Who were the big winners at the combine?

[Sgt John]

I'll start with this guy:

Jared Cook, TE, South Carolina: Ran a position best 4.50 in the 40, 23 reps on the bench, a position best 41 inch vertical jump, and a position best 10'3'' broad jump. He needs to work on his blocking IMO and might fit more of an HBack mould with his stand up speed.

 

[dukdown]

Last year I said I didn't see a 1st round WR in the class. And granted, in hindsight, Eddie Royal, DeSean Jackson, and Donnie Avery probably could have gone higher than they did. But I don't see a 1st round DB in this group. The guy I really liked was Sean Smith out of Utah. 6' 4", 214 with great ball skills and a playmakers mentality he looked very fluid in the measurables and in the drills.

Whoops, I put this in the wrong thread. Anyways.

Winners - Aaron Curry, Jason Smith, Matthew Stafford, Lawrence Sidbury, Clay Matthews, just to name a few.

 

[Mustang Jones]

Pat White.

side note: To me, the Combine has become almost worthless. Certainly the overexposure the NFL is giving itself is tantamount to the backslapping Hollywood gives itself each year at the Oscars. Where knowing the lingo is like wearing the right dress. And ego is fed

 

[dukdown]

Pat White, yes and no. Ya, he threw the ball well, and performed as expected in the measurables, but the same questions are still there with him. He'll work out at WR at his Pro Day, and those reports should answer some of those issues. If he can return punts and kicks, play WR, and throw his hat into the Wildcat formation, then you've got a 1st day selection.

 

[Mustang Jones]

Pat White, yes and no. Ya, he threw the ball well, and performed as expected in the measurables, but the same questions are still there with him. He'll work out at WR at his Pro Day, and those reports should answer some of those issues. If he can return punts and kicks, play WR, and throw his hat into the Wildcat formation, then you've got a 1st day selection.

i was thinking more along the lines that the other QB's didn't look that good.

 

[dukdown]

True dat. A guy who I thought performed very well for the QB's during the entire Combine was Central Washington's Mike Reilly. 6' 3" 214, married, just looked like a guy who not only proved his athleticism, but showed strong poise.

 

[Mustang Jones]

was it just me, or was watching the combine better with the sound off?

 

[Mustang Jones]

not thread topic, but do the Niners take Sanchez if available?

 

[Mustang Jones]

True dat. A guy who I thought performed very well for the QB's during the entire Combine was Central Washington's Mike Reilly. 6' 3" 214, married, just looked like a guy who not only proved his athleticism, but showed strong poise.

tell me more

 

[DearbornDolfan]

not thread topic, but do the Niners take Sanchez if available?

Not unless they want to draft a bust. I realize the guy would go to a very weak division on all fronts, but having to play the Cards twice a year is going to expose him straight away.

 

[jmsmith1]

David Bruton, ND Safety

measured in at 6-2, 219, with a 4.46 40 yard dash.

went from the #10 safety to the #6 safety and from a possible late 2nd day selection to potentially a high second to low third rounder....

 

[Da Bomb]

i pay almost no attention to the combine. its utterly ludicrous to me that one day of a few running and jumping exercises can overrule several years of practice and game tape and everything else thats already happened. its ridiculous.

 

[dukdown]

Ya, you're right. I have no idea why every single team executive, player personnel person, coach, and top prospect goes to this thing. I guess they all have no clue.

 

[WesDawg]

I'll give some love to my local Abilene Christian guys, RB Bernard Scott and WR Johnny Knox.
Check out the ridiculous stats for B.Scott this season:
Rushing: 266-2156, 28 TD's Receiving: 47-826, 6 TD's

He's 5'11" / 200 and has a very similar small-school pedigree and skillset as Brian Westbrook (Villanova), plus he was singled out by many observers for outperforming more established RB's such as Knowshon Moreno and Javon Ringer in virtually every drill at the Combine.
All Knox did last season was haul in 56 catches for 1069 yds and 13 TD's in an offense obviously built around the RB. He consistently ran blazing 40 times in the high 4.2's and low 4.3's and also performed well in catching drills last weekend. Everyone's favorite draft analyst Mel Kiper acknowledged Knox as a big draft riser due to his overall performance. At 6'0" / 185, his size shouldn't be an issue going forward.
I concur with most of what some of you guys noted about how the Combine has developed into a dog & pony show that mostly doesn't change many opinions. However the one thing I've always liked about it, and to a lesser extent the all-star bowl games, is that it can get D-2 and D-3 players like these 2 the notice they deserve and maybe just a shot to make it at the next level.

