Who's Hot . . .
The top running backs
Darren McFadden hunted down Osama Bin Laden, solved America's health care crisis and invented a fat-free mayonnaise that actually tastes like mayonnaise. At least that's the way the scouting world made it appear after the former Arkansas star tore off a 4.33 in the 40. Either the last few SEC seasons weren't televised anywhere or everyone simply didn't realize that the No. 5 who was tearing off home run after home run against the top SEC teams was McFadden. In any event, McFadden went from being the No. 1 running back in the draft to the unquestioned No. 1 running back in the draft, and a player who'll have several teams (cough, Dallas, cough) ready to move heaven and earth to get.
The other two top running back prospects, Rashard Mendenhall and Jonathan Stewart, solidified themselves as must-have top 20 players after clocking 4.45 and a 4.48, respectively. Stewart cranked out a defensive linemen-like 28 bench presses of 225 pounds, while Mendenhall wasn't any slouch with 26 reps. More importantly, Mendenhall led all the backs in the 20-yard shuttle with a time of 4.18. Overall, the running backs were a lightning-fast lot with five running sub-4.4s and looking like a faster, more athletic group than the Combine has seen in years, and then there was ...
Chris Johnson, RB, East Carolina
All Johnson did was lead the nation in all-purpose yards, gaining 1,423 on the ground, with 17 touchdowns, 528 receiving yards, with six scores, and 1,009 yards and a touchdown on kickoff returns, but that didn't get him much attention. While he's among the most versatile prospects in the draft, he didn't register much of a blip on the radar in such a strong year for running backs. And then came the 40.
There's Deion Sanders fast, running a hand-timed 4.28 in the 1989 Combine, there's the urban legend of Bo Jackson running a hand-timed 4.12, and now there's Johnson's 4.24, tying Eastern Kentucky's Rondel Melendez's 1999 time as the best electronically confirmed run in Combine history. While Johnson isn't a between-the-tackles runner, he could be a much cheaper, and as it turns out, much faster option than McFadden for someone like Dallas, who'd like an outside threat to go along with Marion Barber III, or teams like Cincinnati and Tampa Bay, who have decent pounders, but little flash.
Chris Long, DE, Virginia
Already considered a lock for the top five, and just about everyone's No. 2 overall pick, Long showed his competitiveness and fire by attacking the drills and going through the workouts that most top picks would've skipped. At 6-4 and 275 pounds, he ran a 4.75 40, which would've made him the fourth-fastest quarterback and eighth-fastest tight end, came up with a vertical of 34 inches, was second among defensive linemen in the broad jump (10 feet, 4 inches), was fourth in the three-cone drill (7.02 seconds), and led the way in the 20-yard shuttle (4.21). More importantly, he looked fluid, able to seamlessly come in and out of his cuts while moving like a player much, much lighter. Essentially, he not only solidified his spot among the elite of the draft's elite, but he confirmed that he's a can't-miss must-have prospect. As strong as he was, he didn't come up with the defensive lineman numbers of ...
Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio State
There's nothing Gholston could've done to surpass Long as the top defensive end prospect in Indy, but he gave it a great shot. At 6-4 and 258 pounds, almost 20 pounds lighter than Long, the former Ohio State star was third among all defensive lineman with a 4.67 40, while leading the way with a vertical jump of 35.5 inch and in the broad jump with a leap of 10-5. While he proved he's athletic enough to be used as an outside linebacker/defensive end hybrid, depending on the situation and the scheme, he crushed what was considered his one main weakness, that he might struggle at the point of attack by stronger tackles, by ripping off 37 reps of 225 on the bench press. Not only did he lead all the defensive linemen, he tied Michigan OT Jake Long for the most reps at the entire Combine. He went from being anywhere from a No. 7-20 pick on draft boards to a sure-thing top-10 selection.
Purdue
A year after Anthony Spencer was one of the most impressive workout warriors and followed it up by a strong rookie year for Dallas, Purdue prospects were among the most impressive with tight end Dustin Keller, linebacker Stanford Kegler and defensive end Cliff Avril all testing as well as anyone at their respective positions. The 252-pound Avril moved like a linebacker with phenomenal quickness, leading all defensive linemen in the 3-cone drill, while Kegler led all linebackers with 29 reps in the bench press and topping everyone in the broad jump. He also came up with a solid 4.58 40 to go along with a 34-inch vertical, but it was his quickness that jumped off the charts by leading the linebackers in the three-cone drill and blowing everyone out of the water in the 20-yard shuttle.
