exile

Completely agree hagan. Players make the difference and either defense can play run or pass dependent on playaas.... Now let's go get a few to add to the World Champions!

Saint_LB

Well...personnelly (hee hee) I think you guys should listen to Hagan...so I, being extremely bored again, changed the words to the popular song, and here's what I came up with...

When I find myself in need of draft info
Brother Hagan comes to me...
Speaking words of widsom,
It is he

It is he,
it is he,
it is he,
it is he...

Speaking words of widsom,
it is he.

TheDeuce

Stockman is right here. Cody would be a terrible pick for the Saints.

He's best suited for a 3-4 where his primary responsibility is taking up space.

In a 4-3, I don't think he'd have the necessary speed to make as much of a difference. Could he do it? Probably, but why gamble a first round pick on him?

Besides, if he's this sloppy at the combine, you'd have to expect him to be sloppy come training camp. That sloppiness means he can only play one or two downs in a row without getting winded.

stockman311

2010 combine full of storylinesScouts still wondering about CB Cox and OT CampbellEmailPrintComments
0 By Todd McShay
Scouts Inc.
Archive Editor's note: Results in the 40-yard dash and other timed events are unofficial unless otherwise noted.


The 2010 NFL Scouting Combine is in the books and now it's time to sift through all the numbers, results and rumors. Here are some of our thoughts as we close in on the final seven weeks of the draft process:


Signed, sealed, delivered
It should be clear sailing for these first-round talents, all of whom locked down their status during the combine:



1. Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh -- One of the big questions coming into the combine was whether one of the to premier defensive tackles in this class would step up, and while Suh did not open up a huge gap between himself and Oklahoma's Gerald McCoy, he did have the more complete performance. Suh looks the part of a franchise player with his height and wide frame, and he has a presence about him that McCoy does not. He showed impressive strength with 32 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press and looked good during drills.



Looking slightly better overall does not guarantee that Suh will come off the board ahead of McCoy but it is hard for us to imagine Suh still being on the board when the Washington Redskins come on the clock at No. 4 overall.


2. Tennessee S Eric Berry -- Premier players do not always have the best combine workouts, but what we saw from Berry makes it easy for us to rubber-stamp him as the No. 1 safety on our board. Berry did everything scouts wanted to see -- from bulking up to 211 pounds to posting a 4.47-second 40-yard dash to finishing second among defensive backs in the broad jump (10-foot-10) and vertical jump (43 inches) -- to solidify his standing as the top overall defensive back in 2010.


While you have to consider the fact that safety is further down the line in terms of positional value it is still conceivable that Berry could go third overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, fifth to the Kansas City Chiefs, seventh to the Cleveland Browns, and at worst 13th to the San Francisco 49ers.


3. Clemson RB C.J. Spiller -- Spiller blazed a 4.37 in the 40 and put up 18 solid reps on the bench press, and while did not perform in any other areas he did not need to in order to separate himself from the rest of the running back class. Spiller is a versatile back who contributes in the passing game and as a kickoff returner, and now the only question is how early teams are willing to draft a running back. The Seattle Seahawks might be a reach at No. 6 overall but Seattle would surely love to snatch Spiller up at No. 14.


Red flags
Here's a look at three first-round talents who now face pressure-packed pro days:



1. Florida CB Joe Haden -- Not only were Haden's 4.57 and 4.58 times in the 40 much higher than expected he also did not look fluid when opening his hips and changing directions. His task at Florida's March 17 pro day is now two-fold: Haden must run in the 4.4s and move well or risk his stock taking another hit. He looked quick and explosive out of his backpedal at times in Indianapolis but teams are no doubt poring over his game film to see if there is something they missed, and unless Haden proves the combine was a fluke he risks his stock taking another hit.



2. Alabama ILB Rolando McClain -- McClain opted out of combine workouts and reports are that he has been bothered by a hamstring injury since some time before the BCS championship game. He did take part in medical examinations and interviews and we like his instincts, size and tackling ability, but there are questions about his top-end speed. All indications are that McClain will be ready for Alabama's March 10 pro day and a time in the 4.7s will be good enough for him because his instincts and recognition allow him to play faster than his timed speed.



Should McClain turn in a slow time at his pro day some teams will wonder if he was dodging the combine because he was worried about his speed, but right now we have no reason to believe this his hamstring injury is not legitimate.



3. Arizona TE Rob Gronkowski -- Gronkowski showed up for the medical exams -- which is important for a player who missed the entire 2009 season after back surgery to fix a herniated disk and nerve injury in his back -- and he showed good strength with 23 reps on the bench. Gronkowski certainly looks the part but must show teams his back is sound enough to run the entire route tree, get in and out of cuts smoothly and adjust well to balls outside his frame. Scouts want to know if he is the same player who put up 47 catches for 672 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2008, and a good workout that includes a 40 in the low-4.7 range could put some pressure on No.1 TE Jermaine Gresham of Oklahoma.



