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Here's ESPN's rundown.
Here's the Washington Post's. Note that stltoday, you know, the on-line publication from the town where Bradford's likely to be playing in 6 months, doesn't really have a decent article about it.
Here's the Bleacher Report. Again, far more, and better, work than the main St. Louis on-line media outlet bothered to put in.
And here's Gil Brandt soiling himself. (Also soiling themselves: the Tampa Bay Bucs. They've gone from being willing to trade up for Ndamukong Suh to having him fall in their laps.)
Chris Mortensen's reporting the Rams will still wait until after Bradford's private workout here April 19th before making a final decision. As that would be three days before the draft begins, that idea sounds dubious at best. The Rams better damn sure have whomever they're going to draft locked up in advance, so at a minimum, Billy Devaney and Kevin Demoff had best have some black coffee, Red Bull, 5-Hour Energy, Mountain Dew and No-Doz on hand that week.
And save some joe for Sam. Coffee is for closers.
(Posted 4/8/10) Notes from Path to the Draft for the week of March 22-26:
* WR talk. This is particularly timely talk because it feels more and more to me like the Rams' 2nd round pick is going to be a receiver. At this point Dez Bryant was still the #1 guy, but this was before he had a poor private workout. Two years ago he looked like the best young WR in years, then Deion Sanders got him suspended this season and he put on 15 pounds. Demaryius Thomas still hasn't worked out due to foot injury and won't be likely to work out before the draft. Big, physical, great runner after the catch but not great running routes. (In other words, a bigger Donnie Avery.) 46 catches last year in an option offense at Georgia Tech, 9 longer than 50 yards, 4 longer than 70 yards. Definitely a big play WR. But I do not see how the Rams can afford to draft such a risky pick at WR in the 2nd round after already taking a major risk on Sam Bradford in the 1st round. Pick #33 better be a safe one. Mike Mayock calls Golden Tate from Notre Dame a solid 2nd round pick, reminiscent of Carolina's Steve Smith. Excellent playmaker, excellent after the catch, dynamic in space. (I'm not saying he's the safe pick, though. I did not like his Combine workout.) The panel also lists a couple of their favorite sleeper WRs: Carlton Mitchell of South Florida and Eric Decker of Minnesota. They frequently compare the 6'3" 215 Mitchell to Vincent Jackson. 4.48 40, 40 catches last year, 8 over 25 yards, 4 over 50.
* TE talk. Rams could easily be looking to take a TE at #33 as well. Jermaine Gresham is still the top prospect. Explosive, smooth, major red zone threat. May not get past Bengals at 21, though. Rod Gronkowski of Arizona is a first-round talent for side, speed and hands but may have serious back issues. Mayock mentions rumors he has spinal stenosis. Bucky Brooks adds there's questions about his dedication to the game. Jimmy Graham, Miami, will likely get drafted higher than he should because of his athletic ability. Second round likely. Doren Dickerson, Pitt, is too big to put a corner on but too fast to put a safety on. Charles Davis mostly wastes our time by making fun of the Illinois TE's last names and giving a scouting report on Penn State's Andrew Quarles that makes him look so bad he shouldn't be drafted. Mayock lists Brody Eldridge and Naye Byham as the top blocking TEs, and they can catch a little to boot. 5th-6th rounders.
* RB talk. Injuries could affect where teams draft RBs. Ryan Mathews missed half of 2008 due to a knee injury. Jahvid Best has had a ton of injuries besides this year's neck/concussion issue. Guy was never healthy enough to attend Cal spring practice! Toby Gerhart - knee surgery in 08. Joe McKnight - finger, toe, elbow issues. Dexter McCluster - history of shoulder injuries. Montario Hardesty - knee problems and microsurgery.
C.J. Spiller could fall outside the top 10 because there aren't teams that will commit to getting him the ball in space. They should, though. 5 career special teams TDs in 31 touches, 52, career TDs, 21 of them over 50 yards. Mathews may be more of an every-down back than Spiller. Ben Tate got a lot of carries even though Auburn ran a spread offense. Has a chip on his shoulder because he's not getting enough love from draft pundits. Gerhart can run between the tackles and break tackles. McCluster did run a couple of sub-4.5s at his pro day and caught everything. A durable battler who had impressive numbers in the SEC. Like Spiller, he should be used as a 3-phase RB (special teams/runner/receiver). Hardesty is big and physical, runs and catches well, potentially a potent weapon.
* DT talk. Lack of quality NTs in this year's draft is improving some players' prospects. Cam Thomas of UNC looks like a 2nd-rounder now. Great physical attributes, but they don't show in his play on the field. Oddly, this panel praises Cam Thomas for that and criticizes Carlos Dunlap for it. Sleeper: Torell Troup, Central Florida. 6'3" 314, long arms, stout at point of attack, takes on double-teams and gets big in the hole.
* Team needs. Packers at 23: Beat writer says Atari Bigby hasn't played to his potential, a surprise to me, and says he's intrigued with Taylor Mays. Despite his issues, Anthony Davis could also be a consideration here. To replace Aaron Kampmann, Mayock nominates Sergio Kindle. Kyle Wilson also comes up because of GB's age at corner. And of course, it wouldn't be a day of Path to the Draft if they didn't recommend EVERY team draft Jared Odrick or Patrick Robinson.
Patriots at 22: Team magazine editor says #1 priority is to improve their pass rush and Sergio Kindle would be ideal. Also Brandon Graham, who I'm first learning has had back-to-back 10-sack seasons. Mayock argues later that Graham and Jerry Hughes are not the type of DE Belichick likes. So guess who gets recommended again. ODRICK, because the Pats have a history of taking 5-techniques early. With their THREE 2nd-round picks, expect them to look at TEs and WRs.
Bengals at 21: They don't even ask a Cincinnati insider for the Bengals' needs; Brooks and Mayock pretty much just say they should take Gresham. This is a team that has Chase Coffman and barely ever throws to its TEs, btw. And since Mayock is apparently Earl Thomas' agent, he gets mentioned like he does FOR EVERY TEAM.
Texans at 20: They forgo an insider again and ask Solly Wilcots who Houston should take. With Dunta Robinson gone, he proposes Kyle Wilson and Devin McCourty, with the edge going to Wilson. Says both will be starters week 1 in the NFL. Wilson's pro day went very well, with mid-4.4 40s and 25 benches. Scott Kennedy makes sure the daily mandatory mention of Earl Thomas gets in and also proposes Taylor Mays. Mayock thinks they should go RB in the 2nd-3rd round, Gerhart or Tate, who he thinks will still be on the board at pick #81, which I find ludicrous. Did you not see his Combine? Tate is top 60, minimum.
Falcons at 19: Their beat writer says Sean Weatherspoon would be a natural fit. Also cites Brandon Graham. Expects the pick to be defense. They could go with Pouncey if there's no defensive player they like. Mayock seconds the Graham motion and also nominates Demaryius Thomas. Brooks suggests Jason Pierre-Paul could fall to them. Good team analysis by the show for a change.
* Upgrades/downgrades. Mayock moved Toby Gerhart into his top 5 RBs and now has Odrick as #4 at defensive -end-. Thinks he'll go late first as a 3-4 DE. Carlos Dunlap dropped out of his top 5 because he doesn't have a consistent motor. (Wonder if the Rams have interest in Dunlap at 33.) Nate Allen and Major Wright now crack the top 5 at safety. Mount Cody now up to #4 DT. Sleeper: MTSU OLB/DE Chris McCoy. 6'3" 251, 7 sacks last season. Had good workout at his pro day in front of 22 teams. Thumbs down for Chris Cook, who did not follow up his good Senior Bowl and Combine performances at his pro day. Reportedly he was getting winded during workouts. At Central Michigan's pro day, Dan LeFevour was just kind of average and looked like a 4th-5th round pick. Average arm and accuracy, passes wobbled, he doesn't throw a tight spiral.
* Position changes, aka situations the Rams better avoid. Eric Berry is the top safety but has the physical skillset for corner. Zane Beadles was an extremely durable LT for Utah but his arm length dictates moving him to guard or center. QB Armani Edwards threw well at the Combine, says Mayock (who apparently wasn't WATCHING, the guy looked awful), but will be drafted as a Wildcat or a WR. Mayock also says UAB QB-now-WR prospect Joe Webb should have been invited to the Combine (even though he dropped practically everything thrown to him Senior Bowl week). Mike Iupati may be kicked outside to tackle but is best-suited for guard. Rodger Safford played tackle at Indiana, was being considered as a guard, but now is being evaluated as a tackle again.
* Assorted wisdom / idiocy. Relevant to the Rams was the panel's discussion of players who will be late first round values. Relevant since some of these guys can drop to the top of the 2nd round. But it's a pretty familiar list. Gresham, Maurkice Pouncey, Demaryius Thomas, Jerry Hughes, Earl Thomas. Then, like a complete idiot, Mayock says he'd rather draft 20th-30th this year instead of in the top 10. If that's true, then why aren't you recommending the Rams or Lions draft one of these guys first? I really do NOT get Mike Mayock this year, something I really did not expect to happen. Later in the week, Mayock ruled the Rams out of the Donovan McNabb trade chase because they didn't have a line good enough to put him behind. McNabb would never extend his contract to stay there. And he criticized the Rams for it.
YET THAT LINE YOU JUST CRITICIZED THE RAMS FOR IS GOOD ENOUGH TO PUT SAM BRADFORD BEHIND?!?!? YET YOU CAN CRITICIZE THE LINE AND ALSO CRITICIZE THE RAMS FOR NOT DRAFTING A QB HIGH THE PREVIOUS TWO YEARS? WHEN YOU NEVER RECOMMENDED IT ANYWAY? I really, really, really don't know why I'm recapping this show any more.
Later in the week they ran down players who would be good 2nd-round value picks: Tyson Alualu, Sean Lee, Daryl Washington.
Pete Carroll says Tim Tebow is a first-round pick. The panel says that's him trying to talk a random team into drafting Tebow and leaving Seattle a better player with one of their picks. Or maybe Carroll is just a poor judge of QBs? They did just pay a pretty price for Charlie Freaking Whitehurst.
Charles Davis has a great gig. He doesn't even have to show up in the studio this week. He sits at home wearing a sweater vest, answers a couple of questions from Paul Burmeister and clocks out. Hell, he doesn't even have to make sense half the time. Great gig if you can get it.
* Reason #1 I could crap my pants on draft day. In his mock draft, Bucky Brooks has the Seahawks taking, with the sixth pick overall....
Ndamukong Suh.
Part of that is because he's not a hypocrite and says the Lions should take Russell Okung instead of Suh. Unlike Mayock, who says Suh is WAY too good for the Lions to pass up at #2.
THEN WHY ISN'T SUH TOO GOOD FOR THE RAMS TO PASS UP AT #1?!??!??!
My God, I don't like Mike Mayock this year.
Burmeister pronounces there's now momentum in Detroit for drafting Okung, based on two NFL Network analysts mock drafting that now.
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry after hearing that. I do feel like the more of Path to the Draft I watch, I actually learn less.
(Posted 4/7/10) Notes from Path to the Draft for the week of March 15-19:
* Pro days. Georgia Tech - Derrick Morgan worked at both DE positions and looked much more fluid at OLB than he did at the Combine. Should be drafted as a 4-3 DE in the mid-first round. Has a great motor. Jonathan Dwyer blamed his poor Combine performance on an injured toe. Ran in the 4.5s at pro day. Also looked better as a receiver. Note that he was an option fullback last season. Demaryius Thomas still sidelined with a broken foot; plans private workout in mid-April. Despite him NEVER working out, Mike Mayock has jumped him up to #2 on his receiver board. Averaged 25 ypc last year.
Florida - VERY mixed reviews on Tim Tebow. Mike Mayock raved, while Charles Davis, Charlie Casserly and Scott Kennedy all played his pro day down. Mayock was impressed Tebow improved his footwork, shortened up his throwing motion, tightened everything up, did all the drops. Davis called him a first rounder, then the next day, said his workout didn't affect his stock much. HUNH? Kennedy also blew off the pro day as a performance "against air" and says what's attracting teams to Tebow is his overall athleticism and work ethic. Getting round-the-clock (literally?) attention from a pro-QB coach, Tebow can improve by leaps and bounds and has every intangible you want at the position. Casserly's concerned with his decision-making and questionable accuracy. Joe Haden ran 4.41 and 4.45 and should secure a top-15 pick. Carlos Dunlap ran 4.59 and 4.69, crazy speed for a DE. Brandon Spikes ran a FIVE POINT ONE. Riley Cooper caught everything. Aaron Hernandez caught everything, ran 4.58 and 4.63, and did 30 benches. A pretty big outing - I'd now have to consider him at the top of the TE prospects, but he has off-field issues, though I have never heard anything specific.
Tennessee - Eric Berry sprained a toe and couldn't do much as a result. Montario Hardesty drilled mostly on receiving. Dan Williams drilled and should be the 3rd DT off the board unless teams are scared that he's a 1-year wonder.
Illinois - Arrelious Benn ran 4.36 and 4.42 at 218 lbs, on the same surface they run on at the Combine. Yet Mayock downgraded him for "lack of explosion".
Penn State - PTTD favorite Sean Lee ran 4.6.
California - SydQuan Thompson's proving to be a fatal combination of small and slow.
Clemson - Ricky Sapp ran in the 4.6s, looks good as a 3-4 OLB.
Maryland - Safety Terrell Skinner ran in the 4.7s on what's considered a fast surface. Don't wait by the phone draft weekend.
Rutgers - ILB Ryan D'Imperio ran in the 4.6s and also caught the ball well working out at fullback.
LSU - "Physical" safety prospect Chad Jones improved his bench to 11 reps from 8. Or, 9 behind 172-pound Dexter McCluster. RB Charles Scott ran a 4.53. 232-lb, one-cut, downhill runner.
* Team needs. Dallas at 27 - Almost all of their first round picks recently have been on defense, and their beat writer projects Earl Thomas to them. Offensive line will also be a consideration, so they mention Maurkice Pouncey and Mike Iupati, also Charles Brown because Dallas likes huge tackles. The show panel also mentions Taylor Mays because Dallas needs a playmaker, even though THEY'VE BEEN QUESTIONING MAYS' PLAYMAKING ABILITY ALL MONTH.
Big Dead at 26 - Jamie Dukes analyzes a team's needs without trying to push Michael Vick on them. Lots of needs, especially on defense. Could use Brandon Graham to replace Bert Berry and Chike Okeafor. Could use Sean Weatherspoon to replace Karlos Dansby. Could use Charles Brown at LT. Show panel also recommends Jerry Hughes.
Baltimore at 25 - Rod Woodson is tabbed to review their needs, and guess what, he says cornerback. Likes Patrick Robinson or Kyle Wilson. Believes they can get Mount Cody with their second round pick. Panel nominates Jermaine Gresham, and also, of course, Earl Thomas and Jared Odrick.
Philly at 24 - Their beat writer whiffs badly in ranking Vick as the most likely Eggle QB to be traded. Projects Everson Griffen as their pick even though they just got Darryl Tapp from Seattle. Dukes says they NEED a MLB. Good call. He speculates Weatherspoon or Sergio Kindle. And as he does for EVERY TEAM, Charles Davis recommends Earl Thomas.
* Suh vs. McCoy. Charlie Casserly convinces me he's never actually seen Ndamukong Suh play when he calls Gerald McCoy better than Suh IN EVERY CATEGORY. HUNH? Compares McCoy to Tommie Harris. COMPLETELY misses the point that Suh made more plays than McCoy in every aspect while playing as a read-and-react lineman, instead CRITICIZING that Suh was a read-and-react lineman who'll be a better player when he won't have to be that in the pros. Bucky Brooks and Charles Davis argue for Suh, with Davis likening him to Kevin Williams.
* Sleeper picks. Georgia Tech safety Morgan Burnett, a big, rangy free safety with 14 career INTS; Iowa OT Kyle Calloway, a road-grader.
* Why I hate this show. I'm pretty sure I've said this before. Mike Mayock and Charles Davis have REPEATEDLY criticized the Rams for not drafting Matt Ryan or Mark Sanchez the last two years. Even though Marc Bulger was a Pro Bowler in 2006. They should have drafted Ryan when they had a Pro Bowl QB? Even though neither Mayock nor Davis have ever peeled themselves off Chris Long's jock. Are they declaring Long a bust after just two seasons? The argument in 2008 was NEVER Long vs. Ryan, it was Long vs. Glenn Dorsey. And neither Mayock, nor Davis, nor anyone I can think of outside of Bernie Miklasz, EVER recommended the Rams draft Ryan. Or Dorsey. But now, it's all Sam Bradford, all the time. By all means. Let's jump off the idea of building from the lines out. Let's draft QBs who are only destined to get battered. Do the Rams have a foundation today from which a rookie QB can succeed? No, maybe that's why we have a DEFENSIVE-minded head coach who's trying to build a BALL CONTROL OFFENSE THAT DEPENDS ON THE RUNNING BACK.
Oh, fuck it; I know by now we're drafting Bradford anyway.
* RB talk. Jahvid Best is potentially the best RB in the draft. An explosive runner with dynamic quickness and vision. Was best runner in college before his concussion. He's getting penalized too much for that when it was much more the school wanting to play it safe with him. Ryan Matthews led the nation in rushing and had 11 100-yard games and 8 20-carry games, so don't question his durability. Not every team will consider C.J. Spiller a full-time back because he's under 200 pounds and most teams need big backs. His best asset's as an outside runner, but he's no Chris Johnson. Furthermore, 5 of his 11 career 100-yard games were in his freshman year. Why doesn't his production match his explosiveness? Dexter McCluster's smaller and slower than ideal, though he was the first SEC player to rush for 1000 and receive for 500 the same season. Casserly said he's best used as a slot receiver and gimmick player out of the backfield. Don't draft him if you don't have a special offensive plan for him.
* Sam Bradford talk. The panel called Bradford one of the most accurate QBs you're ever going to see and compared him to last year's #1 Matthew Stafford. Stafford has by far the more powerful, elite arm, but Bradford's taller, a good runner, and a little better an athlete. They'd have been 1a and 1b had they been coming out the same year. Bradford won't be a bust like Alex Smith or Brady Quinn because he (supposedly) ran a lot of different offenses, is much more accurate, went from unheralded recruit to the Heisman Trophy, and, flying in the face of all analysis I've seen and heard, was called on to read the defense a lot more than Smith and had more options on every play. In other words, he had to think more.
* Assorted wisdom. Earl Thomas is projecting now only to safety. The idea of converting him to corner is fading away. (Probably because of slow Combine times these guys never mention.) In the billionth hour of Tim Tebow discussion on this show, Mayock calls him as qualified a QB as Vince Young was, and he was a top-5 pick. He thinks Tebow will be a starter in several years because of his athletic ability. Casserly says Tebow won't beat defenses running with the ball and will have to rely on his accuracy and decision-making, both of which Casserly has doubts about. Mayock and Casserly argue whether Demaryious Thomas is a first-rounder. Mayock says yes; Casserly no. Not sure of his speed and explosion, and he didn't run much of a route tree. They then inconclusively compare Thomas to Crabtree, who had much more extensive and impressive game tape.
Path to the Draft closes the week by calling Fordham QB John Skelton as good as any of the QBs who threw at the Combine and mock the ones who didn't throw at the Combine. Of course, they've been insisting for a month that the Rams have to draft one of those guys they just got done mocking first overall.
(Posted 4/7/10) Since I'm almost a month behind on Path to the Draft recaps, and the show's getting pretty damn repetitive anyway, (how many teams have they NOT recommend draft Earl Thomas or Jared Odrick?) it's time for the condensed version.
Path to the Draft notes for the March 10 - March 12 shows:
* Pro days: Alabama - Rolando McClain (who didn't participate at the Combine) ran in the 4.6s, looked natural and fast in drills. Revealed he has Crohn's disease. Should still go at the top of the first round. Terrance Cody weighed in at 348, 22 less than his Senior Bowl weight, 6 less than his Combine weight. Shooting for 340 by the draft. OG Mike Johnson had a strong showing. Javier Arenas still unable to work out due to hamstring.
Oklahoma State - Russell Okung did the full set of drills and looked flawless. Should be a serious consideration for Detroit's second pick overall.
Cincinnati - Mardy Gilyard ran faster than he did at the Combine. Scouts were more impressed with Tony Pike today than they were at the Combine. Has to improve velocity on his passes and drive the football better.
Nebraska - not much news. Suh didn't run. Scott Kennedy opined he needs a better, quicker punch. He gets stood up a lot but makes up for it with athleticism, running the play down from behind.
