2009 NFL Combine: Saturday's Recap

Nothing beats the excitement of a 40 yard dash. It may be overrated in analyzing prospects, especially for offensive linemen, but it’s a great way to know that the NFL Draft is quickly approaching. Today was the first of four exciting days of on-field workouts. Offensive linemen, tight ends, and specialists ran and participated in several drills. Interestingly enough, it may have been two players not participating that received the most attention.

If you haven’t heard by now, Alabama’s left tackle Andre Smith was nowhere to be found as the Combine continued. It was later reported that he had left town and was back in Atlanta where he had two workouts scheduled for the day. On Friday, he stood in front of a packed weight room and announced that he had problems finding an agent and wasn’t ready to work out when his name was called. His agent took credit for the mishap Saturday morning saying that he was late to announce that Smith would not be working out. Even so, players usually stick around, watch the work outs, and interview with teams and coaches. This could be a big character mark against Smith, who had already been suspended for his team’s Bowl game. Some teams may even cross his name completely off the board due to laziness and a potential lack of commitment to the game. Still, don’t count on him falling out of the top ten.

Michael Crabtree also saw his stock take a bit of a hit. In the morning, it was reported that Crabtree had a stress fracture in his left foot that will require a screw. This type of injury typically takes up to ten weeks to correct, which could add to the risk in selecting this talented wideout high in the draft. He later announced that he would put off the surgery until after his Pro Day, scheduled for March 26. It will be up to the individual teams as to how much importance they wish to put on this injury.

Offensive Line:

I can’t seem to locate that one guy (like Jake Long last year) that has jumped out with an outstanding Combine. The closest I can get is Eric Wood, the center out of Louisville. Word has it that he’s incredible in interviews and is one of those players that just gets it. In the drills, he looks like someone that could be starting in the league from day one for the next ten years. He benched 30 reps and moved really well. Look for him to go in that 2nd round range.

Let me stick with the underrated centers to briefly mention Penn State’s A.Q. Shipley. He’s also another football player that just gets it. His interviews have been off the charts according to some in Indy and his Combine workout has been great, posting numbers near the top of his position in the Bench Press, Vertical, and Shuttle. He has very short arms, but he’s a guy that’s going to give defenders fits with his persistence. He could turn out to be a late round steal.

After the last few days, William Beatty may have just assured himself a selection in the first round. His footwork is unteachable, but after showing some susceptibility to power players at the Senior Bowl, he put on around ten pounds and benched 27 reps. If he can continue to improve his strength, he should be an elite left tackle in the NFL. Jamon Meredith and Jason Smith also looked well put together and tested well. Meredith posted one of the fastest 40 times at 5.04, but just looked natural while running it. He passed the eyeball test all day, as did Jason Smith who posted a 5.22, but he also benched an impressive 33 reps.

Some talk of Michael Oher and Herman Johnson’s 21 reps has surfaced. In comparison, USC kicker David Buehler benched the same weight 25 times. This isn’t worrying in the least bit because when you watch both of these players play, they can really manhandle opponents. The results here were slightly distorted because of perfect technique and arm length. Some players tend to “cheat” on the bench press, but these two seemed to be locking out each rep. This shouldn’t be as much of a concern as is the fact that neither player looked particularly light on their feet Saturday. That has always been a problem for me when evaluating Johnson, but didn’t really present itself as a huge problem for Oher until today. Johnson did seem to carry his weight really well though. Neither player really had a great week, but I just wanted to point out that not too much should be made out of the bench press results.

Tight Ends:

The honor for freak athlete at tight end goes to South Carolina’s Jared Cook this year. If you go back to the preview from several days ago, I pointed out that he could crack the 4.4’s. His first unofficial time of a 4.42 really had people jumping out of their seats. When official results came out, it was lowered to a 4.50, still enough for best at the Combine. He jumped well with a 41” vertical and a 10’3” broad jump, both of which were good for tops at the position. You can be certain that many more mock drafts will project him in the first rounder from here on out.

Brandon Pettigrew, this year’s consensus number one tight end, needed three runs to affirm himself as a 4.8 athlete. More alarming then his slow time, which was almost expected, was his sluggish starts in all of his 40 yard dashes. It didn’t really seem as if he had a great technique for the 40. This could mean two things. For one, he’s a much faster athlete on the field and runs precise routes, so this shouldn’t be a mark against his abilities in the passing game. Secondly, teams in the second half of the first round must really have enjoyed his performance. If they’re confident in what they see on the game tape, they’re hoping this 40 yard dash could slide him into their laps. Don’t count on him lasting past pick 20 because not too many people were expecting 4.6’s out of him and they still loved him.

James Casey and Cornelius Ingram were the other impressive athletes. They were expected to test well and they did. Neither really blew away scouts like Jared Cook, but both ran in the range they were projected. Kory Sperry was the tight end to improve his stock just a little bit. He showed up at near the top of every timed drill. Sperry has been a solid receiving tight end at Colorado State and projects to be a late-round selection.

Tomorrow will mark the Combine’s most exciting day with the glamour positions set to take the field. Quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers will be on the field. Certainly the 40 yard dashes will be thrilling to keep an eye on, but I’ll also be keeping a closer eye on the quarterbacks, especially Mark Sanchez. 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: QB | RB | FB | WR | TE | OT | OG | C | ST