2009 Combine News & Notes (merged)

[cstjohn17]

Most of the sites covering the combine haven't posted any measurements yet for defensive players, as far as I can tell. On nfl.com you have to look under individual players to find the measurements. Some interesting ones of note:

This is great, thank you.

 

[mayoclinic]

I also left off Michael Johnson, who measured a legitimate 6'7" and 266#. Not that I see him as a 3-4 OLB prospect for the Pats.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Its premature to say that English being 6'2, 270 would take him off the Pats board. That's the exact height and weight of Adalius Thomas. Let's wait to see what English runs and what kind of athleticism he shows before dismissing him. He was a basketball & track star in high school - so he might be a freak of nature like AD, and he could be a SILB fit perhaps.

Larry has gained 18 lbs since the Senior Bowl, there are two interpretations; (1) he's lazy and eats like I do, or (2) he wants to play 4-3 DE (which pays more than 3-4 OLB) and has been working to make himself more marketable as a DE. We'll get some idea tomorrow...assuming the boobs at NFL Network can spare any camera time for the drills - we wouldn't want to miss an nuance of the stoned faced coaches in the stands or the talking heads on the set. I'm giving English the more positive, for him, spin on his weight gain, but if he wanted to be considered for LB, he'd have held his weight.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

OMG, props from Seneschal2 and BOR on one post? I've died and gone to heaven.

I forgot to mention, but Brian Cushing (not high on my list) weighed in at 6'3" and 243#.

I saw that Brian Orapko had 31 reps on the bench press, 33 for Raji, 25 for Curry, and 27 for Tyrone McKenzie, as well as the 24 reps for Lee Robinson which you mentioned.

Well, yeh, but what have you done for me lately?

 

[tjones7]

This is a fairly comprehensive list thus far...no DB's included.
Measurements and times from the 2009 NFL combine - ESPN

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Pat White, Deon Butler shne at NFL combine - NFL - SI.com

Posted: Sunday February 22, 2009 7:11PM; Updated: Sunday February 22, 2009 11:08PM

Penn St.'s Butler shines at combine

By Tony Pauline, Special to SI.com, TFYDraft.com

INDIANAPOLIS -- The big names took center stage to perform for scouts Sunday and it was a fast day on the turf of Lucas Oil Stadium. There were a variety of results, both good and bad, during the seven hours of combine workouts.

Risers

Deon Butler/WR/Penn State:
Johnny Knox/WR/Abilene Christian:
Pat White/QB/West Virginia:
Knowshon Moreno/RB/Georgia:
Mike Thomas/WR/Arizona:
Brian Hoyer/QB/Michigan State:
Kory Sheets/RB/Purdue:
Cedric Peerman/RB/Virginia:
Kenny Mckinley/WR/South Carolina:

Sliders

Josh Freeman/QB/Kansas State:
Shonn Greene/RB/Iowa:
Mark Sanchez/QB/USC:
Derrick Williams/WR/Penn State:
Jason Boltus/QB/Hartwick:

Notes

Percy Harvin ...struggling to get under 4.4-seconds...

 

[mayoclinic]

Pat White, Deon Butler shne at NFL combine - NFL - SI.com

Just as with the Senior Bowl, it's interesting (or frustrating, depending on your perspective) to see different draftniks put a totally different spin on a player's performance. Tony Pauline lists Knowshon Moreno as a "riser" whereas many people were disappointed by his slower than expected 40 time and feel it may cost him. My guess is that it won't and he's a solid 15-25 pick, but I'm not sure where the "riser" label comes from.

 

[WhiZa]

I found a good website (albeit from a steelers fan) for combine numbers that is actually sortable. It's updated pretty soon after the official numbers come out.

Offensive Linemen 2009 NFL Combine Results | Steelers Depot

 

[PatsCanDoIt]

Also for combine numbers go to footballs future site. There's positio links under the first photo. They even have Arm length and hand size for some positions. They post unofficial times then replace those with official times.

 

[mayoclinic]

Also for combine numbers go to footballs future site. There's positio links under the first photo. They even have Arm length and hand size for some positions. They post unofficial times then replace those with official times.

There's a big lag time on Football's Future and other sites. FF did not have weighs and height listed for defensive players until yesterday, even though all weigh-ins were completed by Saturday. They still don't have numbers listed for DBs. nfl.com lists "top performers" but doesn't break it out by position for all participants - you have to look up participants by name, and then it only gives height and weight info. So you have to dig a bit to get information.

 

[patchick]

I found a good website (albeit from a steelers fan) for combine numbers that is actually sortable. It's updated pretty soon after the official numbers come out.

Offensive Linemen 2009 NFL Combine Results | Steelers Depot

Thanks -- not totally comprehensive, but thank goodness for sortable!

 

[sg14]

From the Mayo-BOR Post,,

Clay Matthews weighed in at 6'3" 240#. He's sliding into Steeler's territory.

What does that mean??

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

From the Mayo-BOR Post,,

Clay Matthews weighed in at 6'3" 240#. He's sliding into Steeler's territory.

What does that mean??

