Watching the 2010 NFL Combine

[midwestpatsfan]

Some quick impressions I have had so far from watching.
1. A more athletic group of OL and TE than last year.
2. Trent Williams, the OL from Indiana, and Veldheer have looked pretty good. Veldheer a little stiff but good feet.
3. Gresham has disappointed me, did not catch the ball well in the gauntlet. The kid from Miami looks intriguing, but for my money, give me Moeki from Iowa. He will be good value as long as he stays healthy. That was tough for me to say, because I am a cyclone, but he is athletic, can block, and can catch.

 

[WhiZa]

Some quick impressions I have had so far from watching.
1. A more athletic group of OL and TE than last year.
2. Trent Williams, the OL from Indiana, and Veldheer have looked pretty good. Veldheer a little stiff but good feet.
3. Gresham has disappointed me, did not catch the ball well in the gauntlet. The kid from Miami looks intriguing, but for my money, give me Moeki from Iowa. He will be good value as long as he stays healthy. That was tough for me to say, because I am a cyclone, but he is athletic, can block, and can catch.

I'm officially on the Jimmy Graham bandwagon. He had the second fastest 40 time, and caught the ball better then anyone. On top of that he's the tallest TE at 6-7 and he seemed really focused. There's not a lot of game tape on this guy, but if used properly I think he can be a real weapon. High potential.

 

[PatsCanDoIt]

I'm officially on the Jimmy Graham bandwagon. He had the second fastest 40 time, and caught the ball better then anyone. On top of that he's the tallest TE at 6-7 and he seemed really focused. There's not a lot of game tape on this guy, but if used properly I think he can be a real weapon. High potential.

So I'm watching the TE group online. They were performing the broad jump. Located in square view was a short (anyone would look short there) black guy with a Patriots logo on his shirt. He was seemed very interest in Jimmy Graham. Did anyone else see that scout? Who is he?

Oh yeah, When Jimmy jumped he looked like he was floating. He just soared!

 

[VJCPatriot]

It's a need... but would anybody be happy with the Pats taking a TE in the first round?

Official top OL times at the combine:

1. Bruce Campbell 4.85
2. Trent Williams 4.88
3. Marshall Newhouse 5.00
4. Jared Veldheer 5.09
5. Shelley Smith 5.11
6. Selvish Capers 5.14
7. John Jerry 5.15

 

[WhiZa]

So I'm watching the TE group online. They were performing the broad jump. Located in square view was a short (anyone would look short there) black guy with a Patriots logo on his shirt. He was seemed very interest in Jimmy Graham. Did anyone else see that scout? Who is he?

Oh yeah, When Jimmy jumped he looked like he was floating. He just soared!

Doesnt look like one of the coaches. He's probably one of the 10 or so scouts the Pats have.

 

[PatsChamp88]

Jimmy Graham certainly is an interesting prospect, didn't Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates come from basketball backgrounds too?

 

[Kontradiction]

Jimmy Graham certainly is an interesting prospect, didn't Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates come from basketball backgrounds too?

I was impressed him him, Garrett Graham, and ****erson. Gresham looked excellent at times and looked like he needed work at other times. Wish Hernandez would have worked out.

 

[patsinthesnow]

It's a need... but would anybody be happy with the Pats taking a TE in the first round?

Official top OL times at the combine:

1. Bruce Campbell 4.85
2. Trent Williams 5.88
3. Marshall Newhouse 5.00
4. Jared Veldheer 5.09
5. Shelley Smith 5.11
6. Selvish Capers 5.14
7. John Jerry 5.15

What does a 40 time for a OL show? They obviously don't need speed at the position, so does it just show who's the most athletic?

 

[Calciumee]

What does a 40 time for a OL show? They obviously don't need speed at the position, so does it just show who's the most athletic?

They need some speed. A screen can't work if the linemen aren't even near the defenders to block.

 

[WhiZa]

Speed is a function of agility so straight speed may not mean much it does relate to the most important skills for an OL

 

[PatsCanDoIt]

What does a 40 time for a OL show? They obviously don't need speed at the position, so does it just show who's the most athletic?

Look at the 3 foot high posts along the 40 with a guy in a chair staring at it. You'll here a beep after a runner crosses each post. Those are for 10 yards, then 20 yards and a final at 40 yards. The 10 yard split is important to scouts. Later on we'll see the splits posted online somewhere.

 

[VJCPatriot]

So what 40 time did Jacoby Ford just register? They were interviewing him and saying he ran 30 mph??

oooh, this Starks kid can jump. I really wish they'd just give the numerical result onscreen though cos announcers don't tell you the result half the time.

Here goes Ben Tate... Tate appears to have some ups too.

I'd like to see Spiller, McCluster, and Best.

 

[BritPat]

So what 40 time did Jacoby Ford just register? They were interviewing him and saying he ran 30 mph??

oooh, this Starks kid can jump. I really wish they'd just give the numerical result onscreen though cos announcers don't tell you the result half the time.

Here goes Ben Tate... Tate appears to have some ups too.

I'd like to see Spiller, McCluster, and Best.

4.28/4.27

Dude's got wheels.

Mike Williams is killing this by the way. He's a knucklehead, but boy is he talented.

 

[VJCPatriot]

I'm watching receiver group 5 run the gauntlet. Interesting to see them run the routes and see the QBs try to hit them. Some of these throws are off, so they aren't the receiver's fault.

Hmm ford with a 4.27? Yeah he's fast. How are his hands and route running though?

 

[patsinthesnow]

I'm watching receiver group 5 run the gauntlet. Interesting to see them run the routes and see the QBs try to hit them. Some of these throws are off, so they aren't the receiver's fault.

Hmm ford with a 4.27? Yeah he's fast. How are his hands and route running though?

I'm watching the runningbacks do the jump by standing.

Mcknight had the farthest with 9 ft 10, and Johnathan Dwyer had the lowest with 8 ft 10. (He looks kindof fat, lol).

 

[VJCPatriot]

Tate is making some impressive catches, climbing the ladder. I don't know what's up with shipley/white slipping all over the place.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Tate is making some impressive catches, climbing the ladder. I don't know what's up with shipley/white slipping all over the place.

Has he impressed you the most?

 

[VJCPatriot]

I agree with Mayock. IMO all the QB prospects should throw at the combine. This is your chance to show off your arm. Who cares if you are unfamiliar with the receivers? The scouts don't care if the receiver doesn't catch it, they want to see your footwork and your arm strength. Flacco turned himself into a first round pick by wowing scouts at the ccombine.

Watching the QBs throw the Route tree is kind of fun to watch. But I think it's over now.

Has he impressed you the most?

Hmm he had a good day imo. But there were other receivers that had good days as well. I'm not convinced that he was the best receiver in the group but he definitely showed off his athleticism on some of his catches. I think D. Williams looked pretty sharp as well. It was harder to track the other guys because their names weren't announced as they ran the routes. But you'd know it was Tate when he ran because of his golden shoes.

 

[HarkDawg]

Tate has good 40 speed... but does he have Welker's quick 10-20 yard burst?


40 speed doesn't show how quick someone is.... it shows us how fast they are.


I like quick over fast. Especially out of the slot.

 

[VJCPatriot]

I think McKnight just had a 10'8 broad jump. That would be pretty impressive. He's one of those kids with the athleticism but not quite the production to back it up. I wonder if it was lack of opportunity or intangibles that caused the lower production? He was behind a lot of guys in USC.

B. Tate had a 10'4. Made it look easy too. I wonder how much correlation the standing broad jump has to leg explosiveness?