NFL Draft Combine Insider

[thebac]

By Scouts, Inc.
For ESPN Insider
Wednesday, February 25
Updated: February 25
4:13 PM ET


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Scouts, Inc., takes a position-by-position run through the results of the recent scouting combine in Indianapolis.

Quarterbacks
Several quarterbacks, including Ole Miss' Eli Manning, LSU's Matt Mauck, N.C. State's Philip Rivers and Kansas State's Ell Roberson, chose not to work out, while several others, including Miami of Ohio's Ben Roethlisberger, Michigan State's Jeff Smoker, Kentucky's Jared Lorenzen and Bowling Green's Josh Harris, chose to throw but not to run the 40-yard dash.

Despite not running, Roethlisberger stole the show at the quarterback position with his strong interviews and arm in passing drills. Roethlisberger evidently had some trouble with timing while throwing to a revolving corps of receivers, but that is expected from all quarterbacks at the combine. His zip on the deep out and ability to drive the ball downfield on a line was what impressed scouts most during his workout. ... Furthermore, every NFL official we spoke with who interviewed both Roethlisberger and Ole Miss' Manning said Manning was fine, but Roethlisberger blew them away with how he handled the process. ... Tulane's J.P. Losman, who has had an up-and-down pre-draft experience, was extremely impressive at the combine. Not only did he show a quick release and great arm strength, he also ran 4.66 in the 40-yard dash. ... In terms of heights and weights, Roethlisberger again stole the show by showing up at nearly 6-5 and a fit 240 pounds. Manning was 6-4½ and 221 pounds. ... Rivers came in at 6-5, 229 pounds. ... Lorenzen was the biggest story during weigh-ins, as he showed up at 288 pounds -- 18 pounds heavier than scouts expected. ... As an underclassman-entry, Mauck's decision not to run or throw was disappointing. ... Tennessee QB Casey Clausen did not run but really hurt his draft status with a poor throwing session. He struggled to make a lot of throws on a line that most other quarterback in his group made, and his overall accuracy was poor.

Running Backs
Maurice Clarett was the biggest story of the Combine. His decision not to work out, and the fact he showed up out of shape at 237 pounds, infuriated most NFL officials, who expected Clarett to be out to prove he was mentally and physically ready for the process after challenging and beating the league's early-entry rules. If anything, he did just the opposite. ... Florida State RB Greg Jones, Oregon State RB Steven Jackson (still rehabbing from minor knee surgery), Michigan RB Chris Perry, Virginia Tech RB Kevin Jones and Cal RB Adimchinobe Echemandu also did not work out.

Oklahoma State's Tatum Bell, Notre Dame's Julius Jones, Tulane's Mewelde Moore and Florida's Ran Carthon were the big winners at the position. Bell ran a 4.42 at 5-11 and 212 pounds. He also benched the standard 225 pounds 25 times. Jones was only 5-9½, but weighed in at 217 pounds, ran a 4.48 and had a great overall workout. Moore ran an expected 4.6, but was clearly the best receiver at the position. Carthon surprised scouts with his 4.47 40-yard dash and also impressed in his agility drills. ... Northern Illinois' Michael Turner helped himself by catching the ball better than expected and also by running a 4.43 at 223 pounds.

On the other hand, there were several running backs who didn't live up to expectations. Ft. Valley State's Duron Croson was one of the small-school prospects at the event, but he failed to capitalize on the opportunity by dropping several catchable passes and running 4.88 and 5.0 in his two 40-yard dash attempts. ... Washington's Rich Alexis was healthy enough to work out, which was a positive, but, after running a 4.69, he might have been better off had he not. ... Arkansas' Cedric Cobbs ran a 4.7 on his first 40-yard dash attempt and pulled out after it. He cited a hamstring 'tweak, but the overriding opinion was that Cobbs decided not to run again after the initial disappointing result. ... Arizona RB Clarence Farmer, who was kicked off his team as a senior, hurt his draft stock even more by running a 4.75, as did Boston College RB Derrick Knight, who also ran a 4.75 at just 5-8½ and 209 pounds.

Fullbacks
All seven of the invited fullbacks worked out. Tennessee's Troy Fleming was the most impressive of the group, with Pittsburgh's Lousaka Polite coming in a close second. Fleming is a running back/fullback 'tweener who has some potential to contribute in certain situations in a one-back set in the NFL. Running a 4.58 in the 40 and showing the softest hands of the group as a receiver only helped. Polite, a more traditional fullback with good size and blocking skills, ran an impressive 4.66 at 238 pounds. ... Penn State FB Sean McHugh looked extremely stiff, struggled to catch the ball and ran a 4.97. People are wondering if he shouldn't move back to tight end now. ... Arizona State FB Mike Karney caught the ball well, but running a 5.11 won't help him. ... Minnesota's Thomas Tapeh (4.75), Duke's Alex Wade (5.03) and Kansas State's Travis Wilson (4.88) also ran disappointing 40 times.