As impressive as the Boilermaker defenders were, it was Keller who might have helped himself more than anyone in Indy by leading all the tight ends in the 40 (4.55), vertical (38 inches), broad jump (10-11, eight inches further than the No. 2 tight end), the three-cone (4.55) and the 20-yard shuttle (4.14), while he was second in the bench press (26 reps). Though not all that huge at 242 pounds, no one seems to care anymore after his display of athleticism and the way he lifted. Considered no better than the third tight end prospect coming into the weekend, he's now a likely first-rounder and possibly the top tight end.
Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii
With Andre Woodson suffering a hamstring problem and Joe Flacco and Chad Henne spraying their throws, Brennan stood out as the star of the quarterback drills. After a disastrous Sugar Bowl and lousy workouts in the post-season circuit, he stepped up his game big-time as the most accurate and impressive passer in Indy by far. Matt Ryan, who didn't work out, has absolutely nothing to worry about, but at least Brennan is on the radar again after making all the throws in the book while potentially reestablishing himself as one of the top five quarterbacks.
Who's Not . . .
The Linebackers
Zzzzzzzzzzz. The two linebackers projected to go in the first round, USC's Keith Rivers and Penn State's Dan Connor, didn't work out (injury for Rivers and the flu for Connor), and few showed anything to suggest that the lot will be anything other than underwhelming. Tennessee's Jerod Mayo ran well and proved he should be a top-50 selection, Purdue's Stanford Keglar was impressive and Georgia Tech's Gary Guyton stunned everyone with a 4.47 in the 40, but the group didn't inspire anything more than a collective yawn.
Mario Manningham, WR, Michigan
Six receivers ran 4.4 or better and 11 ran under 4.5. Manningham wasn't one of them. Rail thin at just under 6-feet and 181 pounds, his biggest strength was supposed to be his speed, and then he came up with a 4.59 and a 4.62. While fine at the ball drills, he wasn't as polished as many will probably make him out to be. However, he caught the ball well and still showed enough skill to be among the top five receivers taken. While he'll get another shot back on Michigan's campus to show what he can do, he all but blew any chance of being a first-round pick.
John Carlson, TE, Notre Dame
It was a coin-flip between Carlson and USC's Fred Davis to determine who the best tight end prospect was coming into the Combine. Then, Purdue's Dustin Keller blew everyone away with his workout while Carlson stunk. Unable to do anything at the Senior Bowl due to illness, Carlson needed a big weekend and didn't have one with a lousy 4.9 in the 40 and a pedestrian 20 reps on the bench. The worst part was how he looked compared to the incredible athletic Keller, with little quickness and nowhere near the same fluidity. To be fair, he was more than just sick for the Senior Bowl, losing 17 pounds; he's just now getting back to normal.
Jermichael Finley, TE, Texas
Finley left Texas with two years of eligibility remaining and was one of the prospects everyone was curious about. At 6-5 and an athletic 236 pounds, he's considered more of a huge wide receiver than an all-around tight end, and he showed a nice burst and good hands. On the down side, he was slowwwwww. A bit of a project to begin with, he cost himself several draft slots with a 4.82 40 that would've made him a sluggish defensive lineman, much less a tight end. While seven other tight ends ran under 4.7, Finley wasn't even close.
Poll
DeSean Jackson, WR, California
The good: he blazed a receiver-best 4.35 in the 40, but that was hardly a shock. The bad: he was even smaller than expected. He checked in at under 5-10 and a mere 169 pounds, so while everyone will want him as a luxury, he's nowhere near big enough to be considered a No. 1 receiver. His size isn't just a problem, it has become a big, screaming red flag.
Mike Hart, RB, Michigan
At 5-9 and 206 pounds, he lifted well with 23 reps, but overall appeared scrawnier than expected, especially in his legs. The big problem was his lack of speed and burst in the quickness drills. The 4.65 and 4.75 40s were disastrous, and he showed little overall athleticism compared to the other smallish backs like Ray Rice and Steve Slaton. His problem will be the workload. Not a third-down back or a role player, he's a runner who needs 25 carries and can be a workhorse. Now, it's doubtful anyone will ever think of him as a No. 1 back.
