2011 NFL Combine: Saturday Recap

Tight Ends:

Jordan Cameron, USC – Cameron, a former basketball player for the Trojans, had a nice workout on the field. His 4.03 shuttle shows outstanding change of direction skills and his 37.5” vertical looks even more impressive next to his 6’5 size. You have to wonder why he wasn’t more productive at USC, but there’s no denying the raw tools he has. With proper coaching, he may be able to be used in a similar fashion to Aaron Hernandez in New England, but from a route running perspective, there couldn’t be a larger difference between the two.

Virgil Green, Nevada – Green easily outperformed his peers in the vert and broad jump this week. He also looked like one of the most natural pass catchers in drills and helped his stock considerably.

Schulyar Oordt, Northern Iowa – Oordt is a fascinating player with terrific physical tools. For a class that didn’t look that impressive in the regular season, they sure managed to post some nice numbers Saturday afternoon. He looks like a deceptive 260 pounds and could easily pack on more weight without losing much in raw athleticism. I’m starting to grown fond of Oordt as a sleeper.

Rob Housler, Florida Atlantic – Housler quietly turned in the fastest 40 time on the day and lived up to that standard for all of the stopwatch activities. Showing the natural ability to stretch the seam, Housler comes with plenty of potential. His biggest weakness is his hands; he dropped a couple balls today.

Weslye Saunders, South Carolina – Saunders re-aggravated his broken foot and had to pull out after completing the two jumps. He could have used a successful week in Indy more than most, but instead suffered another setback.

Offensive Linemen:

Anthony Castanzo, OT, Boston College – Castanzo leaves Indy having given scouts reassurance of everything they had seen on him in the regular season. He moved well, bent at the knees, mirrored well, and generally looked comfortable moving around. Though Castanzo isn’t known as one of those elite physical specimens, his 4.40 shuttle and 7.25 cone results are more comparative to inside linebackers than offensive tackles. I’m starting to believe he may be the first tackle on the board. To me, he’s certainly the safest.

Nate Solder, OT, Colorado – Solder was expected to be one of the highlights in shorts this week and he didn’t disappoint. He measured in at 6’8 with 35 ˝” arms and continued on to post top marks across the board. By now though, I think scouts have come to realize not to put too much stock into these workout numbers. Fortunately for Solder, this athleticism will be backed up on tape. Consistency is his biggest flaw right now.

Joseph Barksdale, OT, LSU – Anyone remember what preliminary draft boards looked like last May? If so, you may remember Barksdale as one of the top tackles and inside the top 10 for some. Watching Barksdale this week, I couldn’t but think back to that. At nearly 6’5, 325 pounds with 36” arms, Barksdale moved well in positional drills and put up above average numbers across the board.

Jarriel King, OT, South Carolina – With a massive wingspan (36 3/8” arms) and great leg explosion numbers (30” vert and 9’6” broad), scouts will want to take another look at King. They’ll like him some in pass protection, but what they saw in the drills won’t impress them too much. He looked a bit stiff out there, but still has nice upside out at right tackle.

Jason Pinkston, OT, Pittsburgh – To me, Pinkston failed to pass the eye test in shorts. He looks stiff and didn’t carry his weight particularly well. He has an average frame and wingspan and though his short area quickness numbers are just a hair below average, he looked even more sluggish in space. Pinkston has the benefit of good collegiate production, but his future may be inside at guard.

Tyron Smith, OT, USC – Smith makes you realize how impressive NFL athletes are nowadays. His carries 307 pounds as well as anyone and his frame and potential will catch the eyes of many. It would have been nice to see him perform this week, but he cited a knee injury and withdrew.

John Moffitt, OG, Wisconsin – Outside of the elite physical specimen that is Joe Thomas, the Combine doesn’t usually boost the stocks of many Wisconsin linemen. Their greatest strengths tend to show up on film more than anything. Moffitt, and Carimi to a lesser extent, were no different. Moffitt actually put up nice shuttle and 3-cone results, but looked less than impressive in positional drills.

Jason Kelce, C, Cincinnati – If that 4.14 shuttle time isn’t a typo, that will probably be the most impressive number you see all week. To put that into perspective, the average shuttle time for a cornerback has been 4.20 in each of the last two years. It’s easy to blow a number out of proportion in relation, but this one has to open eyes and send scouts back to the tape.

Ryan Bartholomew, C, Syracuse – Bartholomew was one of the more impressive interior linemen this week. He moved even more fluidly in positional drills than his shuttle and 3-cone indicated—and those were well above average. I have the feeling scouts will be turning back to the tape on this young man.

Brandon Fusco, OG, Slippery Rock – It’s always a nice story to see the small school athletes impress this week. Fusco’s numbers were strong across the board and will get long looks as one of the top 3 centers. His biggest weakness is his tendency to play too high.

Continue to the Results -->