Back to work
A prospect should neither soar nor tailspin after a surprising workout but scouts cannot ignore such numbers, either. Teams must go back to work after good and bad workouts to determine a player's true ability, beginning with more film study. Here are the six players from this year's combine who fit that category and have the biggest discrepancy between their workouts and game tape:



Better on tape
1. Oklahoma State CB Perrish Cox -- He ran just 4.55 in the 40 and did not stand out in drills, and in a very competitive cornerback class Cox failed to take advantage of a big opportunity. However, he is the perfect example of someone who is a better football player than athlete. Cox closes quickly on film has good burst out of his backpedal and shows a second gear when tracking deep balls, and while his footwork and technique and footwork need polishing Cox has the instincts and aggressiveness to overcome that. His 40 time is a concern but teams surely like what they see from Cox on tape.



2. Ole Miss RB Dexter McCluster -- The pint-sized (5-8¾, 172) McCluster clocked a 4.58 that was disappointing by his standards, but he is more quick than fast and his 4.06 second 20-yard shuttle and 37.4-inch vertical jump show he has good explosiveness. He is a versatile player who can line up all over the backfield and in the slot to create mismatches, and he also has the ability to contribute in the return game, so McCluster remains in the late-second or early-third round range in our eyes.



3. Kansas WR Dezmon Briscoe -- His 4.64 in the 40 was not great and Briscoe did not wow anyone with his workouts, and we thought he would be quicker and more explosive than he appeared during drills. However, at 6-2 and 207 pounds Briscoe has the size, savvy and body control to shield balls from defenders and will battles when the ball is in the air. He also shows good quickness on film and could offer help to teams looking for a No. 2-type receiver in the late-second or early-third round.



Better in shorts
1. Maryland OT Bruce Campbell -- It's hard to describe just how good Campbell looked from a physical standpoint. He is as close to chiseled as you will ever see in a 316-pounder and his 6-6⅜ frame has scouts salivating. Add in a 4.85 in the 40, 36 reps on the bench and a 32-inch vertical jump and his potential only increases. The film reveals a lot of holes in Campbell's game, though.



His footwork and technique need major developing and there are concerns about the fact that he started only 17 games during his college career, so he still looks like a bit of a project. Campbell clearly has the tools to develop with good coaching, though, and that's why his workout likely solidified himself as a late-first-round pick.


2. Louisville WR Scott Long -- Long (6-2⅛, 216) quietly had the best workout among the wide receivers in attendance. He clocked a 4.46, broad-jumped 10-3, turned in a 41.4 vertical jump and ran the 20-yard shuttle in 4.09. He has just one year of football under his belt and is raw in his routes and breaks, and he also battled through some injury issues, but he got better as the year went on. Long gained more momentum with his combine workout and is worth a mid-to-late round selection because his best football appears to be ahead of him.


3. Fresno State CB AJ Jefferson -- Jefferson was the workout warrior of the cornerback crop this year. He shows flashes on film but his poor technique and questionable instincts led us to give him a free agent grade, and that clearly does not jive with the combine performance he delivered. Jefferson finished with the top mark in his group in the vertical jump (44), short shuttle (4.00) and long shuttle (11.04), and was also in the top five in the broad jump (10-6) and three-cone drill (6.72).


Finally, here are 10 players who did not enter the combine with first-round grades but cashed in on strong showings and look to be on the rise:


•Notre Dame WR Golden Tate
•Virginia CB Chris Cook
•Ohio State OLB Thaddeus Gibson
•Tennessee RB Montario Hardesty
•TCU OLB Jerry Hughes
•BYU TE Dennis Pitta
•Ohio WR Taylor Price
•Pittsburgh TE Dorin Dickerson
•Virginia Tech OLB Jason Worilds
•SMU WR Emmanuel Sanders

papz

Ted Williams plays in a 4-3... just wanted to put that out there. I may not be a Bama fan but if Cody was there at 32, I'd seriously consider him.

TheDeuce

And Jonathan Vilma played in a 3-4.

Point is, if you're a fat space eater, you're better suited for a 3-4.

papz

Tell Ted Williams that. Tell Marcus Stroud that when he was in Jacksonville. Tell Kris Jenkins that when he was in Carolina. It's all about putting your players into the best possible position so they can succeed. Remember our very own Sedrick Ellis was better suited for a 3-4... and well, he's playing in our 4-3.

I'll ask you this Deuce, do you not think guys like Casey Hampton and Vince Wilfork to name a few couldn't succeed here because they're fat space eaters? As far as I can tell, Albert Haynesworth isn't the smallest guy in the world either... and he also plays in a 4-3.

Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.

All little common sense goes a long way.

exile

Didn't Ted Williams hit baseballs?

I think that you and Canton just dig fat guys. j/k

CantonLegend

i think he means ted washington who played for the bills and bears long before he was moved to new england and cleveland to play in their 3-4s

lol for once im surprised papz agreed with me. he and I go back and forth enough i guess it was bound to happen eventually

im not a fan of fat guys that cant play.....but fat guys that eat up blockers and wreak havoc in the backfield and on the line of scrimmage.....im all for

a stalemate at the line of scrimmage is a win for the defense.....and nobody in the league would be able to push around an angry 350 lb man

"deal with it or you can go play the saints and get trounced by 30 and you won't have to worry about it."-colin cowherd