If there's one thing that we have learned year by year, it is that bubble players that are projected anywhere from rounds 3-5 can make a real push at being a top tier draftee in April, or that a projected mid range 1st rounder can prove to more athletically balanced then originally thought and move up into the top 15. It should be no surprise to see it happen again this year. I will shed some light on the player's season leading up to the combine as well. Here are the players I thought were very impressive at the 2008 NFL Scouting Combine. Both Ups and Downs.
Ups
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1. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB. Tennessee St.
Rodgers-Cromartie has been on everyones watch list since his final game at Tenn St. if for nothing else then due to his name. The cousin of San Diego Chargers CB Antonio Cromartie who was a 1st round selection for the Chargers in 06' has really proven to be just as athletic as the much higher touted pro-bowl cousin of his. "DRC" garnered immediate attention with his impressive performance at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama and was the MVP of the game. At the combine he stood at 6'1 1/2, and weighed in at 184 lbs in Indianapolis as well as posting a 4.33 second 40-yard dash time. Rodgers-Cromartie has shown flashes of brilliance throughout the pre-draft process and may have worked his way into the late first round, if not higher.
Pre-Combine Projection: 3rd-4th Round ----- Post-Combine Projection: 1st Round
2. Chris Johnson, RB. East Carolina
He had gone into the Combine on a few people's radar but left with arguably the fastest 40 yard dash in the history of the combine (4.24). However, Chris Johnson can offer much more then just speed. He has shown that he has very soft hands and is a very reliable out of the backfield on passing plays. Runs routes like a WR, and is deadly in space. Huge senior campaign when he finally became a starter rushing for 1, 423 and 17 TD's along with 528 yards receiving and 6 TD's through the air. Turns the corner effortlessly and although he doesn't offer much if at all in the blocking game, he is similar in all facets of the game to Reggie Bush, but obviously a grade lower.
Pre-Combine Projection: 3rd Round ----- Post-Combine Projection: 2nd Round
3. Vernon Gholston, DE/LB. Ohio St.
Gholston had always been a lock for the first round, but he took major strides in becoming a lock in the top 10 at the Combine. Aside from being one of the most built athletes coming out of the draft then ever before, Vernon Gholston is arguably the premier pass rusher in this draft. He is at a weight level where he could play either Defensive End in a 4-3 or Linebacker in a 3-4 effectively, but all in all projects just a little better at Linebacker in the NFL in a 3-4 scheme. Running a 4.6 40-yard dash at the Combine has seemingly put him over the top and simply put, you will not find a more aggressive and athletic all around hybrid Linebacker. Due to his versatility he can be compared to Adalius Thomas.
Pre-Draft Projection: 1st Round ----- Post-Combine Projection: Top 10
4. Dustin Keller, TE. Purdue
Before the Combine, the top spot at TE was as it was last year...undecided; but just like last year a top TE was found by the time the Combine had finished in Greg Olsen. I don't personally think that Dustin Keller will sneak into the first round like Olsen last year, but he has slightly pushed himself ahead of the pack with an astounding Combine proving his athletic prowess. Running a 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds, he also subsequently had a very impressive and productive senior season, posting 881 yards receiving along with 7 TD's and having somewhat of a similar junior campaign as well. Was a star basketball player at Moorehead St., many great NFL TE's today have translated their athletics from basketball to football (i.e. Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates). Eerily resembles Tony Gonzalez.
Pre-Combine Projection: 3rd-4th Round ----- Post-Combine Projection: 2nd Round
5. Josh Barrett, S. Arizona St.
Barrett has always been a noted name, but took a real step at the combine. He blazed a 4.3 second 4-yard dash which is above average for any Safety prospect, and what's more is that he is 6'3 ft tall and still capable of holding down a very fast time. He is a very hard hitting Safety and charismatic/well liked by teammates. With his timed speed, coverage abilities can be improved with coaching. Almost like a Linebacker in the secondary. A true team leader that leads by example, rarely missing tackles or blowing coverages. Looked even more impressive in the positional drills as well.
