2011 NFL Combine, day 1 (OL/TE)

Notes on the first day of the 2011 NFL Combine:

* The Rams have been the early newsmakers of this year's Combine. Of course, it's because one of their scouts got drunk and got arrested for peeing on a building in downtown Indianapolis and exposing himself to a female police officer. Way to represent the team, Luke Driscoll. You know, when you're working for a team that prides itself on its “Four Pillars” approach, it's probably best not to go out and piss on one of them. I actually see people online DEFENDING this guy, which blows me away. Indoor plumbing's been around for a very long time; public urination should be a pretty easy crime to avoid here in the 21st century. Well, at least it wasn't as bad as the Lions coach who drove naked through the drive-thru.

* Also Rams-related: Julio Jones, billed at Alabama as 6'4”, measured 6'2 and 3/4”. That's not as bad as Michael Crabtree shrinking a full two inches a couple of years ago, but I HATE LYING college football programs.

* I'm calling Anthony Costanzo the offensive line star today; I think he's raised himself into a very likely top-10 pick (I'm looking at you, Dallas). No matter what drill the linemen ran, Costanzo looked like the player with the best technique. He got such a good jump in the kick-slide drill, he didn't even have to push the “rusher” behind the quarterback position; he just stoned him where he stood. He looked perfect in the mirror drill, and his performances in the 40 and in the weight room were fine. Nate Solder showed great athleticism everywhere but the weight room, where he's getting downgraded by many for finishing just 21 bench presses by people ignorant to the handicap very long-armed athletes like Solder are at in that particular exercise. Solder's height did make him look awkward at times in drills, though. I think he's a clear #2 to Costanzo's #1.

* The winner at tight end's going to be considered Virgil Green for his outrageous 10'10” broad jump and 42.5” vertical leap, but I thought Julius Thomas and D.J. Williams ran 1-2 for the day. Their gauntlet runs were pretty well flawless. Thomas showed he can really pull down high passes, which you'd figure he could as a former basketball player. He and Williams were the superior TEs in dig route and comeback route drills. Green and Lance Kendricks made some excellent catches, but had problems with consistency.

* Beyond that, tight end was a real mess. Lots of dropped balls. Luke Stocker had at least three. Lee Smith had a couple. Kendricks followed a perfect first gauntlet with a couple of bad drops the second time. Almost everyone had lots of trouble staying in bounds, finding the ball on deep routes, adjusting to the ball. Schuyler Oordt let EVERY pass get into his body the first gauntlet and had a couple of drops on the second. Cameron Graham just looks like a poor athlete; I'm not even sure what he was doing there. They weren't kidding; this is a truly weak draft at tight end. Maybe the Rams shouldn't have screwed around last year and taken a guy with persistent injury problems and another guy who had barely ever played the game. They won't get Julius Thomas this year where they got Fendi Onobun last year.

* RamView's still a big Rodney Hudson fan. He's put on 14 pounds since the Senior Bowl, up to 299. He looked very good in the agility drill and in the pull-block drill. He looked damn good in the down-block drill. He's really fluid, can play guard or center, and showed during the Senior Bowl that he's a rock in pass protection. I wouldn't have hesitated to draft him for a second until seeing his 8.03 time in the 3-cone drill, a definite red flag.

* Danny Watkins is another very capable guard with a big fat red flag; I believe he's going to turn 27 this season. I think he'd be fine for a team where he'd start right away and that is just a guard away from taking the next big step. The Rams aren't that team.

* Brandon Fusco, the Slippery Rock center, impressed. His times and measurements were right there with the best of the big school linemen. He's the real deal. Also impressing: Derek Sherrod looked good in the agility drill and put up some of the better times of the day. Will Rackley looked good in the agility and mirror drills. Steven Schilling also looked fine in those drills.

* Ryan Bartholomew may or may not be the real deal. He had the 2nd-fastest 40 and did the most bench presses. So he's great in T-shirt in shorts. When we last saw him in uniform at the Senior Bowl, though, he was getting blasted off the line almost every time. Which to believe?

* Ups and downs for some others. Jason Pinkston looked great in the agility and mirror drills but looked a little slow at kick-slide. Mike Pouncey looked terrific in the agility drill but I feel like he was getting beaten in the mirror drill. John Moffitt turned in a stunning 5.55 40 but was outstanding in the mirror drill.

* Disappointments:
- It was believed Tyron Smith would light up the Combine but he had to skip almost everything due to swelling in his knee, which was scoped in December.
- Carimi didn't look as good as I thought he would. He stumbled all over the place in the agility drill and it didn't look like he matched up well against speed in the mirror drill.
- Rough day for James Carpenter, who looked terrible in agility drills and then tweaked a knee in the mirror drill.
- Arizona's Adam Grant moves about as stiff and upright as Frankenstein's monster. He may have a 2x4 stuck down the back of his jersey.
- DeMarcus Love got smoked by his man in the worst kick-slide rep of the day.
- Daniel Kilgore of Appalachian State struggled at anything that required speed. Clearly his prospects are at guard, if they weren't already.

* As a “camp body” in high school 30 years ago, I was timed at 5.6 in the 40. Certainly every player at every NFL Combine should beat that time. Meet Houston offensive lineman Isaiah Thompson. He turned in two 40s over six seconds. His 3-cone drill was over nine seconds. Thompson has the unfortunate distinction of worst athlete at this year's Combine, and there are kickers there. Hell, Rich Eisen might outrun him.

* Possible sleepers:
- Arkansas T Ray Dominguez looked really good at times in drills and could be worth a longer look.
- TCU tackle Marcus Cannon moved exceptionally well for being nearly 360 pounds and the heaviest man there. He's definitely not the sloppy 360 Andre Smith was/is. In the kick-slide drill, though, he proved to have only guard-speed.
- Michigan State TE Charlie Gantt doesn't look the part, but the guy can ball, as the kids say, or used to. Fine hands, caught everything well, adjusted well on deep routes. Surprise player of the day.

* As usual, NFL Network gets some things right and gets other things very wrong. We got to see BOTH groups of linemen this year, which is superb, and which I hope continues on to the other multiple-group positions. On the other hand, they broke away from the most important drill, the kick-slide, to show the first group BROAD JUMPING. I could give a crap about offensive linemen jumping. Then they left a kick-slide drill completely for a commercial break. Grr. They haven't had a 40 time fiasco (YET) like Taylor Mays' last year (which Rich Eisen referenced), but they've been far from perfect. NFL Net's unofficial time is usually 0.1 faster than the official Combine time, especially for the more highly-regarded players. Their “side-by-side” 40 footage had Costanzo beating Gabe Carimi, and Ryan Bartholomew finishing first among the top 4. But by official times, Carimi beat Costanzo, and Bartholomew finished second behind Jason Kelce. Good thing these guys aren't in charge of the Olympics.

* Mike Mayock continues to marvel at how much Mike Pouncey looks like and plays like his brother Maurkice. How long before Mayock realizes THE POUNCEYS ARE IDENTICAL TWINS?

* Fact probably only I care about: This year's draft will have a Cameron Jordan (DL, Cal) and a Jordan Cameron (TE, USC).

Glamor positions Sunday, with the big question being: will Julio Jones still be in the Rams' draft neighborhood at the end of the day?

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