst performance and adds to questions about his character and work ethic. He didn’t go through a full workout, so we don’t have the full picture, but the bench does enough to fan the flames.
Mardy Gilyard Cincinnati Gilyard’s initial impact might well be as a returner but his shuttle time was poor and thus one questions whether he will be able to succeed in this role. His 4.61 40 wasn’t the best either. I think he will fall on the back of this workout.
Height/Weight/Speed
By a clear margin Marcus Easley UConn 6’3, 210 lbs and a 4.39 40.
Guard and Center
There weren’t many stand out Guard or Center performances at either end of the spectrum, but still a couple who helped themselves.
Winners
Joe Hawley UNLV Hawley had the best workout by some distance. He showed strength (35 reps of the bench) and excellent 10 yard split (I use the 10 yard split for the big men how often do they run 40 yards?), broad, shuttle and cone. Hawley can play Guard and Center and may well have guaranteed himself a late round pick.
Matt Tennant Boston College Tennant measured in at 6’5 meaning he may well be too tall to play Center, but he had the tag that he wasn’t strong enough to play Guard meaning he was in danger of being viewed as a tweener. However, his bench press was above average and he also had an excellent 40, broad, shuttle and cone. I think he will need to add bulk, but he has enough athletic ability to suggest he’ll be OK at Guard.
Loser
Mike Johnson Alabama on tape Johnson looks quick and ideally suited to a zone blocking scheme. However his combine performance was poor for this type of prospect. His shuttle and cone times were below average as was his 10 yard split time. When tape doesn’t match combine, it raises questions quite whether Johnson is athletic enough, I don’t know.
Height/Weight/Speed
Mike Iupati Idaho not by much though. Iupati had an above average workout which does suggest he may struggle at Tackle, but he came out best here among interior lineman.
Offensive Tackle
Winners
Jered Veldheer Hillsdale a superb combine performance lights out in all the drills. The only negative being his shorter than ideal arms (33 inches).
Rodger Saffold Indiana came into the post season with little fanfare, being viewed as a Guard. However, his combine performance was excellent and he might be viewed as a Tackle by enough teams to make him a pretty high pick. I’m not sure about him at Tackle from tape so he’ll be one I’ll be interested to see where he’s finally drafted and at what position his pro team sees him.
Losers
Mike Tepper California; Adam Ulatoski Texas; Chris Scott Tennessee and Ciron Black all college left tackles who failed to show the athletic ability to be Tackles in the NFL. Scott also only had 19 reps in the bench, so questions will be raised with him inside at Guard also.
Height/Weight/Speed
Jered Veldheer Hillsdale winner when looking at all round performance, he’s also top here just above Bruce Campbell of Maryland.
Defensive End
Winners
Daniel Te’o-Nesheim Washington from tape Te’o-Nesheim looked like a try hard player who made plays through hard work rather than great athletic ability. However, his combine performance was by far and away the best for DE’s. Excellent drill performances across the board.
Derrick Morgan Georgia Tech the 10 yard split time of the 40 yard dash is very important for DE’s. Morgan had the best time of the DE’s at 1.6 seconds and this will solidify him as a top 15 pick.
Losers
Jason Pierre-Paul South Florida JPP was being looked at as a raw prospect with huge upside because of his athletic ability. So I was expecting him to be lights out, but he failed to impress. His frame and long arms get him points and with a decent 40 time and 10 yard split (1.65) you might think it was all looking good. Outside of this things weren’t so good however. Vertical and bench were poor broad just above the average and then any visions of being a 3-4 OLB have to be questioned as his shuttle was slow at 4.67 (bear in mind Jerry Hughes was 4.15). This workout will have hurt JPP’s stock big time a raw player who isn’t the athlete we all thought. Could he even fall out of the first round?
Brandon Lang Troy Lang was being mentioned as another Demarcus Ware, but this workout was less than impressive, coming out next to last on my scale. Short arms and poor drills performance will have him falling.
Height/Weight/Speed
Carlos Dunlap Florida his overall workout was just below the average, but his height/weight/speed number comes out tops.
Defensive Tackles
Winners
Ndamukong Suh Nebraska Suh is a top five prospect, so for him to workout was impressive in itself but the numbers he put up were far and away the best in the DT group, including excellent shuttle and cone times.
Cam Thomas North Carolina Thomas led a sub division of the DT group the NT class. Long arms and 31 bench reps was good. He followed that up with a good workout for a 330 lb man.
Al Woods LSU the longest arms of the DT’s (36 inches) not great in the 40 but had the best vertical and a very good broad showing he has explosion. He will have risen on boards with this performance.
Losers
Terrence Cody Alabama the Combine isn’t really Cody’s strength and as expected he struggled in all the drills, having the worst times across the board. However, the major concern was his bench performance only 22 reps showing that he’s soft and that’s not what you’re looking for in a NT.