Pre-Combine Projection: 3rd-4th Round ----- Post-Combine Projection: 2nd Round
6. Tom Zbikowski, S. Notre Dame
Notre Dame players always go into the NFL Draft with a bad rap on field for nothing else then the fact that they played for Notre Dame. Zbikowski is tough as nails and was quietly one of the most impressive players in the entire combine. Although running a pedestrian 4.5 at the combine, he did excellent in all of the position drills and was in the zone the entire day. He didn't make any friends out there and was the most focused player I had seen throughout the entire Combine. Even though he isn't the greatest coverage Safety, he is one of the biggest hitters in the NCAA and doubles as one of the most deadly return men in the nation as well. A classic football player, which is hard to come by these days. Has drawn comparisons to Denver's John Lynch.
Pre-Combine Projection: 4th-5th Round ----- Post-Combine Projection: 3rd Round
7. Joe Flacco, QB. Delaware
Flacco has risen quite rapidly since the Blue Hens season ended. Began his collegiate career with Pittsburgh as Tyler Palko's backup but transfered down to Delaware in search of playing time. Had a top notch senior season throwing for 4, 263 yards and 23 TD's while only throwing 5 picks. He played a good portion of his snaps out of the shotgun formation, but as Vince Young proved, taking snaps under center can be taught. He has a rocket arm and above-average touch on his passes. If he can adjust to playing much stronger competition, then he can be a GM's dream Franchise QB. Similar to Ben Roethlisberger, a grade lower in overall strength.
Pre-Combine Projection: 3rd-4th Round ----- Post-Combine Projection: 1st-2nd Round
Honorable Mentions:
-Devin Thomas, WR. Michigan St.
-Trevor Laws, DT. Notre Dame
-Jamie Silva, S. Boston College
-Wesley Woodyard, LB. Kentucky
-Terrence Wheatley, CB. Colorado
-Orlando Scandrick, CB. Boise St.
-Chris Williams, OT. Vandy
-Brandon Albert, OG. Virginia
Downs
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1. Mario Manningham, WR. Michigan
Super Mario Manningham wasn't so super at the RCA Dome. Running what was probably the most disappointing 40 yard dashes of the entire event posting a 4.6 time, which is unsettling when he was supposed to run a sub-4.4 second time with ease. This alone may have bumped him out of the 1st round. It's hard to have faith in a receiver who prides himself on being quick and fast. While the 40 time doesn't mean everything, this is a major red flag in Manningham's scouting report.
Pre-Combine Projection: 1st Round ----- Post-Combine Projection: 2nd-3rd Round
2. Andre Woodson, QB. Kentucky
I must say, it was not just the Combine that has sallied Woodson's stock going into the draft, but a combination of both a dismal Senior Bowl and Combine. He failed to even minimally impress the scouts in attendance with some questioning how long it takes for him to release the ball. He is thought of as a mobile QB that can take off at times, but isn't a major running threat, and he chose to not run his 40 yard dash. Overall it was the drills that hurt him at the Combine, he may have knocked himself not only out of the 1st round and into the 2nd, but into the lower half of the 2nd round.
Pre-Combine Projection: 1st Round ----- Post-Combine Projection: 2nd-3rd Round
3. Mike Hart, RB. Michigan
A teammate of Mario Manningham's. Really fallen off since the season ended. Hart had been considered in the 1st-2nd round range prior to any pre-draft events and has only managed to decimate his stock since then. His ability to stay healthy has been questioned on numerous occasion's and just like Manningham, Hart had an extremely disappointing 40 yard dash. Albeit, Hart wasn't supposed to run in the 4.4 second range and was more expected to be a 4.5 clocked time, yet his 40 time was in the 4.6-4.7 second time range. Hart could have penciled himself as a late round pick.
Pre-Combine Projection: 3rd-4th Round ----- Post-Draft Projection: 5th Round - Free Agent
4. DeJuan Tribble, CB. Boston College
Tribble had gone into preparation for the draft with one thing to prove. Size doesn't matter. Now while this is true in some cases for CB's in the NFL Tribble failed to prove that a 5'8 CB such as himself can consistently handle certain WR's. The one thing small cornerbacks tend to have go for them is elite speed, which wasn't the case for Tribble. He was burned quite a bit by faster WR's this past season and only managed a dismal 4.58 second 40-yard dash at the Combine. As well, he dropped a few catchable balls in the drill portion of the day as well. Overall, Tribble could have been one of the top cover men in the draft, but did nothing but dissapoint for the most part.
