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This review of the linebackers at the 2010 NFL Combine analyzes the players as they were officially listed entering the combine, making several players who could potentially make a position switch absent from this column.
However, there were quite a few stand-out performers, as well as some guys who “wowed” us in the wrong way.
Read on for the top-five finishes in all the major drills, along with some analysis on where some of the players stand going into the 2010 NFL Draft :
40-Yard Dash
1. Jamar Chaney—Mississippi State (4.54)
2. Dekoda Watson—Florida State (4.56)
3. Stevenson Sylvester—Utah (4.63)
4. Kavell Conner—Clemson (4.63)
5. Phillip Dillard—Nebraska (4.64)
Keaton Kristick, Cody Grimm, and Perry Riley all tied with Phillip Dillard for fifth place.
Jamar Chaney clocked in with the fastest time, running as fast as many of the running backs and showing the kind of sideline-to-sideline speed scouts drool over. Dekoda Watson did the same, finishing just .02 seconds slower.
A.J. Edds, who saw his stock rise with a solid Senior Bowl, ran an average time, but his speed would be considered adequate for playing the outside, which he is best suited for at the next level.
Kentucky’s Micah Johnson has the worst time of all the linebackers, running a horrible 4.99, slower than some of the defensive tackles.
Bench Press
1. Donald Butler—Washington (35 reps)
2. Sean Weatherspoon—Missouri (34)
3. Micah Johnson—Kentucky (31)
4. Mike McLaughlin—Boston College (29)
5. Kion Wilson—South Florida (27)
Boris Lee and Keenan Clayton tied for fifth place.
Donald Butler took first place with an impressive 35 reps, while Sean Weatherspoon showed his impressive strength with 34.
Micah Johnson redeemed himself (somewhat) after running a horrible 40-time by being the only other linebacker to crack 30 reps on the bench press.
A.J. Edds came in second-to-last with a very weak showing on the bench press, cranking out just 16 reps. Harry Coleman hurt his already poor draft stock with a last-place finish, recording 13 reps.
Vertical Leap
1. Keenan Clayton—Oklahoma (41.5)
2. Simoni Lawrence—Minnesota (40.0)
3. Sean Weatherspoon—Missouri (40.0)
4. Dekoda Watson—Florida State (40.0)
5. Jason Beauchamp—UNLV (39.5)
Keenan Clayton out-jumped the next three guys by 1.5 inches to take the top spot, while Sean Weatherspoon continued his solid Combine by tying for second place in the vertical leap.
Dekoda Watson also continued to display his elite athleticism, notching 40 inches along with Weatherspoon and Simoni Lawrence.
Brandon Spikes was the most disappointing player to partake in this drill, tying Micah Johnson for last place with a 29-inch leap.
Broad Jump
1. Dekoda Watson—Florida State (11’2″)
2. Sean Weatherspoon—Missouri (10’3″)
3. Keaton Kristick—Oregon State (10′)
4. Perry Riley—LSU (9’9″)
5. Eric Norwood—South Carolina (9’7″)
Dekoda Watson finished a stellar combine with the best broad jump, as he displayed his great speed, explosiveness, and athleticism in all the drills.
Overall
Dekoda Watson and Sean Weatherspoon were by far the most elite and consistent performers in this year’s class of linebackers at the Combine.
The two finished neck-and-neck in all the major drills, although Weatherspoon arguably had the better Combine, finishing with 10 more reps than Watson in the bench press.
Jamar Chaney impressed scouts with his excellent speed in the 40-yard dash and has an elite vertical leap but was fairly average on the bench press.
Josh Hull and Micah Johnson were very disappointing, both running lower than a 4.9 in the 40-yard dash, while both had a vertical less than 34 inches.
Outside of Micah Johnson, Brandon Spikes may have hurt his stock the most. His vertical leap ranked dead last, he finished sixth out of six players in the three-cone drill, and he was second-to-last in the broad jump.
He was a borderline first-rounder, but will likely stick in the second round or later due to his mediocre athleticism.
