Combine Winners and Losers by Sam Monson 13/3/2009
The Combine has come and gone, so at the Diner we figured it’s about time we put up a traditional top 5, and ran down the big winners and losers from the time at Indy.
The Combine is getting bigger and bigger each year, and the scrutiny on each of the potential draftees only more intense, so who helped themselves, and who cost themselves some money?
And as ever at the Diner we like to give you more than you asked for, so this top 5 is in fact a top 6!
Winners
1. Jared Cook TE South Carolina
Cook blew up the combine, running a 4.50 40 yard dash time (which was rounded up from the low 4.4 unofficial times that he and many other people had on their watched), as well as posting monster numbers in the vertical leap and broad jumps. His 40 yard time was faster than Dustin Keller ran last season which really shot his stock through the roof after the combine.
2. Pat White QB West Virginia
White was lambasted by some, including our own Diner Writer Ben Stockwell, at the Senior Bowls for playing QB instead of switching to the wide receiver position that everybody knew he would wind up at in the NFL. Since then though he has been impressing scouts with his arm at the Senior Bowl and the Combine, and has been good enough that people are now starting to see him as a passer at the next level.
3. Jarron Gilbert DE/DT San Jose St.
At 6’5, 288lbs, Gilbert benched 225lbs 28 times, ran a 4.87 and showed people why he’s seen as a tremendous physical freak. He he lightning quick off the snap and reminds this Diner Writer of a new John Randle, albeit with more height and weight! He is an athletic monster and could be a star in the right system. The combine confirmed the kind of athletic explosion he shows during this now famous youtube video…!
4. Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe OT Baylor and Virginia
With the collapse of Andre Smith’s stock, the other Smith, and Monroe both had very good workouts, showing good agility and strength at the Combine, and raising their stock as the potential top OT in this draft. These two were winners more through the loss of Andre Smith’s draft stock, but winners they were.
5. Ian Johnson RB Boise St.
Ian Johnson opened some serious eyes at the combine when he posted an unofficial 40 time of 4.38. Although the official time was moved to 4.46, that still put him in extremely good company when supposedly speedy players were posting slower times on a week of strangely slow times. Johnson was a back that people loved watching play, but whose measurables were in question. His 40 time is going to make a lot of people think a bit harder about him.
6. Darrius Heyward-Bey WR Maryland
DHB ran the combine’s fastest time at 4.30 in a week of slow times showing what a burner he really is, but with the lessons of Troy Williamson learned people are likely to be a little more wary about letting his draft stock soar too high.
Losers
1. Andre Smith OT Alabama
Smith’s biggest fault might have been not making up an injury as an excuse for not working out at the combine. Turning up without being ready to work out is seen by many as an indicator of his poor work ethic, but he does have mitigating circumstances with finding an agent later than most. Whilst many claimed he wasn’t in shape, he had dropped more than 15lbs since his last official weigh-in, and was likely just not ready for the specific drills the combine requires. Either way the incident has sent a torpedo into the side of his draft stock, and how far he falls is one of the questions of the 1st round.
2. Michael Crabtree WR Texas Tech
Crabtree’s routine medical exams showed up a stress fracture in his foot that requires surgery to put right with the insertion of a metal screw. The surgery is going to put him out for 10 weeks, which means he won’t be able to post a 40 time to answer the questions about his long-speed. To make matters worse he also measured in at only 6’1, two inches shorter than his listed height at Texas Tech. Crabtree’s talent is apparent, but does he now have too many question marks to be taken in the top 5?
3. Malcom Jenkins CB Ohio St.
Jenkins was the consensus top corner available before the combine where he posted an official 40 time of 4.55, which is slow enough to get teams mentioning the dreaded safety word. Jenkins was one of the few DBs criticised by Deion Sanders, and Mike Mayock noted stiffness in his hips on more than one of the DB drills. Jenkins’ stock took a real hit.
4. James Laurinitis LB Ohio St.
Once thought of as a top 5 pick, the Ohio St. star’s stock continued to plummet after the combine, where he posted a 40 time of 4.82, slower than a lot of D-linemen. Laurinitis might be the next Big 10 LB to fall out of the first round completely, following in the footsteps of Paul Posluszny and Dan Connor, both also players who saw their stock dive from high in the 1st round.
5. Brandon Pettigrew TE OSU
With Jared Cook and Shawn Nelson tearing up the 40 yard dash with times in the 4.5s, Pettigrew must have been hoping for something considerably better than the 4.85 time he ended up posting. Though he was never expected to be a burner, that time will likely put a ceiling on his draft stock. If guys like Heath Miller are any indication though, it shouldn’t.
6. Aaron Maybin DE/OLB Penn St.
When you’re build like Aaron Maybin you have two choices come combine time: Accept what you’re good at and show the speed teams love about you, or try to add weight and show you’re a complete player. Maybin ended up managing neither. Adding 15lbs, Maybin still showed up wildly underweight for the DE position at 249lbs, and it hurt his speed badly as he couldn’t manage a faster 40 time than 4.89. To put that in perspective, Chris Long ran 4.75 carrying an extra 25lbs.
Smith’s biggest fault might have been not making up an injury as an excuse for not working out at the combine. Turning up without being ready to work out is seen by many as an indicator of his poor work ethic, but he does have mitigating circumstances with finding an agent later than most. Whilst many claimed he wasn’t in shape, he had dropped more than 15lbs since his last official weigh-in, and was likely just not ready for the specific drills the combine requires. Either way the incident has sent a torpedo into the side of his draft stock, and how far he falls is one of the questions of the 1st round.