The top running backs
Darren McFadden hunted down Osama Bin Laden, solved America's health care crisis and invented a fat-free mayonnaise that actually tastes like mayonnaise. At least that's the way the scouting world made it appear after the former Arkansas star tore off a 4.33 in the 40. Either the last few SEC seasons weren't televised anywhere or everyone simply didn't realize that the No. 5 who was tearing off home run after home run against the top SEC teams was McFadden. In any event, McFadden went from being the No. 1 running back in the draft to the unquestioned No. 1 running back in the draft, and a player who'll have several teams (cough, Dallas, cough) ready to move heaven and earth to get.
The other two top running back prospects, Rashard Mendenhall and Jonathan Stewart, solidified themselves as must-have top 20 players after clocking 4.45 and a 4.48, respectively. Stewart cranked out a defensive linemen-like 28 bench presses of 225 pounds, while Mendenhall wasn't any slouch with 26 reps. More importantly, Mendenhall led all the backs in the 20-yard shuttle with a time of 4.18. Overall, the running backs were a lightning-fast lot with five running sub-4.4s and looking like a faster, more athletic group than the Combine has seen in years, and then there was ...
Chris Johnson, RB, East Carolina
All Johnson did was lead the nation in all-purpose yards, gaining 1,423 on the ground, with 17 touchdowns, 528 receiving yards, with six scores, and 1,009 yards and a touchdown on kickoff returns, but that didn't get him much attention. While he's among the most versatile prospects in the draft, he didn't register much of a blip on the radar in such a strong year for running backs. And then came the 40.
There's Deion Sanders fast, running a hand-timed 4.28 in the 1989 Combine, there's the urban legend of Bo Jackson running a hand-timed 4.12, and now there's Johnson's 4.24, tying Eastern Kentucky's Rondel Melendez's 1999 time as the best electronically confirmed run in Combine history. While Johnson isn't a between-the-tackles runner, he could be a much cheaper, and as it turns out, much faster option than McFadden for someone like Dallas, who'd like an outside threat to go along with Marion Barber III, or teams like Cincinnati and Tampa Bay, who have decent pounders, but little flash.
Chris Long, DE, Virginia
Already considered a lock for the top five, and just about everyone's No. 2 overall pick, Long showed his competitiveness and fire by attacking the drills and going through the workouts that most top picks would've skipped. At 6-4 and 275 pounds, he ran a 4.75 40, which would've made him the fourth-fastest quarterback and eighth-fastest tight end, came up with a vertical of 34 inches, was second among defensive linemen in the broad jump (10 feet, 4 inches), was fourth in the three-cone drill (7.02 seconds), and led the way in the 20-yard shuttle (4.21). More importantly, he looked fluid, able to seamlessly come in and out of his cuts while moving like a player much, much lighter. Essentially, he not only solidified his spot among the elite of the draft's elite, but he confirmed that he's a can't-miss must-have prospect. As strong as he was, he didn't come up with the defensive lineman numbers of ...
Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio State
There's nothing Gholston could've done to surpass Long as the top defensive end prospect in Indy, but he gave it a great shot. At 6-4 and 258 pounds, almost 20 pounds lighter than Long, the former Ohio State star was third among all defensive lineman with a 4.67 40, while leading the way with a vertical jump of 35.5 inch and in the broad jump with a leap of 10-5. While he proved he's athletic enough to be used as an outside linebacker/defensive end hybrid, depending on the situation and the scheme, he crushed what was considered his one main weakness, that he might struggle at the point of attack by stronger tackles, by ripping off 37 reps of 225 on the bench press. Not only did he lead all the defensive linemen, he tied Michigan OT Jake Long for the most reps at the entire Combine. He went from being anywhere from a No. 7-20 pick on draft boards to a sure-thing top-10 selection.
Purdue
A year after Anthony Spencer was one of the most impressive workout warriors and followed it up by a strong rookie year for Dallas, Purdue prospects were among the most impressive with tight end Dustin Keller, linebacker Stanford Kegler and defensive end Cliff Avril all testing as well as anyone at their respective positions. The 252-pound Avril moved like a linebacker with phenomenal quickness, leading all defensive linemen in the 3-cone drill, while Kegler led all linebackers with 29 reps in the bench press and topping everyone in the broad jump. He also came up with a solid 4.58 40 to go along with a 34-inch vertical, but it was his quickness that jumped off the charts by leading the linebackers in the three-cone drill and blowing everyone out of the water in the 20-yard shuttle.
