The NFL Combine is this weekend and there will be 350 draft hopefuls trying to spew the right clichés and jargon to team officials and trying to look as athletic as possible in spandex. The fact that this one event causes so much shifting among team’s draft boards is somewhat silly, but there are a few things that can come out of placing the players in a stressful environment with only the best. The following is a short list of players who have a lot to gain or lose this weekend:
Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor: RG3 said yesterday that he would participate in the majority of the speed and agility drills as well as interviews, but would not be throwing. The precedent has been for the top few quarterbacks to not throw at the combine because the thought is that they will not looks up to their potential throwing to receivers that they haven’t worked with before in a drill they are not accustomed to participating in. My theory, is don’t you think the highest player personnel minds in the sport know this too and take it into account when scouting? I think Griffin should throw in Indy to show that he’s comfortable in all situations. I mean, the worst case is he looks bad and he slips to fourth from possibly second; best case scenario is he overtakes Luck for number one. The upside greatly outweighs the downside. Unless of course, RG3 is trying to avoid the Peyton-mess with the Colts altogether anyway and would rather not be first overall (I’d advise him that route).
Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M; Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State; Nick Foles, QB, Arizona; Brock Osweiler, QB, Arizona State: Barring a seismic cataclysm Luck and Griffin will be the first two quarterbacks selected in the draft, possibly with the first two selections. What is completely up in the air is the third quarterback to come off the board, and what pick this could be. All four quarterbacks should throw, but there will probably be one or two that are told to refrain and only thrown in their comfortable setting. The NFL draft tends to follow trends, and one that has happened a few times, namely 1983, 1999, 2004 and last year, is when there are a couple of elite quarterback prospects, the others in the draft get selected sooner than expected. Unless your name was Rick Gosselin, you didn’t see that many quarterbacks coming off the board in the first round last year. So there is a decent chance that teams will be looking to over-rate a quarterback in the mid to late first round and one or more of these players has the chance to take advantage of that. Tannehill will need to show that he is over his injury. Weeden will need to convince team officials that his age is not too much of a detractor and he can run a pro style offense. Foles will need to overcome his weak Senior Bowl week, and Osweiler will need to try and wow the scouts with his arm strength and height, ala Jay Cutler.
Chris Polk, RB, Washington: Just as much as the third quarterback is a toss-up at this point, the second runner after Richardson is equally perplexing. Lamar Miller probably has the slight edge after Polk had a bad week at the Senior Bowl, as one scout described him looking, “very slow to get to the edge”. If Polk can run a mid 4.5 40 or under and test well in other quickness drills then he could edge his way into the late first round.
Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State: Honestly there’s not much wiggle room in my mind for Blackmon. He’s going to go somewhere between two and five, but it will be decided by the Combine more than anything else. Many are comparing Blackmon to Michael Crabtree (Big 12, massive numbers, solid QB relationship, sling it around system) in that he might be a college wonder but an average pro. This could scare St. Louis and Minnesota with the second and third picks respectively, but with a good 40-yard dash Blackmon can silence the critics. In reality though, there’s no way he can hurt himself, as the teams drafting 2-7 all have big holes at wide receiver and even if Floyd or Jeffrey jump Blackmon, he would still be a top 10 pick.
Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina; Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame: Jeffery is a huge body out wide already but there are thoughts that he has the penchant for not maintaining his fitness. He needs to show up looking lean, and if he does that along with put up good times in the speed drills he could push himself into the top-10 picks. Floyd has had problems with drops at Notre Dame and there are also questions of his character as a diva receiver. The interviews with the GM’s will be a huge factor in where Floyd falls on draft day. Both receivers could be picked as high as fifth depending on trades and such, but there’s been a recent trend to stay away from receivers that high with a number of busts in the top 20 the past few years (Darrius Heyward-Bey anyone?). These two have the power in their hands (and stomachs) to raise their draft stock.
Cordy Glenn, OG/OT, Georgia: Glenn is an interesting prospect in that he is the second best interior lineman in the draft, but he might be drafted to play tackle. At the senior bowl he played some on the outside, and held his own in the one-on-one drills and has some scouts drafting him to play guard at first and make the transition to tackle at some point. This kind of versatility will push his draft stock up, as tackles are much more valuable than guards. The quick feet and slide drills will help determine where Glenn is projected to be drafted as well as his position.
Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State: Adams has been climbing the draft board after his strong Senior Bowl week and is getting closer to the top tier of tackles, Matt Kalil, Riley Reiff, and Jonathon Martin. He whipped projected top-15 pick Melvin Ingram all week and showcased what was seen as his weakness against the quicker, smaller rusher. If Adams can show this firm and quick technique in the drop drills then he could push his way up into the top-15 range himself.
Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin: There’s little doubt that Konz will be the first center selected in the draft, but the pick is the question mark. Some boards have him in the low 20’s while others have him in the 50’s. The question at the combine isn’t his bench press or 40 time (although his interviews will probably help nudge him higher) but his overall health. He was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs two years ago, so the doctors in Indy will be sure to thoroughly check into that. As a Cowboys’ fan, you want him to slide. If the ‘Boys go with a corner in the first round, Konz would be a nice second round selection. Let’s face it, if something was really wrong he wouldn’t have anchored the best offensive line in the nation (I’d say even better than the Cowboys’) the past two years. Something else to remember: they did start Konz’ BACKUP from Wisconsin last year.
Zach Brown, LB, North Carolina: Brown has a high upside as he is seen as a raw talent. With these types of players, there’s no room to improve their field awareness until they are on the field again, but with a strong 40 time as well as a good showing in other speed and agility categories, Brown could sneak his way into the first round.
Bobby Wagner, MLB, Utah State; Vontaze Burfict, MLB, Arizona State: After Dont’a Hightower, the second middle linebacker spot is a battle between these two players. Whichever player has a better overall combine will probably sneak into the late first round. Burfict will have to show in interviews that his head is all there and Wagner will have to show with his athleticism that he wasn’t just picking on lower competition at Utah State.
Dre Kirkpatrick, DB, Alabama; Janoris Jenkins, DB, North Alabama; Cliff Harris, DB, Oregon: The Combine has the largest effects on defensive backs, as the position relies on top end speed more than others. DB’s also tend to have off-the-field issues more frequently than other positions, as is the case with these three players. All three were at one time considered top 10 locks, but have since muddied their projection. Cliff Harris had many incidents at Oregon leading to his being kicked off the team, most famously telling a cop that he and Oregon QB Darron Thomas had “smoked all the weed already” after being pulled over. Jenkins was booted off the Florida team after repeated incidents with both the law and academics. Kirkpatrick is the latest bonehead of the month as he has been linked to marijuana and seen his stock slide from possible top 5 to hopeful top 20, if not worse. All three will have extensive interviews regarding their past incidents and will have to show that they are past these juvenile happenings and ready to get serious. Dallas will most likely get one of the first two as long as DeCastro doesn’t slip to them, so whomever is in the meeting (Jerry, Stephen, Jason) will hopefully get a good read on the players.
Alfonso Dennard, DB, Nebraska: Dennard is another corner who was a projected first rounder but seen his stock plummet. He had a bad Senior Bowl getting beat in one-on-ones time and again as well as injuring himself. He will have to show in the defensive back drills that he is over the injury and that the Senior Bowl was the exception, not the rule when it comes to his talent if he wants to not slip even further down into the late second, early third rounds.
Jamell Fleming, DB, Oklahoma: Fleming can increase his draft stock by doing what he’s been doing all season: staying consistent and making the other guy make the mistakes. Outside of the Texas Tech game (a fluke for the whole team) Fleming had an absolutely solid year, mainly because you never heard his name. Opposing quarterbacks figured out to just not throw his way because he was blanketed on the receiver. At the Combine, Fleming just needs to continue to have solid workouts, nothing spectacular, and hope that the above mentioned quarterbacks trip up in their interviews or recovery. If that happens, he could see himself slide up into the top 3 defensive backs. To epitomize the silliness of the Combine, Fleming has the most to gain of any player out there, yet it is because of others’ mistakes that he will move up. Yet, I’m still going to watch every second of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment