JamesWilder32
02-27-2007, 09:08 PM
What a combine! There were some very impressive performances out there and some surprisingly bad ones...
The guys that really stood out:
QB Brady Quinn-Quinn didn't throw but what he did do was show his dedication to making himself a better player and his work ethic. May have fought his way back into contention of being the #1 player chosen... The Bucs could nab him at... round #1
QB John Beck-2nd fastest ball speed at 61+mph from a guy that most assumed (me included) had an average arm... then he went on to post a fantastic short shuttle time of 4.17 beating the combine's two fastest WR's Yamon Figurs and Jason Hill...he then went on to post a better 3-cone drill time than most WR's and DBs... this from a guy that looked fairly immobile in college...He ran an official 4.8 which is pretty good. Distinguished himself as more than just another guy... could sneak into the 3rd round now... The Bucs could nab him at... round 4.
QB Jared Zabransky-threw ok but really showed the athleticism (4.5 40) that we thought he might have but then proved he really did have... Had passable ball speed as well. He is still a fringe prospect... aka Gradkowski... The Bucs could nab him at .... round 7 (I would say 6 if we had one)
WR Yamon Figurs-SLight of frame 5'11 174 but registered the top 40 time of the combine at 4.3... Didn't run well in change of direction drills but caught the ball well and I kept hearing how he was probably the best gunner in college last season.... he also returns kicks and punts and is a decent WR prospect. Distinguished himself as a priority special teamer, may find himself in the 1st day after not being considered a big-time prospect... The Bucs can nab him in... round 5
WR Jason Hill- The guy without breakaway speed turns out to be a guy that really has breakaway speed... His numbers from his sophomore and junior seasons suggest he is a downfield threat but he wasn't thought to run well... he really did, 4.32, and caught the ball extremely well... Solidified himself as a day 1 prospect.. the Bucs could nab him at... the end of round 2 or round 3...
other WRs to help themselves... all the Boise St. WRs that were thought to be a step slow... Robert Meachem... and Mike Walker of CFU...
RB Chris Henry Arizona--where did this guy come from and why was he even invited to the combine???? He answered those questions by easily being the most impressive RB at the combine (physically) Because of his 6' 230 lb frame and impressive 4.40 speed he will be drafted... His college production suggested he MIGHT get into an NFL training camp... Where the Bucs could nab Henry... round 5 or 7... perhaps he can at least be a special teams demon with his size and speed and make a roster.
RB Brian Leonard--- what was the guy thinking? Coming into the combine at 226 to play HB not FB in the pros??? We know he is tough and runs hard... now he runs a 4.51 to show he has enough speed to possibly make a go of it as a HB in the NFL... He solidified himself into a solid day 1 pick, possibly going as high as early in round 2... Where the Bucs could nab him... oh please, let's not start this again... ok ok, pick 2b...
other RBs DeShawn Wynn ran well and has production and skill... Peterson was as explosive as advertised.
TE Greg Olsen, who else, perhaps the star of the combine on the offensive side of the ball, running a 4.51 and making himself a 2nd round pick to a possible mid-first round pick... Where the Bucs could nab him... we probably can't or shouldn't but we would have to trade down from pick #1.
other TE's Michael Allan showed good athleticism for a Div 3 prospect, could really blossom after a year in an NFL training regimen...
OT Alan Barbre?? Who? Ran a 4.84 at over 300 lbs...I don't know if he can play, i don't know much about him, he managed 28 reps so he has functional strength and a decent work ethic... if nothing else he would make a VERY scary wedge buster... He will now get drafted due to his athleticism... Where the Bucs might nab him... round 5 or 7
other OL to impress, Blalock and Ramirez showing good strength and dedication by putting 40 reps up... JThomas, Gabe Hall, and Ryan Kalil for posting sub 5.0 40X... there were 4 OL to post sub 5.0 40X
DE Adam Carriker weighed in at 6'6 and 296 with very little fat, put up 225 33X but only posted a 4.9 40 time... however, he had a 20 yard shuttle time of 4.18 which was 2nd best among all DLinemen and better than about half of the DBs and WR's... could be a top 10 pick at this point and may be able to play DT at his size... Where the Bucs could nab him.... pick #1 (after a trade down preferably)
DE Brian Robison and Tim Crowder from UTexas... both guys proved to be much better athletes than anticipated.. RObison may have been the star of the DL... posting good 40X an RB like 3 cone drill and an unheard of 40.5 vertical jump, he also posted 27 reps on bench... he weighed in at 6'3 259 so he isn't a complete lightweight... He moved himself up into the first day and Crowder solidified himself in the 2nd. WHere we could get either of them... Crowder pick 2a, and Robison round 3.
DE/DT Turk McBride, was only 6'2 277 but posted a 4.82... he also posted the best 20 yard shuttle time of all DL with 4.12 and a respectable 27 reps... He elevated his stock a little... where the Bucs could nab him... round 4
DE Baraka Atkins ran better than anticipated.
LB Quincy Black, for a while now I have been saying I wanted the Bucs to grab him... in round 5... that will NEVER happen.... all Black did is put on perhaps the best performance of the combine... he weighed in at 6'1.5 and 240 posted a 4.42 and put up a combine best 41.5 vertical jump...the best 60 yard shuttle and the 3rd best 3 cone drill... He put up an average 24 reps on 225... which is not terrible considering he is more of a run and hit and cover LB..If you haven't seen anything about Black... he played at UNM playing Urlacher's old SS/LB hybrid spot and was extremely productive... He put himself into the 1st day for sure... where? The Bucs could nab him at 2b but we might be too late!
LB Patrick Willis-majorly productive stud with excellent measurables... Ran a 4.49 only posted a 22 reps but was very fluid in drills... Solidified himself as at least a mid round 1st round pick and might move into the top 10... Where the Bucs could nab him... pick #1 preferrably after moving down...
LB Antawan Barnes a 4.43 40 and 31 reps on 225 at 6'1 240... the problem with Barnes is that he has limited experience at LB playing DE for half of his collegiate career at Florida International... He will likely struggle in coverage but with his fantastic speed and dedication he will make a big impact on special teams and can play there as he learns... May go as early as day 1... where the Bucs can nab him... round 4 or 5...
LB Zak DeOssie--at 6'4 250 Steve DeOssie's son from Brown posted a rather impressive 4.58... He's also a longsnapper... While he might not project to LB for the Bucs, he was wildly productive and could be a Sam ...he's got good strength (26 reps) and posted excellent results inthe broad jump, 20 yard shuttle, 60 yard shuttle, and 3 cone drill....all superior to the best DE's at the combine... the question is, could he project to a RDE for the Bucs? He has some injury issues which might keep him out of the first day.. but he could sneak in there due to his athleticism and production and obvious smarts and versatility (LS) Where the Bucs could nab him... round 4 or 5...
LB Chad Nkang, Tim Shaw, Justin Durant, Juwan Simpson , David Harris, Rory Johnson, Nate Harris all ran very well at the combine and could impress the Bucs if their game tapes look good.
CB Chris Houston was a guy I really liked at CB, not for us, he's primarily a man2man CB and wouldn't be happy with the Bucs... But he went out there and blazed a 4.32 and put up an extremely impressive 27 reps at 225... at only 185 lbs.. this guy is pure fast twitch athlete... what he did... may have become the top CB in the draft... A shutdown CB like no other in the draft, he went from being a fringe 1st round pick to possibly a top 10 pick... Where the Bucs might nab him... I really like Houston but the Bucs will not be drafting a CB in the 1st or even a shutdown CB at any point... this won't happen.
CB Leon Hall... Hall wasn't supposed to run this well, a 4.39 wsa great for him, great for anybody, he really helped his stock and might be able to hold off Chris Houston as the #1 CB... No go for the Bucs, CBs in the 1st in the cover 2 is not their thing.
other CBs... Josh Wilson...Aaron Ross...
S this is the position that got me excited... Laron Landry blew away all the other S's at the combine, first he came in looking like a Mack truck then he ran a 4.35 40 at 214 lbs... with his experience and production and speed, he may very well find himself in the top 10 after being debated as to whether he is the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd best safety in the draft... He's now definitely #1
S Sabby Piscatelli--- wow, this guy was impressive... 6'2.5 226 and posted a 4.47 and even better he posted probably the best 20 yard shuttle time at the combine at 3.90... he ranked fairly highly in other drills but more importantly he looked very fluid and athletic in the position drills... There is a lot to like with Sabby, he was very productive in college (15 career picks), he will now definitely find himself in the 1st day... could possibly play WLB or MLB in the tampa 2 or SS... Where the Bucs might nab him... 2b... if they're lucky... he will likely be drafted ahead of other safeties like Aaron Rouse now.