As impressive as the Boilermaker defenders were, it was Keller who might have helped himself more than anyone in Indy by leading all the tight ends in the 40 (4.55), vertical (38 inches), broad jump (10-11, eight inches further than the No. 2 tight end), the three-cone (4.55) and the 20-yard shuttle (4.14), while he was second in the bench press (26 reps). Though not all that huge at 242 pounds, no one seems to care anymore after his display of athleticism and the way he lifted. Considered no better than the third tight end prospect coming into the weekend, he's now a likely first-rounder and possibly the top tight end.
Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii
With Andre Woodson suffering a hamstring problem and Joe Flacco and Chad Henne spraying their throws, Brennan stood out as the star of the quarterback drills. After a disastrous Sugar Bowl and lousy workouts in the post-season circuit, he stepped up his game big-time as the most accurate and impressive passer in Indy by far. Matt Ryan, who didn't work out, has absolutely nothing to worry about, but at least Brennan is on the radar again after making all the throws in the book while potentially reestablishing himself as one of the top five quarterbacks.
Who's Not . . .
The Linebackers
Zzzzzzzzzzz. The two linebackers projected to go in the first round, USC's Keith Rivers and Penn State's Dan Connor, didn't work out (injury for Rivers and the flu for Connor), and few showed anything to suggest that the lot will be anything other than underwhelming. Tennessee's Jerod Mayo ran well and proved he should be a top-50 selection, Purdue's Stanford Keglar was impressive and Georgia Tech's Gary Guyton stunned everyone with a 4.47 in the 40, but the group didn't inspire anything more than a collective yawn.
Mario Manningham, WR, Michigan
Six receivers ran 4.4 or better and 11 ran under 4.5. Manningham wasn't one of them. Rail thin at just under 6-feet and 181 pounds, his biggest strength was supposed to be his speed, and then he came up with a 4.59 and a 4.62. While fine at the ball drills, he wasn't as polished as many will probably make him out to be. However, he caught the ball well and still showed enough skill to be among the top five receivers taken. While he'll get another shot back on Michigan's campus to show what he can do, he all but blew any chance of being a first-round pick.
John Carlson, TE, Notre Dame
It was a coin-flip between Carlson and USC's Fred Davis to determine who the best tight end prospect was coming into the Combine. Then, Purdue's Dustin Keller blew everyone away with his workout while Carlson stunk. Unable to do anything at the Senior Bowl due to illness, Carlson needed a big weekend and didn't have one with a lousy 4.9 in the 40 and a pedestrian 20 reps on the bench. The worst part was how he looked compared to the incredible athletic Keller, with little quickness and nowhere near the same fluidity. To be fair, he was more than just sick for the Senior Bowl, losing 17 pounds; he's just now getting back to normal.
Jermichael Finley, TE, Texas
Finley left Texas with two years of eligibility remaining and was one of the prospects everyone was curious about. At 6-5 and an athletic 236 pounds, he's considered more of a huge wide receiver than an all-around tight end, and he showed a nice burst and good hands. On the down side, he was slowwwwww. A bit of a project to begin with, he cost himself several draft slots with a 4.82 40 that would've made him a sluggish defensive lineman, much less a tight end. While seven other tight ends ran under 4.7, Finley wasn't even close.
Poll
DeSean Jackson, WR, California
The good: he blazed a receiver-best 4.35 in the 40, but that was hardly a shock. The bad: he was even smaller than expected. He checked in at under 5-10 and a mere 169 pounds, so while everyone will want him as a luxury, he's nowhere near big enough to be considered a No. 1 receiver. His size isn't just a problem, it has become a big, screaming red flag.
Mike Hart, RB, Michigan
At 5-9 and 206 pounds, he lifted well with 23 reps, but overall appeared scrawnier than expected, especially in his legs. The big problem was his lack of speed and burst in the quickness drills. The 4.65 and 4.75 40s were disastrous, and he showed little overall athleticism compared to the other smallish backs like Ray Rice and Steve Slaton. His problem will be the workload. Not a third-down back or a role player, he's a runner who needs 25 carries and can be a workhorse. Now, it's doubtful anyone will ever think of him as a No. 1 back.
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