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NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis February 19-24, 2014

Josh Norris ‏@JoshNorris
Notable Official LB 3-cone times:

Tyler Starr 6.64
Trent Murphy 6.78
Anthony Barr 6.82
Jordan Tripp 6.89
Ryan Shazier 6.91
Kevin Pierre-Louis 6.92
James Morris 6.94
Kahlil Mack 7.08
Kyle Van Noy 7.22
Devon Kennard 7.25
Carl Bradford 7.25
Prince Shembo 7.29
No time for C Jones, Reilly, Powell
Tyler Starr did not break the best 3-cone time since 2006 (6.42), but he was the top LB this year with a 6.64.
 
NFL networks coverage sucks. People talking over each other, players running drills without any hint of who they are.
 
Louis Nixed...

[IMGwidthsize=600]http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/blogs/louis-nix-broad-jump02242014.gif[/IMG]
 
Hmmm... :hmmm:

Albert Breer ‏@AlbertBreer
Amazing fact I just noticed: Three years in, 12 of the Top 16 picks in the '11 draft have made Pro Bowls. Exceptions: Fairley and three QBs.
 
Hmmm... :hmmm:

Albert Breer ‏@AlbertBreer
Well, that was a pretty good year

1 1 Carolina Panthers Cam Newton† QB Auburn SEC 2010 Heisman Trophy winner[N 2]
1 2 Denver Broncos Von Miller† LB Texas A&M Big 12
1 3 Buffalo Bills Marcell Dareus† DE Alabama SEC
1 4 Cincinnati Bengals A. J. Green† WR Georgia SEC
1 5 Arizona Cardinals Patrick Peterson† CB LSU SEC
1 6 Atlanta Falcons Julio Jones† WR Alabama SEC from Cleveland [R1 - 1]
1 7 San Francisco 49ers Aldon Smith† LB Missouri Big 12
1 8 Tennessee Titans Jake Locker QB Washington Pac-10
1 9 Dallas Cowboys Tyron Smith† OT USC Pac-10
1 10 Jacksonville Jaguars Blaine Gabbert QB Missouri Big 12 from Washington [R1 - 2]
1 11 Houston Texans J. J. Watt† DE Wisconsin Big Ten
1 12 Minnesota Vikings Christian Ponder QB Florida State ACC
1 13 Detroit Lions Nick Fairley DT Auburn SEC
1 14 St. Louis Rams Robert Quinn† DE North Carolina ACC
1 15 Miami Dolphins Mike Pouncey† C Florida SEC
1 16 Washington Redskins Ryan Kerrigan† DE Purdue Big Ten from Jacksonville [R1 - 3]
 
Well, that was a pretty good year

1 1 Carolina Panthers Cam Newton† QB Auburn SEC 2010 Heisman Trophy winner[N 2]
1 2 Denver Broncos Von Miller† LB Texas A&M Big 12
1 3 Buffalo Bills Marcell Dareus† DE Alabama SEC
1 4 Cincinnati Bengals A. J. Green† WR Georgia SEC
1 5 Arizona Cardinals Patrick Peterson† CB LSU SEC
1 6 Atlanta Falcons Julio Jones† WR Alabama SEC from Cleveland [R1 - 1]
1 7 San Francisco 49ers Aldon Smith† LB Missouri Big 12
1 8 Tennessee Titans Jake Locker QB Washington Pac-10
1 9 Dallas Cowboys Tyron Smith† OT USC Pac-10
1 10 Jacksonville Jaguars Blaine Gabbert QB Missouri Big 12 from Washington [R1 - 2]
1 11 Houston Texans J. J. Watt† DE Wisconsin Big Ten
1 12 Minnesota Vikings Christian Ponder QB Florida State ACC
1 13 Detroit Lions Nick Fairley DT Auburn SEC
1 14 St. Louis Rams Robert Quinn† DE North Carolina ACC
1 15 Miami Dolphins Mike Pouncey† C Florida SEC
1 16 Washington Redskins Ryan Kerrigan† DE Purdue Big Ten from Jacksonville [R1 - 3]

Would've sucked if the Jags took Watt instead of Gabbert. Thankfully, we can count on Jags for making the wrong decision most of the time. Hopefully they won't be saying the same about us 4 years from now.
 
