Observations from the Combie

Okay, so I’m not reallyat the 28^th annual NFL scouting combine but it sure feels like I am.  With the great live coverage of the event on NFL.com as well as the NFL network, I feel like a real pro scout.  I’ve also been very impressed with my ability to predict the unofficial 40 times of the athletes as they cross the finish line, but that is neither here nor there.  You want to know what can really be taken away from this year’s pre-draft extravaganza, don’t you?  Well let me give you my take on a few of the happenings over the last few days. 

Day 1

The star of this group was OT Bruce Campbell from Maryland.  He was considered a first rounder prior to the combine, but his physical attributes and athleticism definitely improved his stock.  Unlike most offensive lineman, he doesn’t look like a bag of doughnuts (no offense big boys) and he has the figure of someone who descended from Mt. Olympus.  He did 34 reps in the bench press and ran a blazing 4.85 in the 40 yard dash.  By comparison, the oft talked about Myron Rolle out of Florida State ran a 4.70 and he plays safety! 

The only question about Big Bruce is his lack of dominance on the collegiate level.  He didn’t allow a sack last season, but I supposed he just didn’t jump off the page as the dominant tackle in the draft.  He does look a little stiff in pass protection, but you could do much worse in today’s NFL.  He seems like a stronger, faster version of Flozel Adams, and for all intents and purposes he may end up being Adams’ replacement in Dallas.  But with the showing that he put on at the combine I’d be surprised to see him drop out of the top 20.

Day 2

Day 2 of the combine featured the QB, RB, and WR crop of this year’s draft.  Running backs and wide receivers are less valued in the draft than in previous years (because of their bust potential and availability respectively), so Sunday was supposed to be a quarterback show, right?  Wrong.  None, not one of the top QBs threw the ball at the combine.  The top 2 quarterbacks (Jimmy Clausen and Sam Bradford) didn’t do anything except watch like they were one of the scouts.  Tim Tebow was on my TV more than Family Guy yet I never saw him display the knew delivery he’s been working on.  He put up pretty good numbers, however, as he posted a 38.5 inch vertical jump  and ran a 4.7 40 yard dash.  The jury is still out on his potential as a quarterback, but he showed very good athleticism and someone is definitely going to take a chance on the guy.  I really liked what Jarrett Brown of West Virginia did with his time.  He proved to be a superior athlete, but he can also really throw the ball.  He can air it out, and he throw with touch.  He only started for one season at West Virginia, but someone is going to have a real gem on their hands when they draft this guy.  Think David Garrard in terms of athleticism, strength, and throwing ability.

There were no real surprises at the RB or WR position in my view except for the 40 time of Fresno RB Ryan Matthews.  I was already very high on this guy, but if he proves to have break away speed along with his ability to break tackles, he’s going to be a good player for a long time. WR Jacoby Ford ran the second fastest time in combine history (4.28) but I don’t think anyone expected much less out of him and fellow Clemson burner C.J. Spiller (4.34).  I will say that I would love for the Cowboys to get Ford in the second round, but I’m probably biased.

Day 3

The funny thing about the combine is that it often is of no benefit of the top players to participate.  If you are the consensus #1 player then there is no point for you to do anything that might damage that standing.  Well this rationale was bucked when what many scouts perceive to be the #1 and #2 prospects elected to participate fully in the scouting combine.  Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska and Gerald McCoy out of Oklahoma had very impressive showings as they competed against one another for the top spot.  It was obvious that no one else was in their class and they will definitely be top 5 picks.  The funny thing is that both guys may have lost out on the #1 spot to QB Sam Bradford who did not participate at the combine (shoulder).  Neither DT did anything to hurt their stock, but the Rams have been drafting lineman for the past few years and they need to get someone who is going to turn the franchise around.  I would love to see what Suh could do in a 3-4 defense but he will go to either the Detroit Lions or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who employ a 4-3 defense with heavy emphasis on Cover-2.  I feel that style of defense is more suited for McCoy’s quickness than Suh’s power, but you can’t pass on the best player in the draft. 