For more NFL Draft and NFL Combine coverage, head over to NFL Soup.
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If you need any reassurance that the National Football League is king, the recent fuss over its pre-draft combine just about sums it up.
Even with a very good Winter Olympics making headlines, the NFL ruled the day with a glorified workout featuring its newest crop of potential stars.
I’m a Major League Baseball guy myself, but I can understand why the gridiron has taken center stage in the American athletic arena.
The League is much better suited to the modern age of video clips and information clutter than its closest competitors (for now keep an eye on the Ultimate Fighting Championship) because its events are mostly digestible in short bursts.
Nor does it hurt that the spectacle of the NFL is arguably unsurpassed: both in presentation and (when it involves an actual game) the athletic marvels on the field.
Of course, common sense often gets lost in all that enthusiasm.
And, again, the NFL Scouting Combine captures the phenomenon perfectly.
Remember, this is essentially a practice—the pressure is tweaked up by a measure I can’t really appreciate so it’s not Allen Iverson “Practice!?! ,” but there is no sincere defense on the field and the guys in the stands have notebooks or computers instead of beers.
Still, every year, you’ll see guys shoot up the board or fall down it based on their performance in pre-draft workouts and in the face of their collegiate, onfield resume.
It seems Bruce Campbell, an offensive tackle from Maryland, is this year’s superfreak who’s turning raw athleticism into cash money.
You should probably be sitting for this: The former Terrapin checks in at 6’6″, at least 315 pounds, with a 32″ vertical leap and a long jump of 8’5.” He ran a 4.85 40-yard dash, tossed up 34 reps at 225 pounds, and I’m sure 7.58 in the “3-Cone” is impressive as well (but I have no idea what that is).
So, yeah, the 21-year-old has physical gifts oozing out of his pores.
The bad news?
How about this from FOX Sports ?
“He didn’t have a great career, struggled with his durability, isn’t much of a run blocker, and doesn’t have the raw bulk to be a bulldozer of a NFL run blocking left tackle.”
Hmm…
If that’s the consensus after three years in college, what’s all the excitement about?
As I understand it, the NFL is more difficult than the NCAA version.
For the flip to this particular coin, allow me to introduce former Florida Gator cornerback Joe Haden and former Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Rolando McClain.
Haden would get more than a few votes for the best collegiate defensive back in the country.
He was part of that stifling Gator defense (right up until it faced ‘Bama) and a big part by notching 57 tackles, four interceptions, and three sacks.
The 20-year-old also owns the distinction of being the first true freshman to start at the position for the Gators, i.e. he’s been doing this for three years now (he’s coming out as a junior).
McClain, another 20-year-old, is one of those nightmares who requires a link because listing all his various achievements becomes tiresome quickly.
Suffice it to say, if there was an award for a linebacker in 2009, it went to the Crimson Tide’s stud.
Most notably, his mantle boasts the 2009 Jack Lambert Award, the 2009 Dick Butkus Award, and a nice slice of that 2009 National Championship.
You see the parallel: Both of these kids tore up the college landscape when wins and losses were at stake. They’ve proven it ON THE FIELD, yet both are apparently sliding down boards because of concerns about speed.
Look, I understand the NFL is faster than the college game. Much faster.
However, anyone who has ever played an organized sport that practiced between games knows exactly what it means to be a “practice player.”
The game environment is the ultimate x-factor, whether it changes the individual psychologically, emotionally, or even physically, it most definitely changes most people.
Some get better; some get worse; and there are the weirdos who don’t even notice a difference.
Consequently, we’ve all known that teammate who is absolutely unconscious in his/her chosen sport so long as the practice jerseys are on.
Put some fans in the bleachers (even a mediocre high school crowd) and rock those special game units…well…it’s a different story and it ain’t pretty.
Furthermore, it makes good logic that exceptional performers—the ones who find an extra gear when the chips are down—might have a little trouble mustering that oomph for a practice.
Even one as unique as the NFL Scouting Combine.
That’s not to say both Haden and McClain are neither “can’t-miss” prospects nor that Campbell will collapse like so many other pre-draft supernovae.