Pre-Draft Projection: 2nd Round ----- Post-Combine Projection: 4th-5th Round
5. Adarious Bowman, WR. Oklahoma St.
Bowman had been pegged prior to the season as one of the top (if not the top) senior WR prospect in the draft; and for most of the season didn't dissapoint, but towards the end, had problems holding onto the ball after the catch, fumbling on occasion. Along with his sub-par 40 time of 4.67 all factors into him dropping off from a potential mid-late 1st round pick all the way down to a likely 3rd rounder at best.
Pre-Draft Projection: 1st-2nd Round ----- Post-Combine Projection: 3rd-4th Round
6. Barry Richardson, OT. Clemson
The Barry Richardson decline has been a big one. He is a monstrous run blocking Left Tackle with alot of potential but has yet to overcome many weight issues and has fallen off of a very high perch. Going into the season as an almost lock of a 1st round pick and all season long just failed to impress and couldn't handle the speed rushers off the edge. Assumptions were held back until the end of both the Senior Bowl and the Combine to see if he can make up for lost ground, and again, failed to impress. Running a 5.42 second 40-yard dash, which is far below-average for even an Offensive Lineman. His demeanor and killer instinct have all been doubted and during positional drills at the combine was less then stellar for such a large Tackle. He has fallen way off the map, and will not be taken in either of the first two rounds of the draft.
Pre-Draft Projection: 2nd Round ----- Post-Combine Projection: 4th-5th Round
Dis-Honorable Mentions
-Drew Radovich, OG. USC
-Brian Brohm, QB. Louisville
-Malik Jackson, LB. Louisville
-Dwight Lowery, CB. San Jose St.
-Chris Horton, S. UCLA
-Will Arnold, OG. LSU
____________________________________________________________________
So that's that. Although, I have included underneath a list of players that "did not disappoint" list of players that fulfilled pre-draft potential and had impressive outings throughout the pre-draft process.
Did Not Disappoint
-----------------------
QB
-Matt Ryan, Boston College
-Josh Johnson, San Diego
-Erik Ainge, Tennessee
-Kevin O'Connell, San Diego St.
RB
-Rashard Mendenhall, Illinois
-Darren McFadden, Arkansas
-Jonathan Stewart, Oregon
-Jamal Charles, Texas
WR
-Limas Sweed, Texas
-Malcolm Kelly, Oklahoma
-Jordy Nelson, Kansas St.
-Eddie Royal, Virginia Tech
TE
-Jacob Tamme, Kentucky
-Fred Davis, USC
-Martin Rucker, Missouri
OT
-Jake Long, Michigan
-Ryan Clady, Boise St.
-Jeff Otah, Pittsburgh
-Gosder Cherilus, Boston College
OG
-Brandon Albert, Virginia
-Roy Shuening, Oregon St.
-Andrew Crummey, Maryland
-Jeremy Zuttah, Rutgers
C
-Doug Legursky, Marshall
-Steve Justice, Wake Forest
-John Sullivan, Notre Dame
DE
-Chris Long, Virginia
-Vernon Gholston, Ohio St.
-Derrick Harvey, Florida
-Quentin Groves, Auburn
DT
-Sedrick Ellis, USC
-Dre Moore, Maryland
-Marcus Harrison, Arkansas
-Red Bryant, Texas A&M
LB
-Dan Connor, Penn St.
-Keith Rivers, USC
-Jerod Mayo, Tennessee
-Ali Highsmith, LSU
DB
-Leodis McKelvin, Troy
-Brandon Flowers, Virginia Tech
-Mike Jenkins, USF
-Reggie Smith, Oklahoma
That's all for now, keep checking up for weekly updates, new polls, and my latest Mock Draft.
Thanks,
-D.Caputi
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