Combine catchup: defensive line, linebacker

Notes from NFL Combine coverage of February 28: (post back-dated to 3/17)

* Suh vs. McCoy. Mike Mayock says he would take Gerald McCoy over Ndamukong Suh because McCoy “is more disruptive in the pass game”. That really doesn't explain to me why Suh has ten more career sacks than McCoy, when McCoy's scheme allowed him to go more aggressively after the QB.

As far as their gym class numbers, they ran similar 40s – McCoy 4.96, Suh 4.98. Suh outbenched McCoy 32-23, though. So McCoy did 3 more benches than 172-pound Dexter McCluster. Red flag much? McCoy completely butchered his first attempt at the 3-cone drill, but ran a nice time on the retake, faster than the average end ran last year. Suh looked much more fluid in change of direction drills, though, and I don't know why teams wouldn't have him significantly ahead of the defensive line pack at this point.

Not Mayock, though, who tries to talk down Suh's stats this year as “inflated” because of what he did against an “overrated” Texas offensive line in the Big 12 championship game. Of course, McCoy played against Texas, too, also in a very big-game atmosphere; he NEVER mentions that game. Probably because it doesn't help his argument, either. Suh had 10 tackles, 2 assists and 4.5 sacks against Texas. McCoy? 3 tackles, no sacks, or 2 tackles more than Colt McCoy had in the very same game.

In other words, shut up, Mayock.

Suh and McCoy do compare well in terms of fun facts. Ndamukong means “house of spears”. His father's from Cameroon; his mother's from Jamaica. He's named for his grandfather. WHO IS SEVEN FOOT THREE. McCoy, otoh, had one team ask him during a Combine interview whether he prefers to wear a jockstrap or a g-string on game days.

* Cut back on the ham. Sean Weatherspoon of Mizzou is supposed to be one of the top defensive players in the draft. He's expected to go as early as the tail end of the first round. The Rams need LBs, and he can credibly play any of the LB positions.

And after watching his antics at the Combine, I couldn't be less interested in having the guy in a Rams uniform. His look-at-me white bodysuit made him the only guy I saw to deviate from the Combine's official gym uniform. He hot dogged during drills and mugged for the cameras incessantly. And this is during the Combine. What's he going to do during a real game? I consider the guy a major attitude issue for the team that drafts him. NOT interested in a LB who wants to be the next Dorkocinco.

* Gym class results.
DE:
Bradon Graham: 4.69 40, 31 benches. He got to 31 in a lot better shape than Suh got to 32.
Sergio Kindle: 4.65
Carlos Dunlap: 4.66
Jason Pierre-Paul: 4.64 with 19 presses. Impressive he ran almost as fast as McCluster; not so impressive he only outlifted him by two.
Brian Price of UCLA did 34. As the best DT after the big two, maybe that gets him on more radars.
Linval Joseph of East Carolina did 39.
That was followed by Jeff Owens of Georgia doing 44, AT LEAST ONE QUARTER OF WHICH should not have counted. Those were the bench press equivalents of girls' high-school P.E. pushups. Come on!

LB:
Navarro Bowman: 4.72
Roddrick Muckleroy: 4.73
Eric Norwood: 4.67
Daryl Washington: 4.57.
Dekota Watson: 4.53
Weatherspoon: 4.53, 34 benches. (More than Suh!) So the good news is, he can back up his non-stop mouth.
Rolando McClain benched 24 times but did not run.
Donald Butler: 35 benches, did not run.
Brandon Spikes also did not run.

Bowman fell over during the change-of-direction drill and looked entirely awkward doing it. Spikes looked way too high when he ran it. Muckelroy botched his drill.

George Selvie looked pretty good dropping back in coverage. Seems more likely to be a 3-4 OLB at this point.

Jerry Hughes and Koa Misi showed terrific footwork but whiffed on the pass during the “interception return” drill. Kindle and Greg Middleton also had drops during the drill.

As you might expect, Terrence Cody running the 40 was one of the ugliest looking things you have ever seen. Unlike former teammate Andre Smith, though, he at least had the common decency to run with his shirt on.

* Upgrades/downgrades.
Tyson Alualu of Cal continuing to draw attention as an -inside- lineman. I still like him on the outside.

Mayock called Ole Miss DE Greg Hardy “a shadow of his former self” due to injuries.

Mayock also called Sergio Kindle -better- this year than Brian Orakpo was last year.

Surprising stat because I didn't know it: Greg Middleton had -16- sacks for Indiana in his sophomore year, 2007. So is he that good, or is he Ian Campbell?

Suprising stat because Mayock completely butchered it: Antonio Coleman is a two-time team sack leader at Auburn. Mayock made it sound like he led the whole SEC for two years.