Clemson - also not much news. Spiller skipped his 40, not that speed is a concern with him.
Ohio State - Thaddeus Gibson improved his 40 time to 4.59. Third round prospect. Akwasi Owosu-Ansah, a corner from Indiana Pa., ran two sub-4.4 40s at 207 lbs. He's a terrific returner with 3rd-round talent who will probably go in the 4th or 5th.
* Team needs: Vikings at 30 - their radio play-by-play man suggested they will mostly draft for depth. Likes Devin McCourty for his special teams dimension, plus they have injury problems in their secondary.
Jets at 29 - the publisher of Jets Confidential expects them to draft defense, mentions Jared Odrick and McCourty. LaDainian Tomlinson will be a good fit and they don't expect a team to ante up the picks for Leon Washington. They like their young receivers. Show panel tosses out Golden Tate, Everson Griffen and Jerry Hughes as additional possibilities.
Chargers at 28 - Hank Bauer says they need NT, CB and absolutely RB, though he would be surprised if they took a RB early because of their success with late-round RBs Sproles and Turner. Recommends they take Mount Cody. Mike Mayock tosses out Ryan Matthews, Earl Thomas and Brandon Graham, though he says no way Graham is still on the board by that point.
* Top inside linebackers (after McClain): Sean Weatherspoon - Showed he can play ILB at the Senior Bowl, and he wants to play there because that's where the action is. Showed coverage ability at the Combine.
Brandon Spikes (who I don't like) - He's a football player. Smart, instinctive, does the dirty work and has a nasty disposition. Ignore the workout numbers with Spikes.
Apparently a Penn State booster, Michael Lombardi recommends all 3 Nittany Lion linebackers. Sean Lee's coming off an ACL injury and has his best football ahead of him. Navarro Bowman's the best of the 3 overall. Josh Hull had one of the best shuttle times in the draft, should help a team out on special teams and has an awesome pornstache.
* Miscellaneous wisdom. Jason Pierre-Paul, Taylor Mays and Virginia safety Kam Chancellor were named the top boom-or-bust players. Could be big hits, could be significant busts. Mays and Chancellor both have the size to be credibly converted into WLBs. Pierre-Paul has all of 7 career starts. Maurkice Pouncey, Eric Berry and Joe Haden were named the most pro-ready players, despite significant concerns raised about Haden's speed at the Combine. Pouncey missed 1 game his whole college career. Lombardi mock drafted Sam Bradford to the Rams and Jimmy Clausen 4th to the Redskins, comparing Clausen favorably to Mark Sanchez while parroting well-known concerns about his leadership and work ethic. Mayock moved Trent Williams up to his #3 OT. Off-field issues are causing Anthony Davis to slip. Four tackles could go in the top 9. Though probably not registered sex offender Tony Washington of Abilene Christian. Though note: ACU's in the Lone Star Conference, which has already supplied the Rams with K.C. Asiodu and Keith Null. Finally, Denver is reportedly looking at every QB in the draft and can be expected to draft one somewhere.
Notes from NFL Network Combine coverage of March 1: (post back-dated to 3/18)
NFL Network's coverage of this year's Combine workouts for defensive backs was a complete fiasco. As usual with large position groups, they only put the second group on TV, and at least in the 2-hour package that I got to view, there was NO review of what went on in the first group. We didn't see any and the announcers didn't tell us any.
Perhaps they were trying how to figure out how to use a god damn stopwatch. Coverage opened with a report of Taylor Mays running a stunning 4.24 40. That seemed to be a draft-transforming moment right there, until Mays' official time came out later, at 4.43. Yes, NFL Network somehow blew the time by a whopping two-tenths of a second. How are they coming up with their times, by counting one-Mississippi? Just ridiculous. The most accurate reports we had were for Kyle Wilson and SydQuan Thompson. They didn't run.
Maybe NFL Network should have just had Deion Sanders guess each runner's time. Seriously. When they clocked Mays at 4.24, Prime Time was the only one questioning the time. Mays didn't look that fast to him. But he did look faster than the official 4.43. Riiiight, Prime. Except when the video crew overlaid Mays' run with Trindon Holliday's run at the start of the week, Mays ran faster. And Holliday was an official 4.34. So Mays should have been somewhere between 4.30 and 4.33.
