2009 NFL Combine: Monday's Recap

If your favorite NFL team is running the 3-4 defense, today was the day for you to tune in. This year’s draft doesn’t have great talent at linebacker or the prototypes for 4-3 defensive linemen, but it may have the best depth at the 3-4 rush linebacker (tweener) we’ve ever seen. On top of that, there are numerous prospects fitted to play the 3-4. Let’s examine closer.

Defensive Ends:

I don’t even know where to begin with the tweeners, so I guess I’ll start at the top of my personal list with Brian Orakpo. He limped off the field midway through practices with a tweaked hamstring. Injuries have been a concern with this athletic end at Texas, so seeing him walk of the field was a little disheartening. Still, he leaves as a big winner for his performances prior to that. His workout numbers compare favorably to Vernon Gholston’s a year ago with a 4.70 40 and a 39.5” vertical. I don’t see motor issues with Orakpo and I love his size and ability to contribute in the run game, unlike a couple other tweeners. I have a difficult time envisioning him slipping out of the top ten after this week.

Still, no one could touch Connor Barwin today. Imagine what Barwin could have done with several years on the defensive line. He just has a knack for getting to the quarterback and from an interview today, he’s ready to embrace the role of a linebacker at the next level. At 6’4, he has the ideal frame and carries his weight well. He showed remarkable explosiveness running a 4.66 40, jumping a 40.5” vertical, and a 10’8” broad jump. Barwin’s potential is through the roof and he seems to have the confidence and attitude to maximize it.

Former mid-round prospects Stryker Sulak and Lawrence Sidbury also really impressed me today. Sidbury’s been doing that all offseason with fantastic all-star games. He proved his speed around the corner today with a 4.64 40, the fastest time among defensive ends. I’ll be interested in his 10 yard split when that number is released, but I’d imagine that also being among the top two or three. Sidbury looks like he can play as a situational pass rusher in the 4-3 and potentially stand up in the 3-4. I think he may be slightly better suited with a hand in the dirt because of his length, but his versatility should help his land a spot in the first 50 selections. Sulak seems like a candidate to smoothly transition to linebacker. It may take him a year or two of development, but with a good workout, he’s moved into the 3rd round range.

As expected, Michael Johnson and Everette Brown also had impressive workouts. Michael Johnson looked very fluid in all of his drills, but his length does concern me about his ability to stand up. It would be too easy for offensive tackle to get into his body and neutralize him with leverage. As a 4-3 end, I really like his explosiveness and athleticism. He has great lower body explosion, marked by his good jumping numbers, and carries his weight very well, allowing for room to bulk up. Brown on the other hand could be a great standup linebacker. He has the speed, quickness, and strength to play the position. I’d be stunned if either fell past pick 20 because of their potential.

The one guy I see dropping a little is Penn State’s Aaron Maybin. His lean frame combined with his 4.88 40 yard dash concerns me. Though I don’t want to put too much stock into this result, I’m sure it left scouts less than impressed. If he bulks up, will he lose some quickness? If he loses the speed battle, he isn’t left with a whole lot in his arsenal. Maybin is a very risky prospect and while he looks fluid standing up, I wonder whether he has the skill set to be a DeMarcus Ware type standing up.

Jarron Gilbert proved to be a phenomenal athlete with the prototype size and athleticism of a 3-4 DE. He had productive senior season and after the Combine, he may even get looks from San Diego in the 1st round! Tyson Jackson and Rulon Davis are two other body types that fit the same position, but neither is quite the physical specimen that Gilbert is.

Defensive Tackles:

I hate to rave about B.J. Raji again, but he’s earned it yet again. Up to 337 pounds, Raji proved he has the size to play the nose. Even so, he still managed to run a 5.13, a great time for a DT. More impressive was just the way he handled the weight in drills. Raji moves so well that he’s starting to remind me more and more of Haloti Ngata coming out. The only thing he lacks is the frame and length. I would be shocked to see him slip out of the top ten.

In a continuation from the Senior Bowl, Ziggy Hood and Mitch King continued to prove that they belong in the NFL. In running a 4.89, I was surprised with how well King tested. He looked just as fluid running the 40 yard dash as he did in the workouts. It’s still a little puzzling trying to figure out where he’ll play in the NFL with short arms and at 6’2, 280 with little room to add weight. Hood on the other hand continued to impress as the prototypical UT, a position that requires shooting the gap. With his quickness and speed in the 40 and 34 reps, he proved to have the ability to hold his own in a Cover 2 scheme that favors his skill set.

Clemson’s Dorrell Scott is also working his way back up the charts into the 2nd-3rd round range. Scott benched (29 reps) and ran well (4.95) on a very solid 6’3, 312 pound body. His versatility along the defensive line should bode well for him because nearly every NFL team will be taking a look at him for their scheme.

Linebackers:

Sadly, the traditional linebacker class is as weak as the 3-4 OLB class is strong. The only thing the position will be able to boast is that it features Wake Forest’s Aaron Curry. Outside of the draft world, he may not have been a household name, but he sure should be. He’s one of the best linebacker prospects to come out in years. It’s not as if he needed a great workout, but what more would you expect out of Curry than just that. At 254 pounds, he ran the best time among linebackers (4.56). He also placed 1st at his position in the broad jump and vertical jump, which demonstrates lower body explosion. Simply put, I think the Lions should take a long, hard look at him with their first selection.

The two “best” inside linebackers, Rey Maualuga and James Laurinaitis failed to impress. Maualuga can’t be blamed too heavily as he left with a tweaked hamstring. He came up limping on his first 40 yard run after clocking in at a 4.82. He was supposedly only at 80% prior to the combine after suffering a hamstring injury a couple weeks ago while training. Laurinaitis on the other hand was believed to be a great athlete, but also ran a 4.80. That highly unimpressive number was countered by above average times in the Shuttle and Cone drills which are more valuable drills in measuring athleticism of a linebacker. Nonetheless, neither player helped themselves in Indy.

There are two other linebackers who may provide better value in later rounds. The first is Pittsburgh’s Scott McKillop. He’s known more for being a football player than an athlete, but his numbers today were good enough to pass in the NFL. His 40 time wasn’t particularly impressive, but he kept his Cone drill time at 7.00 seconds, which should be good enough. Even so, you still run the risk of a 2 down linebacker with McKillop though. The name I’ve started to look towards is Jason Phillips. He has a good pedigree and tested pretty well on Monday. Now it’s time to revisit some TCU games to see if his game play matches his Indy workouts.

With only one day of workouts remaining, football’s best athletes, the defensive backs, will take the field. Coverage begins at 11 AM so be sure to tune in to Football’s Future for the latest results and discuss it with over 40,000 fans on the Forum.

Results: DE | DT | ILB | OLB | CB | S