Let’s face it: Pro franchises employ people for specifically this process of evaluation and I’m not one of them.
But ask Ray Lewis about the difference between practice speed and game speed.
I’ll go to my grave convinced some beasts are simply faster during the real thing.
Maybe Haden and McClain are those types of players.
Maybe not.
If I’m a betting man, though, I’m going with the evidence that argues most persuasively:their body of work with opponents hitting back.
Stopwatch and muscles be damned.
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While the term “Bargain Bin” carries a negative connotation, there is no doubt the unlimited benefit of finding draft day bargains.
More affectionately known as “steals,” or having great “draft value,” here are some of the players that aren’t necessarily in the top-5 of any analyst’s lists for their position, but players I believe can help the Kansas City Chiefs.
Wide Receiver
Emmanuel Sanders out of Southern Methodist University is a player I’ve heard very little about, but that has to be considered a possible steal at wide receiver.
Let’s look at the tangibles:
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 186
40 time: 4.41 (third among wide receivers)
Bench Press: 12
Broad Jump: 10’6” (best among wide receivers)
Vertical Jump: 39.5” (fifth among wide receivers)
3 cone drill: 6.60 (second among wide receivers)
20 yard shuttle: 4.10 (third among wide receivers)
Now I don’t intend to post the combine statistics of every “bargain” player, but so little is known and has been said about Sanders that the numbers have to speak for themselves.
I desperately wanted to see this guy run the gauntlet and see how smooth he was in receiving, but alas, the NFL Network, while doing a great job, doesn’t always give the fan everything he or she wants to see.
Sanders was considered an outside shot to be drafted coming into the Combine and many people feel he could have moved up to round five. This is the ideal bargain pick at a team that needs playmakers at wide receiver.
While playmaking is nice, there is a demand for consistency among Kansas City fans and personnel. The Chiefs look to upgrade a receiving unit that led the NFL in pass drops.
There are a couple players I consider in the “Ed McCaffrey” mold, the number two Denver receiver that gave Kansas City fans fits with his steady contributions.
Blair White out of Michigan State is an ideal blend of strong hands, a nose for the end zone, and good physical build at 6’2” and 209 pounds.
White didn’t show as a top performer in the vertical or broad jump, but his 4.53 forty yard dash is respectable.
Most importantly, for guys who like the “quicker than he is fast” receivers, White posted the top time among receivers in the 20-yard shuttle, finished second in the 60-yard shuttle, and third in the 3-cone drill. Pair that with 18 bench press reps, and you’ve got a strong, heady receiver who can find the spots in zone coverage and won’t drop balls.
Wide Receiver Honorable Mentions (Guys that looked good in drills)
Chris McGaha – Arizona State
Dezmon Briscoe – Kansas
Antonio Brown – Central Michigan
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Former University of Florida quarterback and NFL Draft prospect, Tim Tebow , addressed the media at the 2010 NFL Combine on Friday.
Tebow was asked about any “tweaks” on his throwing motion and was asked if it was minor alterations, or a complete overhaul.
Tebow answered by saying that he had been working on more of a “tweak”, while addressing other questions.
He also answered some pressing questions, suggesting that he would listen to and obey the demands of whatever team drafted him and if that meant playing a position other than quarterback, he’d be open to it.
However, he did remain adamant about the fact that quarterback is his preferred position and has been ever since he was six-years old.
Also, despite earlier reports, Tebow leaned toward participating in some drills at the NFL Combine, but still said he’d refrain from the throwing drills.
Check out the video for everything else he had to say, and stay tuned for more news from the 2010 NFL Combine:
While waiting for updates on the NFL Combine, check out all the daily fantasy games over at Fantazzle.com
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
The weigh-in for quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers has finished at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Measureables for these skill positions are very important because coaches and scouts want to know if a receiver is tall enough, or a quarterback has enough bulk on his frame to take a pounding when getting sacked by NFL lineman, or if a running back is solid rock and can take the punishment of running the ball 20-plus times each game.
The results are in…