In any event, if the NFL is going to rely SO heavily on 40 times for its player evaluation and news reporting, the league and its network better get their freaking acts together so they report consistent, official times in a timely manner. I don't know why this should be so hard or create as much confusion as it did this week.
* (Semi)official gym class results:
Brandon Ghee 4.45; Eric Berry 4.47 with a 43-inch vertical leap; Devin McCourty 4.48; Chris Cook 4.46 with an 11-foot broad jump; Perrish Cox 4.53; workout warrior A.J. Jefferson 44-inch vertical; Javier Arenas 4.52.
* Heavy on safety. Berry and Earl Thomas both came in “significantly” heavier than expected. NFL Net timed Thomas' 40 at 4.53, which means he really ran about 4.7. That to me is a red flag for a guy Mike Mayock et al. have done nothing but gush about for two months. Have to red flag Rhodes Scholar Myron Rolle, too. He was timed by NFL Net at 4.68.
* Offshore drilling. Coverage featured two drills. One had the players drop back and flip their hips three times, then slant deep and catch a long throw at its highest point. I'll call that the “flip your hips” drill. The other had the players drop, come forward, then drop back again and cover a deep pass. I'll call that the “closing speed” drill. It seems designed to see how well the player can recover from getting pump-faked and trying to jump a short route that wasn't thrown.
Mays looked good at flip-your-hips the first time but messed up the drill the second time and broke deep before he was supposed to. Rolle was said to look good here. His change of direction did look quite good later. SydQuan Thompson performed this drill and butchered the deep catch. He also had a drop in the closing speed drill. His stock's falling as fast as most balls he tries to intercept. Sanders didn't like Thomas' drill, though I thought he looked fine. He played too high in the closing speed drill and also dropped the pass.
* Thumbs up/down. This downgrade's mine, because the NFL Net analysts love them some Patrick Robinson. Not like Deion's going to criticize a fellow Seminole. But his 4.42 was network-timed, so he really ran somewhere in the mid-4.5's, far from special cornerback speed. His hips looked really stiff in the first drill and he didn't move all that fluidly in the second drill, either. Stiff hips, I tell you, stiff hips!
Joe Haden's 4.57 40 was the biggest disappointment of the day, though Mayock refused to come off his call that Haden is this draft's best corner.
Everything about McCourty looked good. He should be at worst a second-rounder. Me talking again.
David Pender of Purdue “popped” (so you know Mayock said it) as one of the better prospects. Good speed, good athleticism, looked good in all of the drills.
* Punch lines. Seriously? All of the National Football League put their defensive back evaluation process in the hands of Peter Giunta?
Rich Eisen unofficially got his 40 time down to 6.25 this year. I say unofficially since it was timed by NFL Network, so it was probably really an 8.25.
Also, we can tell Eisen has never worked for the Philadelphia Eagles, or the Rams would have signed him already.
That's it for RamView's 2010 NFL Combine coverage. Good week for C.J. Spiller, Ben Tate, the inevitable Bruce Campbell, Trent Williams, Jermaine Gresham, Ryan Matthews, and certainly Ndamukong Suh. Not so good, for various reasons, for Gerald McCoy imo, along with Dan LeFevour (for not working out), Colt McCoy (for not working out and measuring 6'1"), Joe Haden or SydQuan Thompson.
On to pro days.
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.
Danny Gorrer got a $35,785 "performance bonus"?
Now I -have- heard everything.
Tim Carter got over $8,000 and I think he played one game.
Randy McMichael $16,123, roughly $500 for every dropped pass.
Alex Barron $25,889, a dollar for every time he false started.
Samkon Gado got a $34,000 BONUS. He had 51 total yards last year! He averaged 1.9 yards a carry! His 2009 SEASON wasn't worth $34,000!
K.C. Asiodu got a $55,467 bonus. He had eight tackles! I'm pretty sure they were all on special teams!
Larry Grant got a bonus of over $100,000. For what?
David Roach got a bonus of nearly $125,000. For what?
Danny Amendola got the biggest bonus on the team, $176,427.
The ludicrously-named performance pay system is no longer in effect as of 2010's uncapped season, but keep this kind of silly money in the back of your mind when the players start complaining about their pay as the Great Lockout of 2011 looms.