Every single one of those QBs in that draft except for Newton had no business going that high. I hated Gabbert's pocket presence at Mizzou, Ponder was a JAG at FSU, and Locker was an injury riddled QB who lived off of potential at Washington.

At least the 3 QBs in this draft have quite a bit to hang their hats on production wise even though they have their questions.
 
anyone seen avery williamson from kentucky play??

looked quite good at the combine, could be a potential later round say 6-7th round ILB.
 
MMQB
  1. Houston: Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida.
  2. St. Louis: Greg Robinson, T, Auburn.
  3. Jacksonville: Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina.
  4. Cleveland: Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville.
  5. Oakland: Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M.
  6. Atlanta: Jake Matthews, T, Texas A&M.
  7. Tampa Bay: Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo.
  8. Minnesota: Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA.
  9. Buffalo: Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson.
  10. Detroit: Taylor Lewan, T, Michigan.
 
Far cry from the mocks last month that had four QBs in the top six picks. Looks like people are slowly coming back to reality.

Every year I think that... and then they push the QBs up the board again. I really think this could be the year. But I've been wrong before. :smiliepalm:
 
Rice's Phillip Gaines hits 23.1 miles per hour in his 40. Ran a pair of unofficial 4.34s.


Lance Zierlein ‏@LanceZierlein
Just got this text from scout: “Some guy at the bench press kept yelling ‘Eat! This baby food, bruh!’” My favorite of the day.


May shift their first round focus to OT...

NFL Network ‏@NetworkNFL
Panthers 3-time Pro Bowl LT Jordan Gross will announce his retirement later today.
 
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[IMGwidthsize=600]http://www.terezowens.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/BIGRICH.gif[/IMG]

Josh Norris ‏@JoshNorris
Rich Eisen (@richeisen) first "unofficial" forty: 6.00. 10 yd N/A.

Second "unofficial" forty: 5.98. 10 yd N/A.

Daniel Jeremiah ‏@MoveTheSticks
Top 40 time (Dri Archer 4.26)

Top Vertical Jump (Ryan Shazier 42)

Top Broad Jump (Lache Seastrunk 11'2)

Matt Miller ‏@nfldraftscout
Brandin Cooks and his 4.33s time just won $100k from @adidasFballUS for wearing the 5-star adizero cleat while running his 40.

Josh Norris ‏@JoshNorris
Ryan Shazier's 42" vertical is good for second best among LBs since 2006. Just behind Rocky McIntosh.

Kareem Martin tied the DL broad jump record since 2006 with a 10'9" number? With Kamerion Wimbley

Pierre Desir posted an 11'1" broad jump today. Ties him for 12th best among any position since 2006.

Brandin Cooks also now holds the record (since 2006) for the best 60 yard shuttle with a 10.72.

I didn't catch this before, but Brandin Cooks posted a 3.81 short shuttle. Tied (with Jason Allen) for the best of ANY position since 2006.

BYU S Daniel Sorensen posted the fifth fastest 3-cone time (6.47) today of any position since 2006.
 
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Which should help erase the myth that Winston, Mariotta, Hundley, Hogan , and Petty are all first round talents next year, and yet we will have people claiming that next year.

You can't rule it out.

If they're good enough, teams will draft them.
 
You can't rule it out.

If they're good enough, teams will draft them.

They aren't though, IMO of course. They are just being overrated because they are the magical draft class of next year.

Winston has a 1st round grade from me right now. But he says he's not entering the draft next year.

Mariota had a 2nd round grade from me this year. Probably a 1st next year after another season. Same story with Hundley, but I'm not sure he has the raw arm talent that Mariota does.

Hogan and Petty aren't even potentially elite to me. Things could change but right now they are 2nd round at best next year. They both have big flaws.

Next year always looks better until we arrive there. Same situation we had with this class.
 
On the radio they said we'll actually get to practice as a team before the draft arrives.

That could be a big bonus. OB can get a first hand look at what's what before the draft comes.
 