Tight Ends
Miami TE Kellen Winslow Jr. did not work out, but he didn't help his draft value when his height was recorded at 6-3 7/8, as he was projected to be much closer to 6-5. He also weighed in at 251 pounds and completed 24 reps on the bench press. ... Others that did not work out include Florida's Ben Troupe (6-4, 265), Minnesota's Ben Utecht (6-6, 249) and Boston College's Sean Ryan. Ryan did, however, put up 22 reps on the bench press. ... North Carolina's Bobby Blizzard (6-4, 266 pounds) completed just 12 reps on the bench press and also chose not to run. ... Georgia's Ben Watson, Arkansas' Jason Peters and Ohio State's Ben Hartsock had the best workouts of the tight end group. Watson (6-4, 258) was the fastest (4.49) and also led the group with 34 reps on the bench press. Peters' combination of size (6-4½, 336) and speed (4.84) was astounding, and he also put up a respectable 21 reps on the bench. Hartsock's measurables (6-4, 263, 4.75, 23 reps) were adequate, but he had the best hands of the bunch in workouts. ... Pittsburgh's Kris Wilson (6-1½, 248 pounds) is an H-back prospect who probably will never be more than a situational player in the NFL, but his speed was a lot better than expected, as he ran an impressive 4.60 in the 40. He also completed 24 reps on the bench press. ... Utah State's Chris Cooley bulked up to 265 pounds and ran a respectable 4.77 in the 40, but he was just decent in his workouts. ... Virginia Tech's Keith Willis hurt his chances as a mid-round prospect by running 5.03 at 6-5½, 260 pounds.

Wide Receivers
As expected, Pittsburgh WR Larry Fitzgerald did not work out, but he was measured at nearly 6-3, which was a question coming in. ... Washington WR Reggie Williams did not work out either, but was most impressive at 6-3, 229 pounds in a receiver group loaded with size. ... Others who did not run include Miami's Kevin Beard (choice), Ohio State's Drew Carter (right ACL), USC's Keary Colbert (choice), Clemson's Derrick Hamilton (choice), LSU's Devery Henderson, Ohio State's Michael Jenkins (left groin), Texas' B.J. Johnson, Texas A&M's Jamaar Taylor (medical), Texas' Sloan Thomas (medical), Marshall's Darius Watts (choice) Texas' Roy Williams (choice) and Clemson's Kevin Youngblood (choice). Of those that did not run, Beard, Colbert, Hamilton and Jenkins did participate in drills. Beard and Hamilton were two of the most inconsistent receivers when it came to catching the football, but Colbert was one of the most polished and consistent receivers of the group.

It will be interesting to see the official time on Oklahoma State's Rashaun Woods when it comes out early next week, because the times we got from NFL scouts ranged from 4.39 to 4.58. Regardless, Woods had a terrific workout, including his 39-inch vertical. ... N.C. State's Jerricho Cotchery (4.63) didn't blow scouts away with his 40-time, but he had an excellent overall workout. ... Texas Tech's Carlos Francis (4.31), Oregon's Samie Parker (4.37), Wisconsin's Lee Evans (4.37), Alabama's Triandos Luke (4.40), East Carolina's Terrance Copper (4.46) and Nevada-Reno's Maurice Mann (4.46) were the fastest of the receivers who ran.

Conversely, Oregon State's James Newson (4.82), LSU's Michael Clayton (4.71), Florida's Carlos Perez (4.87) and Virginia Tech's Ernest Wilford (4.75) were among the slowest who ran. Wilford did, however, impress with his hands and 41-inch vertical.

At 6-2½, 203 pounds, Colorado WR D.J. Hackett ran much better than people expected (4.50), and he also showed great hands. ... Fresno State's Bernard Berrian's 40-time (4.56) was not terrible, but it was terribly disappointing from a receiver expected to be one of the fastest in the group. His poor time could drop him to the third round of the draft. ... Ole Miss' Chris Collins might have shown the best hands out of all the receivers who worked out, but, as expected, he did not run well (4.65). ... Finally, Syracuse WR Johnnie Morant is as unpolished and inconsistent as they come, but it's hard to imagine him falling to the second day of the draft after running a 4.47 at 6-4, 221 pounds.

Offensive Tackles
Montana's Dylan McFarland (hamstring), USC's Jacob Rogers (hamstring), Florida's Max Starks (hamstring) and Miami OT Carlos Joseph (choice) made up the group of tackles that did not run. McFarland and Starks did, however, work out. Starks was evidently extremely impressive in agility drills for a massive tackle.

The two top offensive tackle prospects did work out, with Iowa's Robert Gallery running an impressive 4.93 -- at 6-7, 323 pounds -- and Arkansas' Shawn Andrews running a 5.43 at 6-4, 366. Andrews' performance on the bench was adequate, with 27 reps and, while scouts would like him to take off some more weight, showing up at 366 pounds was a positive after rumors he had ballooned to nearly 400 pounds following the season. Gallery's bench was a bit disappointing with just 24 reps. His arms were also shorter than ideal (32¼), but his workout was the best of any offensive lineman at the combine. ... South Carolina's Travelle Wharton (6-3½, 312 pounds, 5.08 40-yard dash) and Purdue's Kelly Butler (6-7¾, 320, 5.05) both helped themselves, while Georgia Tech's Nat Dorsey (6-7½, 323, 5.46) did not. ... One of the big stories of the week was Ole Miss' Stacy Andrews, who showed up at 6-5, 339 pounds, completed 34 reps on the bench press and also ran an impressive 5.06 in the 40-yard dash. Andrews was a track star at Mississippi who only played in five collegiate games, but his upside is enticing. As one pro personnel director told us, "I can't wait to get back to the office to study the hell out of those five films."

Offensive Guards
Miami OG Vernon Carey (knee), BYU OG Quinn Christensen (hamstring), Tennessee OG Anthony Herrera (ankle) and all chose not to run, and Christensen was the only of the three to work out.

Among the guards who help their draft value were Miami-Ohio's Jacob Bell and North Carolina's Sean Locklear. Both had impressive workouts flashing very good agility. Before Bell pulled his hamstring, he ran a 5.01 and had 26 reps on the bench press. Locklear's workouts during agility drills were most impressive, while he also ran a 5.12 and completed 27 reps. ... Not so impressive were Arizona State's Regis Crawford, who posted the worst 40-time of the week (5.95) and Stephen Peterman, who at 6-4, 312 pounds ran a 5.45 and looked extremely stiff in his drills. ... Ohio State's Adrien Clarke didn't run a great 40-time (5.47) but he showed good agility in his workouts for a 6-5, 328-pounder. ... Kentucky's Antonio Hall played tackle in college but cemented the fact that he's an NFL guard prospect with his "stiff" workout and 5.43 40-time.

Offensive Centers
Every center prospect at the combine chose to work out. ... Virginia Tech's Jake Grove tweaked his hamstring while running his first 40-yard dash (5.03) and did not work out after that. ... Texas Tech's Toby Cecil declined to run the 40 due to a left quadriceps sprain but did work out. ... Alex Stepanovich's continues to improve his draft value following an injury-plagued senior season. After a strong showing at the Senior Bowl, Stepanovich had one of the better workouts of any offensive lineman, and he checked out physically after going through the extensive medical exams. ... BYU's Scott Jackson was extremely impressive, running a 4.95 and also benching 28 reps. ... Purdue's Nick Hardwich also helped himself with a solid workout on top of completing 27 reps on the bench and running a solid 5.11 in the 40-yard dash. ... Houston's Rex Hadnot hurt his chances as a late-round prospect with a 5.57 in the 40 while also looking stiff in drills.

Defensive Ends
USC's Kenechi Udeze, Ohio State's Will Smith, LSU's Marquise Hill, UCLA's Dave Ball and Delaware's Shawn Johnson all did not workout.

The best performances turned in by defensive ends came from Western Michigan's Jason Babin (6-2½, 260, 4.62) and Hampton's Isaac Hilton (6-3½, 267, 4.56 and 31 reps on the bench). ... Among the highest bench press results at the position include Babin (28), Hilton (31), Hawaii's Travis Laboy (35) and Connecticut's Uyi Osunde (33). ... Completing 35 reps on the bench and showing up at a bulked-up 6-3, 263 pounds helped Laboy tremendously and could have solidified his spot on Day 1 of the draft. ... On the other end of the spectrum, Pittsburgh DE Claude Harriott continued his free-fall with a sub-par workout while weighing in at just 252 pounds. ... The workout of Alabama DE Antwan Odom (6-5, 274), which included 21 reps of the bench and a 4.75 40-yard dash, was adequate but nothing special. Scouts were pleased, however, that he was ready to work out and willing to compete.

