Wednesday, March 3, 2010

NFL Combine News & Notes

RUNNING BACKS:
California's Javid Best... could be considered in the early second round if teams have no concerns about his late-season concussion... many feel that he will, at least initially, work best if teamed with a north-south runner, the way the Giants have with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw.

Clemson's C.J. Spiller... someone could jump on Spiller in the same manner that the Tennessee Titans did with Chris Johnson in the first-round... his big-play potential and versatility would make him a solid addition to teams like Atlanta, Seattle or San Diego.

Tennessee's Montario Hardesty... has created enough buzz around his workout, which included leading all running backs in the vertical jump, broad jump and than posting very impressive 40-times, that many area scouts were saying they planned to go back and review additional game film from his career... one scout also noted that Hardesty looked very good during the weigh-in after adding ten pounds and showing that he worked hard since the end of his season.

Georgia Tech's Jonathan Dwyer... may have slipped to a mid-to-late 2nd-3rd round because of a lack of deep speed and change of position in terms of where he will line-up in the backfield and than the fact that he did not have a great on-field workout, struggled with his hands/routes... Dwyer will need to have a strong Pro Day and work his 40-times down and show improved quickness in order to bounce back from his sluggish performance in Indianapolis.

WIDE RECEIVERS:
Clemson's Jacoby Ford... officially ran the fastest 40-time at the NFL Combine; 4.28... he's still seen as a smallish prospect that would be more of a slot receiver and return man... there is certainly a chance that someone will jump on the pure straight-line speed that Ford exhibited earlier than expected but most scouts insisted that he's still more of a late 2nd-3rd round pick.

Louisville's Scott Long... had the fastest 3-cone drill time at the NFL Combine; 6.45... hit 41.5" on the vertical and ran mid-to-high 4.4 range, which when combined altogether has teams going back to research why his production was so inconsistent during his senior year... Long was not one to point a finger, but the Cardinals offense struggled because of the QB play this past season and now Long's upside and natural skill set may allow him to be taken as high as the 3rd-4th round.

QUARTERBACKS:
West Virginia's Jarrett Brown... had a fantastic workout, running 4.54 in the 40-yard dash... 34.5" vertical and then threw the ball impressively during portions of his on-field workout... Brown may have the most upside of any available senior signal caller... he went 11-3 as a starter... lacks ideal experience and did threw more interceptions than touchdowns during his senior year if you subtract his four touchdown performance against East Carolina... however, he is more accurate than you would expect, has a very live arm and the athleticism to create plays in the pocket and on-the-move... special athlete with the ability to become a starting quarterback with 2-3 years of seasoning.

Ole Miss' Jevan Snead... threw the ball with improved accuracy than what you see on most of his junior game film... generally showed very good arm strength, quicker release than many of the other quarterbacks that threw the ball for scouts... he does eye down and aim the ball on some of his throws... also has one noticeable flaw to his throwing motion as he comes across his body, which created some of his accuracy and turnover issues this season... he has a fair amount of upside with patience, but there are also a few questions that need to be answered about his ability to take hard coaching and make the changes needed to be a successful NFL QB.

Cincinnati's Tony Pike... likely did not help or hurt himself with his on-field workout, but left a number of the same questions unanswered for scouts that they arrived with on him... shows a good, quick release, but he exhibited just average arm strength on his deeper throws... however, the biggest surprise was his accuracy throughout his on-field workout was disappointing... he also has a very slight frame needs 15-20 pounds bulk/muscle... and most scouts said he would be a 2-3 year project in their minds who is more of a 3rd round choice.

TOP OVERALL PICK... WHAT WERE THEY LIKE?

*What scouts were saying about McCoy and Suh after meeting with them this past weekend:

Oklahoma's Gerald McCoy... smiles, speaks well, very charismatic, humble about himself and game, good background... may be a little talkative at times for certain coaches or position coaches... not arrogant, but very confident in his ability... had a few issues with doing one of the on-field drills... scouts said it will be interesting to see if he will look to improve upon his combine results at Oklahoma's Pro Day or sit on what he recorded since he's pretty much already assured of being a Top 3-to-5 pick.

Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh... a little more reserved off-the-field, quiet, attentive, good passion for game, comes across as dedicated, hard worker and coachable... wants to be successful but not a "A" type personality... he will work hard even when he achieves success... will not mind doing all the dirty work as an interior defender to help create plays for others... was very well trained when it came to performing his drills.

- Information from The NFL Draft Bible and other reporters was used in this report. The NFLDraftBible.com is the preeminent source of NFL Draft Information.

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