Next year always looks better until we arrive there. Same situation we had with this class.


I think next year is a ?.

Even this draft , until it happens, is a complete unknown. Last year there were tons if OL that went early.

You really never know. You can use past examples to outline trends, but truth is when you're dealing with humans making decisions there always lies at least some shred of unpredictability.
 
Next years' draft class is always a "grass is greener" type of thing. Last year at this time Tajh Boyd was the consensus top QB and #1 overall... Now he may be undrafted. This happens every year
 
Next years' draft class is always a "grass is greener" type of thing. Last year at this time Tajh Boyd was the consensus top QB and #1 overall... Now he may be undrafted. This happens every year

Right, and by the same token you have guys that shoot ton the top if boards seemingly out if no where.

It goes both ways.
 
Next years' draft class is always a "grass is greener" type of thing. Last year at this time Tajh Boyd was the consensus top QB and #1 overall... Now he may be undrafted. This happens every year

Last year, I was hoping we could get Tajh Boyd in the 2nd to be our QB of the future.

:mariopalm:
 
They aren't though, IMO of course. They are just being overrated because they are the magical draft class of next year.

Agreed. We went through the same thing on this very board last year.

Winston has a 1st round grade from me right now. But he says he's not entering the draft next year.

Mariota had a 2nd round grade from me this year. Probably a 1st next year after another season. Same story with Hundley, but I'm not sure he has the raw arm talent that Mariota does.

Hogan and Petty aren't even potentially elite to me. Things could change but right now they are 2nd round at best next year. They both have big flaws.

Next year always looks better until we arrive there. Same situation we had with this class.

I have Winston as a high 1st round grade, but I have a few question marks on him.

I had Hundley rated higher than Mariota this year and I expect the same next year. Depends on how each guy performs next season. I have them both as late 1st - early 2nd right now.

I have both Hogan and Petty as 3rd rounders. It's hard to give Hogan a bad grade because I was the first one on the bandwagon after his freshman year, but he really disappointed me this year.
 
Justin Gilbert really helped himself today. I think he established himself as the top guy at CB. I think Dennard and Verrett are on his heels, but he has created some distance.
 
Worth a read...

Everything Good at the NFL Combine Happens After 2 A.M.
Without fail, within 90 seconds of first meeting a scout or agent, an NFL Combine virgin would hear, “we’re off the record, right?” By the end of the conversation, some joked about being off the record; others were pretty clear nothing could be repeated.

The most fun/bizarre encounter I had was with former 2nd round pick out of West Virginia John Thornton, who spent 10 years in the NFL. A hulking presence, Thornton is now an agent, and works in tandem with Roc Nation on Geno Smith, the Jets QB.

When I introduced myself as Jason, he looked me up and down and before I could say my last name, he said, “yeah, I know you, McIntyre, the guy who was killing Geno Smith on twitter last season.”

My eyes popped a bit, and I was taken aback.

[Aside: Of the many lessons learned this weekend – lots of NFL personnel, scouts, and agents monitor twitter. Closely.]

Before I could respond, Thornton said, “Was it week 10 after the Buffalo game? Or wait, after the Tennessee game?”

Who remembers tweets from months ago? Agents, that’s who.
“You have to sift through the bullisht,” said Jeff Darlington of the NFL Network. “Nobody has any incentive to tell the truth. So when I’m talking to trusted sources, I try to make sure I don’t put them in situations where they need to lie directly to my face.”
After power agent Tom Condon inked Robert Griffin III in 2012, he sent a private jet to Waco to fly RG3 out to Arizona to work with Terry Shea, the former Rutgers coach who is now a quarterback coach. Shea has worked with several Condon-signed QBs, such as Blaine Gabbert, Sam Bradford and Josh Freeman.

Except RG3 didn’t want to go. He was open to working with a QB coach, but didn’t want to work with Shea. As the story goes...