None of the true LBs wowed me with their performance as both Rolando McClain and Brandon Spikes elected not to run.  Their definitely going to be the first inside linebackers taken, so it didn’t make sense for them to jeopardize their current standing.  Although Jason Pierre-Paul from South Florida participated as  a part of the linebacker group, I think he did the most improve his stock as a linebacker.  He showed speed  and the great athleticism that all of the 3-4 teams are looking for an outside linebacker. They actually showed a video of this kid doing 13 back hand-springs. You will hear the name Demarcus Ware thrown around a lot when scouts describe Paul-Pierre over the next couple of months and the comparison doesn’t seem to be that far off. 

Day 4

The final day of the combine was reserved for the defensive backs and there were quite a few storylines that intrigued me.  First of all, the performance of the top 3 safeties (Eric Berry, Earl Thomas, and Taylor Mays) would be most intriguing as there was no clear cut #1 guy, yet all of them could go in the top 10 players selected.  I think Eric Berry solidified himself as the top safety in this years draft with a great showing.  He looked chiseled and physical, and he was very instinctive in his movements.  He was fluid, and looked very focused amongst his peers.  It also didn’t hurt that he ran a 4.47 40 yard dash and jumped out of Lucas Oil Stadium with a 43 inch vertical.  He will be the first safety taken in April’s draft and he will probably go top 5.  It gets much more interesting from there. 

As the first player in the second DB group (I don’t know how to put that in layman’s terms), Taylor Mays shot out of the gate with a “4.24” 40 yard dash.  From that moment he took hold of the combine and at least temporarily stole the show.  His official time was a much more pedestrian 4.43 but he was still the fastest defensive back at the combine.  That speed along with 24 reps on the bench press and a 41 inch vertical may have catapulted Mays ahead of Thomas on many teams draft boards but I would still be weary of Mays as an early pick.  Despite all of that speed and ability, Mays only caught 1 interception his senior year.  He had opportunities, but he doesn’t seem to be the ball hawk that both Thomas and Berry clearly are.  He also doesn’t seem to be as fluid in his hip movement and doesn’t come out of his breaks as fast as the other DBs.  He does have great straight line speed, but it’s not often that a safety is running a straight line in the NFL.  It’s all about the angles.  Many people want to compare him to the late Sean Taylor, but he seems to resemble another Redskin safety in Laron Landry.  Landry is a very fast, physical player, but he doesn’t make many plays on the ball and often gets exposed in coverage because of his aggressiveness.  Mays will have learn how to conquer those habits if he wants to really be great.  In all honesty, I hope that Mays performance pushes him ahead of Thomas because that would give the Cowboys a much better chance to pick up the Texas product.  Thomas had a decent showing, but he didn’t do anything to move himself to the front of the pack.  But make no mistake, this guy is a player and he will do good things for someone's secondary. 

The cornerback position proved to be a little topsy turvey as the top cornerback hurt his stock and some dark horse candidates may have catapulted themselves into the first round.  Joe Haden didn’t finish near the top of any of the individual drills and he posted an excruciating 4.6 time in the 40 yard dash.  He did come out of his breaks well, and made good plays on the ball but his stock definitely tumbled after today.  The “cornerback” who did the most to help is draft stock is my former teammate at Virginia Chris Cook.  “Cookie” has definitely caught the attention of every scout and I’d honestly be shocked if he didn’t get picked in the 1^st round.  This guy is versatile, athletic, and physical at the point of attack (I know, the dude almost knocked my whole cranium off in his first practice at UVA).  He also put up the second fastest time for any DB at the combine, and it is a fact that NFL squads covet speed in the secondary.  This was a big day for Cook, and in turn a big day for Virginia.

Well now that the combine is over, much of the offseason leg work can begin.  With Free Agency officially beginning (and the salary cap officially ending) on Friday, teams have to develop their strategy as to how they are going to fill the inevitable wholes on their teams.  No team is exempt as everyone needs to get better if you want a shot at the Lombardi trophy.  One wrong move, or lack of due diligence could doom your team and have you picking in the top 10 for the next few seasons.  But one great move could have you on the cusp of greatness.  We should see a little bit of both in the 2010 season as we certainly did at the 2010 NFL combine.

See you at the draft party people.

P.S.  Big shouts to my man Enrique from Landstown High School, he’s going to be on somebody’s squad next year showing them how those Beach Boys play.  Holla!