 

[Da Bomb]

Ya, you're right. I have no idea why every single team executive, player personnel person, coach, and top prospect goes to this thing. I guess they all have no clue.

just because everyone does it doesnt mean its the best process. how many times have we seen workout warriors fail at the professional level where you dont score points for reps and 40s? and how many times have the college gamers who just always found ways to win but didnt really have the right height or speed or strength ended up being "diamonds in the rough" on draft day?

 

[dukdown]

I see, so how many jobs have you gotten where you just sent them tape of how well you flipped burgers at Burger King, and so they were so impressed, they decided to pay you a million dollars to be an Executive Chef at a gourmet restaurant.

It's a job interview. Nothing more, nothing less. And as I've stated before, while they do want to see you athletically, it's more for the physical and mental evaluations. To let their medical teams get their hands on you, and get their player personnel men to get a look at you, how you interact in group, follow instructions, and present yourself in interview.

 

[Phicinfan]

just because everyone does it doesnt mean its the best process. how many times have we seen workout warriors fail at the professional level where you dont score points for reps and 40s? and how many times have the college gamers who just always found ways to win but didnt really have the right height or speed or strength ended up being "diamonds in the rough" on draft day?

I think it totally depends on how you use the information.

Yes, I think you should obviously base most of the decision on what you have seen on the field in the past. How did they play in games against real competition.

However, for as many "workout warriors" as you call them that fail, there is always a Chris Johnson or some such that gets moved up due to the extra work they show at the combine.

My issue with the combine is letting players NOT participate. Screw that, if you accept the invite, then you MUST participate and show what you have....no extra face time.

 

[Da Bomb]

I see, so how many jobs have you gotten where you just sent them tape of how well you flipped burgers at Burger King, and so they were so impressed, they decided to pay you a million dollars to be an Executive Chef at a gourmet restaurant.

It's a job interview. Nothing more, nothing less. And as I've stated before, while they do want to see you athletically, it's more for the physical and mental evaluations. To let their medical teams get their hands on you, and get their player personnel men to get a look at you, how you interact in group, follow instructions, and present yourself in interview.

thats fair. and maybe the teams actually use the information correctly. but the media and fans sure dont seem to. i just dont buy all the fancy numbers and everything. it doesnt excite me. the one thing the combine is useful for is when it kills guys' stocks, like a WR that runs a 4.8 or an OL that suddenly just disappears or something. i cant see anything convincing me to move a guy up much, but i guess thats just me.

 

[Mustang Jones]

Pat White...

True dat...

Pat White, yes and no. Ya, he threw the ball well, and performed as expected in the measurables, but the same questions are still there with him. He'll work out at WR at his Pro Day, and those reports should answer some of those issues. If he can return punts and kicks, play WR, and throw his hat into the Wildcat formation, then you've got a 1st day selection.

Second round pick. without the whole pr/wr/kr gig.

What do I win?

 

[dukdown]

So, are you saying that the Dolphins spent a 2nd round pick on Pat White to only play QB in the 8-10 times a game they run the Wildcat formation? I would be surprised, with all the needs the Dolphins have, that they used the pick on White, and didn't envision ways of getting the ball in hands in all kinds of game situations. In fairness though, it took a team as creative as Miami to pull the trigger on White. If they hadn't taken him, it would have been interesting to see who else would have, and where he would have gone. Gotta think a team equally as creative, like New England, had to have him on their radar.