************************
NFL Draft: Manziel, Bridgewater headline upcoming pro days
Here's what to look for at two of the most important pro days this year:

March 17, Teddy Bridgewater

Bridgewater needs to show consistent touch and accuracy on downfield throws of 20+ yards. His deep placement was streaky throughout the season and he needs to show a better feel for all vertical passes. Bridgewater can also help himself by showing leadership traits throughout the passing drills, instructing receivers on different routes and taking full command of the field and workout. His slender body type isn't something that will change for his workout, but Bridgewater should be able to show off his efficient mobility, timing and overall arm talent.

March 27, Johnny Manziel

Manziel needs to show the same velocity to all levels of the field with proper anticipation and placement at the top of each route. A pro day setting won't give Manziel a chance to show off his instinctive and elusive scrambling, but it will help show his ability to operate from within the pocket. It won't be surprising if a broom or two is involved to help simulate Manziel throwing over outstretched hands at the line of scrimmage. He seems to step up on the big stage so with every eye on him at his pro day look for Manziel to perform well.

Other notable pro days to watch:

March 7, Ohio State: RB Carlos Hyde suffered a left hamstring pull during his first 40-yard dash attempt at the NFL combine, but is expected to be healthy for his pro day. A similar situation for LB Ryan Shazier who “tweaked” his hamstring and didn't run the 40-yard dash in Indianapolis, although he did post a combine-best 42-inch vertical leap.

March 18, Florida: The trio of Florida cornerback prospects had average NFL combine performances, but all three still have something to show at their pro day in Gainesville. CB Jaylen Watkins ran a 4.41 in the 40-yard dash, but didn't participate in the positional drills due to a strained Achilles. CB Marcus Roberson and CB Loucheiz Purifoy both ran 4.61 in the 40-yard dash, a number that isn't indicative to their play on the field. Both will presumably like to improve that number at Florida's pro day. DT Dominique Easley won't work out at this pro day as he still recovers from ACL surgery, but is planning to do drills sometime in April.

April 2, South Carolina: While he impressed with his 40-yard dash and vertical jump, DE Jadeveon Clowney didn't have a great 3-cone drill (7.27) and skipped the positional drills, telling reporters “I really didn't feel like doing it here.” He will perform the positional drills and agility drills (that he skipped) at his pro day.

April 16, Georgia: When asked if he would be ready for Georgia's pro day, QB Aaron Murray, who suffered a torn ACL in November, said that was the goal “right now.” He said the knee is feeling “awesome” and he's doing everything already, just not a full speed yet.
 
One thing I've learned about evaluating draft classes: the guy who's hot this year can fall of next year. I was pulling for Tajh Boyd. Now Tajh Boyd is barely being discussed on this board.

Waiting for next year doesn't mean the guy you want to come out will be as good as you thought he'd be.
 
On the radio they said we'll actually get to practice as a team before the draft arrives.

That could be a big bonus. OB can get a first hand look at what's what before the draft comes.
It takes a little time to find, but per the collective bargaining agreement, the off season workout program consists of three parts. The first is a two week period of only strength, conditioning and rehabilitation. Next is a three week period of on-field workouts limited to individual player instruction and drills; and "team practice conducted on a separates basis". No live contact is permitted and no team offense vs defense is permitted.

Per the official NFL schedule, April 7 is the date that teams with new head coaches are permitted to start their off season workout program. So we'll have at least 16 days under stage two before the draft.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/schedules/keydates
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000155146/article/nfl-announces-dates-for-offseason-workouts
 
March 27, Johnny Manziel

Manziel needs to show the same velocity to all levels of the field with proper anticipation and placement at the top of each route. A pro day setting won't give Manziel a chance to show off his instinctive and elusive scrambling, but it will help show his ability to operate from within the pocket. It won't be surprising if a broom or two is involved to help simulate Manziel throwing over outstretched hands at the line of scrimmage. He seems to step up on the big stage so with every eye on him at his pro day look for Manziel to perform well.

...well, maybe not a broom...

a9e4eac061da01316a58001dd8b71c47
 
One thing I've learned about evaluating draft classes: the guy who's hot this year can fall of next year. I was pulling for Tajh Boyd. Now Tajh Boyd is barely being discussed on this board.

Waiting for next year doesn't mean the guy you want to come out will be as good as you thought he'd be.

