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.

Information going into the 2010 NFL Combine

-- The 2009 NFL Draft featured 42 players who were selected (256 players total were picked) that were not chosen to participate in last year's NFL Scouting Combine... last year's draft had the most non-combine players selected since 2003 when a total of 43 players were taken who failed to receive invites to Indianapolis.

-- NFL evaluators have been told that Notre Dame junior quarterback Jimmy Clausen and Tennessee junior defensive back Eric Berry, a pair of possible Top-10 selections, may come up "Short" when it comes to the weigh-in portion of the NFL Combine... Clausen may be under 6030 while Berry could be below 5110.

-- With many of the top signal callers opting not to workout because of injury or opting to wait for their Pro Days the quarterbacks who could benefit the most this weekend are Cincinnati senior quarterback Tony Pike, West Virginia senior quarterback Jarrett Brown, Mississippi junior quarterback Jevan Snead and Troy senior quarterback Levi Brown.

-- Teams will be paying close attention to the weight of Georgia Tech junior running back Jonathan Dwyer... those who are highly interested in his abilities hope to see a leaner 225-230 pound range back show up to Indianapolis... if he were to be too much north of 235 pounds it will create some questions about his work ethic and ability to be an every-down guy at the next level.

-- Wayne State senior running back Joique Bell has big expectations for his workout... according to several sources close to the Harlon Hill Award winner he hopes to break the 4.5 mark at nearly 225 pounds. Others that could surprise with eye-opening 40-times at the running back position include; Fresno State's Lonyae Miller, North Dakota State's Pat Paschall, Marshall's Darius Marshall and Virginia fullback Rashawn Jackson.

-- Notre Dame junior wide receiver Golden Tate could post one of the fastest 40-times amongst this year's crop of wide outs... Ohio U. senior wide receiver Taylor Price, South Florida junior wide receiver Carlton Mitchell, Clemson senior wide receiver Jacoby Ford and Connecticut senior wide receiver Marcus Easley could all easily break the 4.4 barrier on at least one of their 40-yard dash attempts... however, LSU all-purpose back/receiver Trindon Holliday or Kansas State wide receiver/return man Brandon Banks should battle for 40-yard dash supremacy at about 4.28.

-- Meanwhile, several area scouts expect one of Oklahoma State junior wide Dez Bryant, Illinois junior wide receiver Arrelious Benn, Kansas junior wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe or Tulane senior wide receiver Jeremy Williams to run slower-than-expected times in the 40-yard dash.

-- Hillsdale senior offensive tackle Jared Veldheer, Maryland junior offensive tackle Bruce Campbell, Iowa junior offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga, West Virginia senior offensive tackle Selvish Capers and Virginia Tech offensive tackle Ed Wang are all capable of running below 5.00 and as fast as 4.90 in the 40-yard dash and each will weigh over 300 pounds.

-- Abilene Christian senior offensive tackle Tony Washington may have the most crucial interviews of any prospect attending this week's NFL Combine as the 6060, 305 pound, Division II All-American was unable to attend any of the post-season all-star games due to the numerous restrictions surrounding a past conviction that has yet to be completely identified by members of all 32 teams... he has 2nd or 3rd round talent, but he has his work cut out for him this week as more than a few teams are unsure how or if he can fit into their future plans because of the lengthy restrictions that could follow him for the rest of his life.

-- Idaho senior offensive lineman Mike Iupati has a chance to post one of the top numbers in terms of total reps of 225 pounds in the bench press portion of the workout... sources close to the standout linemen say he should hit in the high-30's without maximum effort.

-- Last year former Florida tight end Cornelius Ingram dropped to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 5th round (#153 overall) because he was coming off a pair of knee injuries... he suffered another major knee injury this past summer and some believe that evaluators will take a very close look at Oklahoma tight end Jermaine Gresham's medical file and that he will likely be asked to come back to the medical re-check in early April so that all 32 teams can get as sure a read on the status of his right knee... he is expected to fully participate in the on-field workouts and aiming for 4.70 range in the 40-yard dash at 6060, 258 pounds.