Not much, he dropped some weight to get faster/quicker for the Combine & Pro-Day, he can add another 10 lbs and be effective, but he'll still need to get better at stacking and shedding and setting the edge.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Risers/Sliders: D-Line and LBs - NFL - SI.com

Posted: Monday February 23, 2009 6:46PM; Updated: Monday February 23, 2009 7:09PM
Combine Risers/Sliders: DL & LBs

By Tony Pauline, TFYDraft.com

A fast group of defensive linemen were center stage at the NFL combine on Monday and were followed by a faster group of linebacker prospects. Scouts had to be pleased as a number of potential top-flight pass rushers and defensive linemen really brought their A-games to Indianapolis. Here's the breakdown.

Risers

Brian Orakpo/DE/Texas:
Aaron Curry/OLB/Wake Forest:
Connor Barwin/DE-OLB/Cincinnati:
Everette Brown/DE-OLB/Florida State:
Jarron Gilbert/DL/San Jose State:
Ziggy Hood/DT/Missouri:
Lawrence Sidbury Jr/DE/Richmond:
BJ Raji/DT/Boston College:
Roy Miller/DT/Texas:
Clay Matthews/LB/USC:

Sliders

James Laurinaitis/ILB/Ohio State:
Rey Maualuga/LB/USC:
Larry English/DE-OLB/Northern Illinois:
Paul Kruger/DE-OLB/Utah:
Maurice Evans/DE-OLB/Penn State:

Notes: ...a number of prospects ran poor 40 times including Michigan's Tim Jamison (5.03), Penn State's Aaron Maybin (4.75) and Brandon Walker of Texas Tech (4.94). Yet all three displayed terrific quickness, footwork and football skills during position drills. Does timed speed win out or do scouts go by what they saw the players accomplish once the football was brought onto the field?

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Combine Risers/Sliders: Defensive backs - NFL - SI.com

Posted: Tuesday February 24, 2009 8:32PM

Combine Risers/Sliders: DBs

By Tony Pauline TFYDraft.com

The 2009 NFL Scouting Combine came to completion on Tuesday as the defensive backs took to the field and worked out for the few remaining scouts and coaches on hand. There were several performances in both the morning and afternoon sessions which will likely to shake up the cornerback rankings and could impact the top of the draft. Here's the breakdown.

Risers

Vontae Davis/CB/Illinois:
Morgan Trent/DB/Michigan:
William Moore/S/Missouri:
Brandon Underwood/S/Cincinnati:
Alphonso Smith/CB/Wake Forest:
Keenan Lewis/CB/Oregon State:
Jamarca Sanford/S/Mississippi:
Chip Vaughn/S/Wake Forest:

Sliders

Malcolm Jenkins/CB/Ohio State:
Kevin Ellison/S/USC:
Michael Hamlin/S/Clemson:

Notes: ...Oregon State's Brandon Hughes (4.38 seconds), South Carolina's Captain Munnerlyn (4.39 seconds) and Ladarius Webb of Nicholls State (4.37 seconds). ...Defensive backs must be as proficient moving backwards as they are running forwards. All three struggled in position drills and in the case of Hughes and Munnerlyn, were two of the slowest in tests which time a defensive backs ability to backpedal over several yards on the field.

 

[mayoclinic]

Here's Pauline's overall list of risers and sliders from the combine:

Pat White, Ian Johnson, Jason Smith improved at NFL combine - NFL - SI.com

Not as detailed as the individual position lists, but worth noting.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Here's Pauline's overall list of risers and sliders from the combine:

Pat White, Ian Johnson, Jason Smith improved at NFL combine - NFL - SI.com

Not as detailed as the individual position lists, but worth noting.

"Barwin, a converted tight end, was barely on the radar screen of scouts before the season began. He turned in a dominant senior season in which he cemented himself as a top 60 choice then made his case to be a first rounder at the combine. Barwin finished in the top five of every workout category for the defensive linemen except one (bench press). Barwin proved to be a terrific football player last year and at Indianapolis also showed he's a great athlete. That's the stuff first round picks are made of."

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

A lengthy blog post near and dear to patchick's heart:

Bust factor hangs over receiver decisions - NFC West - ESPN

Bust factor hangs over receiver decisions

February 21, 2009 11:58 AM

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

"There are some wide receivers certainly capable of being taken in the first round, much moreso than last year," Tennessee Titans general manager Mike Reinfeldt said.

Capable does not necessarily mean worthy. Teams consistently use first-round choices on receivers without realizing the anticipated payoff.

For every Fitzgerald, whom the Cardinals selected third overall in 2004, there's a David Boston, whom the Cardinals selected eighth overall in 1999. And a Koren Robinson, whom the Seahawks selected ninth in 2001.

 

[Urgent]

In terms of 40 speed and 3-cone results, this year's group of LB's and DB's were much slower than the last couple years. The results I saw showed most of the DB's grouped around 4.53 in the 40, a big change from last year.

 

[patchick]

Combine Risers/Sliders: Defensive backs - NFL - SI.com

Their "riser" list doesn't include Butler or Delmas? Did they watch the same combine I did?