Or they could improve, which I think Winston/Mariota/Hundley/Hogan will do.

After his horrible bowl game (Really disappointed me) Petty will probably go in the 2/3rd rd range. But he's got the arm strength/mobility to be a starting QB in the NFL. IMHO

My sleeper QB's this yr, Garappolo/Murray
 
After power agent Tom Condon inked Robert Griffin III in 2012, he sent a private jet to Waco to fly RG3 out to Arizona to work with Terry Shea, the former Rutgers coach who is now a quarterback coach. Shea has worked with several Condon-signed QBs, such as Blaine Gabbert, Sam Bradford and Josh Freeman.
Except RG3 didn’t want to go. He was open to working with a QB coach, but didn’t want to work with Shea. As the story goes

---------------------

I don't blame RGIII
 
Or they could improve, which I think Winston/Mariota/Hundley/Hogan will do.

After his horrible bowl game (Really disappointed me) Petty will probably go in the 2/3rd rd range. But he's got the arm strength/mobility to be a starting QB in the NFL. IMHO

My sleeper QB's this yr, Garappolo/Murray

He put up impressive numbers, but when you stay in school, your game gets ruthlessly dissected (see Barkley, Matt). A few questions into Boyd’s trip to the podium, an overhead speaker announced Sammy Watkins would be taking questions nearby, and a third of the crowd bolted to hear what the likely Top 10 pick had to say. Boyd, undeterred and upbeat, took all the difficult queries and deflected them as if he were a missile shield.

----------------------
the NFL wants to see as many games as possible not to see these guys progress, but to get rid of the frauds...and given the money/time involved at the QB position in particular I don't blame them.
 
Waiting for next year doesn't mean the guy you want to come out will be as good as you thought he'd be.

No, Maybe not that specific player you are keeping an eye on....


But chances are there will be someone (or a few) that deserves some consideration.
 
It takes a little time to find, but per the collective bargaining agreement, the off season workout program consists of three parts. The first is a two week period of only strength, conditioning and rehabilitation. Next is a three week period of on-field workouts limited to individual player instruction and drills; and "team practice conducted on a separates basis". No live contact is permitted and no team offense vs defense is permitted.

Per the official NFL schedule, April 7 is the date that teams with new head coaches are permitted to start their off season workout program. So we'll have at least 16 days under stage two before the draft.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/schedules/keydates
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000155146/article/nfl-announces-dates-for-offseason-workouts

Cool...

That should do us some good heading into the draft.
 
Scott Kacsmar ‏@FO_ScottKacsmar
Quote:
A NFL draft truth I know: after all the bitching & hype, over 250 players will be drafted and about 25 of them will actually be really good.

Probably the most honest and accurate assessment of the draft I've heard.
 
Andre Williams, Jordan Matthews lead overlooked combine stars

By Gil Brandt
It was hard to find a player at the NFL Scouting Combine who hadn't put in a lot of work leading up to the event. So many of them performed above expectations -- not just the high-profile guys, but even the ones projected to go lower in the draft, which is a good sign.

Two things stood out for me at the combine: First, the emphasis on strength these days is unbelievable. Players these days are more strength-conscious than ever before.

To give you an idea of why that's notable, in 1997, an offensive line prospect out of Washington State named Scott Sanderson, who was a third-round pick by the Titans, threw the bar up only six times. At this year's combine, every offensive lineman who performed in the bench press put up 20 reps or more. That's never happened before.

The other thing that stood out for me was the incredible speed of these prospects, particularly the receivers and running backs. Of the 75 or so WRs and RBs at the combine, I personally timed 17 of them at under 4.4 seconds, and two of them at under 4.3 -- Oregon State's Brandin Cooks and Kent State's Dri Archer. (Officially, Archer was the only player who posted a sub-4.3 time, at 4.26; Cooks' official time was 4.33.)

On Wednesday, I talked about some of the top draft prospects who stood out at the combine. Let's turn to some of the less-talked-about guys at the combine who caught my attention, listed here in alphabetical order.

(The 40 times mentioned below are ones that I hand-timed myself at the combine. The official times are listed in parentheses.)
...
 
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