| Combine: OL/TE Observations | ||||
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Combine Observations 2/27/2010
Participants at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine finally got on the field today to give spectators a taste of their athletic prowess. For the naysayers who believe the whole process is overblown, it’s worth noting that 211 (or 82-percent) of the 256 players drafted last year all took part in Indy’s annual dog and pony show.
Offensive linemen: Guard Mitch Petrus was the star of the bench press exhibition, as he lifted up the 225-pound steel bar 45 times. It’s an amazing feat of strength, no doubt, but history teaches us that tossing dead weight around isn’t an accurate indicator of how good a player will be at the next level. In fact, two players who previously checked in with 45 reps (Leif Larsen and Mike Kudla) never amounted to anything as pros. This portion of the combine generally favors linemen with shorter arms and barrel chests, which makes the performances of Russell Okung (38 reps) and Bruce Campbell (34 reps) even more impressive, considering that they sport 36-inch and 34-inch arm lengths respectively. Rutgers product Anthony Davis was among the biggest disappointments when it came to his 40-time (5.38) and low output on the bench (21 reps). But what was most troublesome was how flabby the former Scarlet Knight looked in drills, where he appeared to have a very lumbering gate. To his credit, though, he did prove that he’s a natural knee bender, which will help him maintain his leverage down the road. The lateral slide drill clearly favored tackles over the interior linemen, who aren’t accustomed to playing in space. During this session, Bryan Bulaga was excellent, demonstrating top-notch footwork and lateral agility, college tackle Ciron Black, on the other hand, struggled in mirroring his man. This doesn’t mean he won’t be any good, but it clearly indicates that he’s not an NFL tackle. Guard Jeff Byers predictably has some difficulty here as well, but that shouldn’t take away from his run blocking abilities as a phone booth lineman. The stars of the cone drill were Roger Saffold, Ed Wang, and Trent Williams; all of whom looked very fluid and smooth. Saffold, in particular, maneuvered around the cones very easily, exhibiting exceptional ankle flexion. In terms of overall movement, Mike Johnson appeared a bit stiff at times, while Shawn Lauvao’s footwork was a bit disappointing. Kyle Calloway, similarly, looked to be slow out of his stance. Marshall Newhouse’s 5.00 40-time may look fabulous on paper, but his massive upper body and skinny legs are a red flag, as was his terrible performance at the East-West Shrine game. It also became painfully obvious that Kyle Jolly isn’t an NFL tackle. The 6’6” blocker moves just like you would expect a man of his dimensions to move. His big arms and even bigger feet seem to be dangling all over the place when he runs laterally or in a straight line. Despite Campbell’s all-world showing, Okung remains the best offensive lineman in the draft. His combination of strength and technique is unmatched, and unlike Capmbell, he’s a more consistent performer on the field. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy looked very comfortable in bending his knees and giving himself a good, wide base. Tight Ends: Dorin Dickerson was the star of the 40-yard dash, a she clocked in with a clean 4.40. Former hoops player Jimmy Graham was right behind him with a 4.56. Graham looked very smooth running out-and-up circle routes and showed natural hands during the always exciting Gauntlet drill. Dennis Pitta was downright effortless in that same drill, evoking memories of Brandon Pettigrew last year. Jermaine Gresham’s 4.76 40-yard dash was nothing to celebrate, but his ability to adjust to low throws was a sign of how truly gifted the long tight end is as a pass catcher. Blocking tight end Nate Byham also looked pretty comfortable adjusting to both high and low passes going his way. Anthony McCoy was among the more disappointing players in this group due to his tendency to let passes get into his body instead of being more aggressive and snatching the ball his hands. Underachiever Andrew Quarless could have really helped his stock by running a better 40-time than his 4.69. He also tripped over himself during the Gauntlet. 
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