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2008 Scouting Combine: Friday

The second day of the Combine has passed us by and nothing too exciting has developed thus far. Saturday will bring big excitement with offensive linemen and tight ends expected to run and go through the drills. All coverage can be seen on the NFL Network and will also be broadcast live on NFL.com. Meanwhile, teams continued to interview players and few heights and weights managed to leak through to the media.

The first big stirrup came when wide receiver DeSean Jackson stood shirtless in front of scouts. As his numbers were announced, 5’9 ¾, 169 pounds, there was a buzz in the room. He came in even less than the meager frame he was listed at with California. With this slight frame, Jackson will struggle to do anything more than return kicks on special teams and run nine routes on offense. Well, to be honest, that’s all I thought he could do in the first place.

On the flip side, Colt Brennan may have helped his stock considerably. At the Senior Bowl, he weighed in at a meager 185 pounds. Brennan cited an illness for the reason and it appeared that few believed him. Well about a month later Brennan came to his next weigh-in a remarkable 26 pounds heavier. When it was his turn to hit the podium, he spoke of strict weight gain program he was on and that he had been working on his center exchanges and five and seven step drops. With a strong showing this week, Brennan could move himself into the fourth round range as a possible steal.

Perhaps the most surprising revelation of the day came from what most consider to be the top three backs in the draft. Darren McFadden, Jonathan Stewart, and Rashard Mendenhall all plan on running the 40 yard dash. You better believe that hundreds of heads will be focused on these three backs, even if it’s just to watch the young men lay millions of dollars out on the line. Many consider McFadden to be on the decline and believe either Stewart of Mendenhall will surpass him come draft time. It won’t take more than good 40 to possibly land Stewart in that picture. He measured in at 5’10 1/4 and 235 pounds. We’ll see how he puts that freakish strength to the test when he hits the bench press. If you’ve seen the picture of him floating through the internet, you can tell its all muscle and he’s at around 4-5% body fat. Simply astonishing.

Disappointing West Virginia back Steve Slaton will do a full workout at the Combine in hopes of restoring his stock to where it was prior to this season. Projected to run in the 4.3’s, don’t expect his stock to skyrocket too much. If he’s lucky, he’ll find himself in the late second or third round. He was also seen talking with the Buccaneers and Titans.

Near consensus top rated quarterback Matt Ryan measured in at a shade less than 6’5 and 228 pounds. He didn’t seem his confident self at the podium, but announced that he plans to run in Indianapolis. He’ll sit out of the positional drills and save his throwing for his Pro Day on March 18.

Finally, the most important news for mockers around the world: the coin flip. In a room somewhere inside the RCA Dome, representatives for the Falcons, Chiefs, and Raiders congregated. Only one coin flip was required. The Falcons rep correctly called tails. This meant that the Falcons win the lottery and will pick third in the draft. The Raiders, losing the toss, will pick in the fourth slot. The Chiefs will pick fifth. Had the Raiders won the toss, the Falcons and Chiefs would have flipped for fourth place.

Visit our page for an easy-to-read spreadsheet of measurements and numbers as they happen while the offensive linemen and tight ends hit center stage on Saturday.

Stay tuned to Football’s Future for a nightly wrap-up. You can also follow the Combine live with other draft enthusiasts around the world on our forums.