-- USC junior defensive lineman Everson Griffen, Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham and Murray State defensive end Austen Lane, each expect to run 4.65 or better in the 40-yard dash... keep an eye on Louisiana-Lafayette senior defensive lineman Hall Davis and Nevada junior defensive end Kevin Basped who could both move into 3rd-4th round consideration with impressive workouts this weekend.

-- With all the DT talk surrounding Ndamukong Suh vs. Gerald McCoy, a number of others could push their way up the draft board based on their workouts this weekend... expect to see strong performances from Central Florida senior defensive tackle Torell Troup, UCLA junior defensive tackle Brian Price, Purdue senior defensive tackle Mike Neal and LSU nose tackle Al Woods.

-- TCU linebacker Daryl Washington has the potential to outshine more highly-acclaimed players like Alabama's Rolando McClain and Florida's Brandon Spikes when he times in the 4.5 range in the 40-yard dash.

-- Texas junior defensive back Earl Thomas has the ability to come out of the NFL Combine as a sure-fire Top-20 draft choice and by next week could be right on the heels of Tennessee junior defensive back Eric Berry and Florida junior cornerback Joe Haden for the title of first defensive back selected come April's draft.

-- Florida State senior cornerback Patrick Robinson almost certainly will post solid workout numbers, but keep a close eye on his positional workout as many evaluators are not in love with his instincts, foot-work and ability to find the ball when it is in the air.

-- Alabama senior cornerback Javier Arenas and Kentucky senior cornerback Trevard Lindley are two highly-acclaimed veteran defenders who may struggle with their 40-times... however, if he is 100% and able to workout expect to be impressed by the workout numbers turned in by Maryland senior cornerback Nolan Carroll and UTEP senior cornerback Cornelius Brown, who should run in the 4.4 range with 40" vertical at 5110, 195 pounds.

-- Syracuse senior defensive tackle Arthur Jones will not participate in the workout portion of the NFL Combine and will instead wait until a Pro Day scheduled for April 6th even though several sources close to him insist that he will be 100% medically cleared by the NFL Combine's medical staff and receive a clean medical evaluation after suffering both a torn pectoral muscle last spring and a torn left lateral meniscus in his knee during the season... teams employing a 3-4 defensive scheme are sure to send plenty of evaluators to his early April Pro Day and down-the-road Jones could end up being one of the best "Value" picks of the draft.

- 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.

Pre-Combine News and Notes

Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, will participate in all of the workouts at the NFL combine.

Wide Receiver Demaryius Thomas, of Georgia Tech, broke his left foot on Wednesday in Scottsdale, AZ, while training for next week's combine. He will not be able to do anything at the combine and it looks as if he will be out 4 to 6 weeks.

Wide Receiver Eric Decker of Minnesota will not be working out at the NFL Combine because of his foot injury that he hasn’t recovered from.

Quarterback Jimmy Clausen of Notre Dame will not be working out because of his toe injury at the NFL Combine as previously been reported.

Question marks surround quarterback Sam Bradford of Oklahoma as to if he will workout at the NFL Combine, most people I have spoken to say that he will not work out in Indianapolis and will wait for his Pro Day.

All signing are pointing to that tight end Jermaine Gresham of Oklahoma will work out at the NFL Combine because he is very close to being 100 percent.

Tight End Jim Dray of Stanford who injured his ankle at the Texas vs. the Nation game will not be able to work out at the NFL Combine, but hopes to be ready for his Pro Day.

Running Back Ryan Mathews of Fresno State will participate in all of the workouts at the NFL Combine and from people that are training with him as well as seen him train, he could be on player that blows the NFL scouts away with his work out numbers.

Running Back Jonathan Dwyer of Georgia Tech who some people question his weight gain this season has been working hard to be in the best shape of his life and should weight in less then around the 235 pounds he played at this season.