Defensive Tackles
Most of the top DTs, including Miami's Vince Wilfork, Oklahoma's Tommie Harris, Maryland's Randy Starks, Ohio State's Tim Anderson, LSU's Chad Lavalais, Auburn's DeMarco McNeil and Rodney Leisle did not work out.


Washington's Terry "Tank" Johnson (6-2½, 304, 4.73) stole the show with his impressive overall performance. Not only did he run a 4.73, but he also completed 31 reps on the bench. ... Oregon's Igor Olshansky had great numbers as well, running 5.0 and completing 41 reps on the bench press at 6-5 and a beefed-up 315 pounds. ... In what was the most exciting element of the week, Hawaii's Isaac Sopoaga called his shot that he would beat Olshansky's 41 reps, then did it with 42. When he later found out that the record was 45 he was upset with himself, because he felt he could have beat it. ... Florida State's Darnell Dockett surprised NFL officials by working out. He strained his hamstring while running a 5.0 on his first 40-yard dash and did not run another one, but did show up at an impressive 6-3, 297 pounds.
Linebackers
Miami's Jonathan Vilma and D.J. Williams, Auburn's Karlos Dansby and Florida State's Michael Boulware were among the notables that were in attendance but did not lift, run or work out. ... Dansby showed up 13 pounds over his playing weight at 6-3, 251 pounds, and his interviews were said to be less than impressive.

Nebraska OLB Demorrio Williams' lack of size remains a concern, but he improved his value by running a 4.50, the fastest time amongst the linebackers. ... Notre Dame ILB Courtney Watson also impressed scouts, running a 4.53. His speed suggests he has the range to make plays from sideline to sideline and shows he has the versatility to play on the outside as well as the inside. ... Nebraska OLB T.J. Howell and Maryland OLB Leon Joe also ran strong 40-times. While Oklahoma OLB Teddy Lehman didn't improve his stock by clocking in at 4.57, he certainly didn't hurt himself, and he showed he can run a fast time away from his home track. ... Washington's Marquis Cooper couldn't break the 4.6 barrier, but he didn't hurt his value by running a 4.62.

One of the big disappointments of the group was Kansas State's Josh Buhl, who weighed just 204 pounds at 5-11. With his 40-yard dash being recorded in the mid-to-high 4.6's, it also is unlikely that he'll be able to make a fulltime move back to safety. ... Georgia Tech's Daryl Smith (24 reps) and Keyaran Fox (28 reps) both did adequate jobs on the bench press, but while Smith's size was better than expected at 6-1½, 234 pounds, Fox's was disappointing a 6-2, 227 pounds. ... The strongest of the group was Duke's Ryan Fowler, with 35 reps on the bench press. He also checked in at an impressive 6-3, 250 pounds.

Cornerbacks
Virginia Tech's DeAngelo Hall didn't disappoint, finishing with the fastest 40 time among corners at 4.34. Arkansas' Ahmad Carroll wasn't far behind at 4.37, and South Carolina's Dunta Robinson finished with a very respectable 4.4. Tusculum's Ricardo Colclough pulled his hamstring on his first 40 attempt and now needs to get healthy enough to record a time for scouts before the draft. South Carolina's Tedric Crawford didn't even show up, despite receiving an invitation. ... UCLA's Matt Ware was the biggest cornerback of the group at nearly 6-3 and 215 pounds.

Safeties
The potential of Iowa's Bon Sanders is somewhat limited by his lack of height, but he improved his stock by running the fastest 40-time of any safety with a 4.37. ... At 6-0, 215 pounds, Georgia FS Sean Jones ran in the mid 4.4s and also had a 40-inch vertical jump. He impressed in his interviews, as well, and should have solidified a spot in the second round with his overall performance. ... Arkansas' Tony Bua checked in at just under 6-feet tall and weighed 208 pounds. He completed 15 reps on the bench but looked a little bit stiff in a lot of the agility drills the defensive backs did. ... Arizona State's Jason Shivers helped himself a little bit with an above-average showing. At 6-0, 201 pounds, Shivers ran in the low 4.5's and also showed smooth hips and good agility in the coverage drills on Tuesday.

[dirno2000]

Thanks

[OutletPass]

Watch out for Tatum Bell at RB.
You heard it here first.

[scorched03]

dang thebac, u post it here while i was looking elsewhere to see if it was posted [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

love the insider posts.
if anyone else wants more info www.nflfans.com is a great free draft site

[FineCubanCigar]

i would love to take clarrett in the 2nd round and let the tuna whip his butt into all-pro shape