Dan Williams Tennessee I was expecting more from Williams he finished 3rd from bottom on my scale for DT’s. All the other NT prospects also had better workouts, other than Cody.
Brian Price UCLA Price didn’t compete in the shuttle or cone (I would expect him to do well in both), but his numbers were only slightly better than Williams. For the type of player he is poor vertical and broad performances are concerning.
Height/Weight/Speed
Ndamukong Suh Nebraska superb prospect in every respect.
Outside Linebackers (including 3-4 OLB’s)
Winners
Dekoda Watson Florida State best workout of the 4-3 LB’s a little shorter than ideal, but excellent across the board including the best broad jump of the group.
Jerry Hughes TCU Hughes played mainly with his hand in the dirt for TCU, so it’s a projection for him at 3-4 OLB. Scouts will therefore look at his shuttle time to see if he can change direction in space. His shuttle time was an excellent 4.15. His other numbers were also nice.
Jason Worilds Virginia Tech I mentioned the 10 yard dash being important for pass rushers and Worilds 1.56 seconds at 254 lbs with an above average shuttle time will mean he gets a look as the latest in a long line of VT pass rushers.
Losers
Rennie Curran Georgia Curran’s 10 yard split time was above average but his 20 yard split and final 40 time were well below average, so that questions his ability to be effective on plays away from him. His overall performance was also fairly poor.
Rahim Alem LSU Alem weighed in at 251 lbs, so he will be viewed as a 3-4 OLB. However, his numbers were poor highlighted by the slowest shuttle of the 3-4 OLB prospects at 4.80 seconds. Looks to be a classic tweener.
George Selvie South Florida Selvie is another who looked like a tweener. At 252 lbs he was below average in all the drills and joined JPP in a bad day for the Bulls.
Height/Weight/Speed
4-3 OLB AJ Edds Iowa tops for frame and a nice 40 time.
3-4 OLB Ricky Sapp Clemson.
Inside Linebackers
Winners
Jamar Chaney Mississippi State a little shorter than ideal, but had the best 40 time at 4.54 and also the top vertical and broad jumps. He also had the longest arms in the group.
Donald Butler Washington consistent in all drills and the strongest with 35 reps on the bench press. Has had a good post season.
Losers
Phillip Dillard Nebraska had a nice 40 time, but outside of that he was below average and my overall number has him finishing bottom of the LB group.
Boris Lee Troy below average in all drills.
Height/Weight/Speed
Rolando McClain Alabama his overall workout was middle of the pack, but he was far and above the best here.
Cornerbacks
Winners
Akwasi Owusu-Ansah Indiana (Pa) Owusu-Ansah missed the Senior Bowl with a shoulder injury but took this opportunity to impress. There’s no other position where the 40 yard dash is so important and a 4.32 was the best in the CB group. With good size (6’0, 207 lbs) he should be moving up draft boards.
Brandon Ghee Wake Forest had the best overall workout in this group. Had a very nice 40 time, plus a excellent performances in the shuttle, cone and broad.
Devin McCourty Rutgers McCourty loses some points for being shorter than ideal and having small hands but despite this his overall combine performance could well have secured a first round place.
Losers
Donovan Warren Michigan didn’t have a full workout, but his 40 time at 4.62 was slow for a Safety, let alone a Corner.
Syd’Quan Thompson California one of the shortest CB’s at the combine at just over 5’9 he really needed to run fast and jump high in the vertical but unfortunately he ran a 4.75 40 and his vertical was only 33 inches one of the lower jumps. He was being talked about in the mid rounds, but may now not be drafted.
Javier Arenas Alabama didn’t fully workout due to a hamstring pull, but the shortest CB at the combine (5’8) and a poor 4.60 40 time.
Height/Weight/Speed
Myron Lewis Vanderbilt only just above Owusu-Ansah moved into the mid rounds.
Safety
Winners
Taylor Mays USC there was some question as to Mays 40 time, but it was fast for a man weighing 230 lbs. Mays didn’t take part in the shuttle and cone drills he may well have struggled in, so his number was highest in the group.
Eric Berry Tennessee Berry also ran a fast 40 time and had great vertical and broad jumps. His shuttle was below average suggesting he might be a bit tight in the hips.
Losers
Justin Woodall Alabama Woodall’s vertical, 40 and bench were poor he has good size, but his numbers weren’t good.
Dennis Rogan Tennessee Rogan came out early, but his combine numbers suggest he might not get drafted. He ran a 4.73 40 and had the lowest overall number in the Safety group.
Height/Weight/Speed
Taylor Mays USC.
Biggest Winner
Jered Veldheer Hillsdale at least a Day Two pick could he even sneak into the back end of the first round?
Biggest Loser
Jason Pierre-Paul South Florida was viewed as a top 10 pick, but may have dropped out of the first round.
|