S John Wendling.. another big safety that ran extremely well... 6'1 222 and posted a 4.48 and a 38.5 vertical jump as well as placing inthe top 4 in nearly every category.. He also posted 22 reps of 225 and looked very fluid and athletic in the position drills... At the East West shrine game he really laid a lick on a TE and was a good and productive tackler in college. He may have moved himself into the first day... and he might also be able to transition to WLB or MLB WHere the Bucs can nab him... 3rd round pick might be too early, 4th round pick might be too late.
Other safeties that helped their cause
Eric Weddle, Michael Griffin both ran under 4.5 and it wasn't a sure thing that they would... Aaron Rouse ran a 4.52 at 6'4 223 and could project to LB.
This took awhile to compile feel free to add other guys you think really helped themselves... I'll make my list of guys that really hurt themselves but first let me go on record that in regards to JaMarcus Russell, I don't think he looked that bad when he took off his shirt, it is when he took off his bra that he disgusted me! :)
The guys that really stood out:
QB Brady Quinn-Quinn didn't throw but what he did do was show his dedication to making himself a better player and his work ethic. May have fought his way back into contention of being the #1 player chosen... The Bucs could nab him at... round #1
QB John Beck-2nd fastest ball speed at 61+mph from a guy that most assumed (me included) had an average arm... then he went on to post a fantastic short shuttle time of 4.17 beating the combine's two fastest WR's Yamon Figurs and Jason Hill...he then went on to post a better 3-cone drill time than most WR's and DBs... this from a guy that looked fairly immobile in college...He ran an official 4.8 which is pretty good. Distinguished himself as more than just another guy... could sneak into the 3rd round now... The Bucs could nab him at... round 4.
QB Jared Zabransky-threw ok but really showed the athleticism (4.5 40) that we thought he might have but then proved he really did have... Had passable ball speed as well. He is still a fringe prospect... aka Gradkowski... The Bucs could nab him at .... round 7 (I would say 6 if we had one)
WR Yamon Figurs-SLight of frame 5'11 174 but registered the top 40 time of the combine at 4.3... Didn't run well in change of direction drills but caught the ball well and I kept hearing how he was probably the best gunner in college last season.... he also returns kicks and punts and is a decent WR prospect. Distinguished himself as a priority special teamer, may find himself in the 1st day after not being considered a big-time prospect... The Bucs can nab him in... round 5
WR Jason Hill- The guy without breakaway speed turns out to be a guy that really has breakaway speed... His numbers from his sophomore and junior seasons suggest he is a downfield threat but he wasn't thought to run well... he really did, 4.32, and caught the ball extremely well... Solidified himself as a day 1 prospect.. the Bucs could nab him at... the end of round 2 or round 3...
other WRs to help themselves... all the Boise St. WRs that were thought to be a step slow... Robert Meachem... and Mike Walker of CFU...
RB Chris Henry Arizona--where did this guy come from and why was he even invited to the combine???? He answered those questions by easily being the most impressive RB at the combine (physically) Because of his 6' 230 lb frame and impressive 4.40 speed he will be drafted... His college production suggested he MIGHT get into an NFL training camp... Where the Bucs could nab Henry... round 5 or 7... perhaps he can at least be a special teams demon with his size and speed and make a roster.
RB Brian Leonard--- what was the guy thinking? Coming into the combine at 226 to play HB not FB in the pros??? We know he is tough and runs hard... now he runs a 4.51 to show he has enough speed to possibly make a go of it as a HB in the NFL... He solidified himself into a solid day 1 pick, possibly going as high as early in round 2... Where the Bucs could nab him... oh please, let's not start this again... ok ok, pick 2b...
other RBs DeShawn Wynn ran well and has production and skill... Peterson was as explosive as advertised.
TE Greg Olsen, who else, perhaps the star of the combine on the offensive side of the ball, running a 4.51 and making himself a 2nd round pick to a possible mid-first round pick... Where the Bucs could nab him... we probably can't or shouldn't but we would have to trade down from pick #1.
other TE's Michael Allan showed good athleticism for a Div 3 prospect, could really blossom after a year in an NFL training regimen...
OT Alan Barbre?? Who? Ran a 4.84 at over 300 lbs...I don't know if he can play, i don't know much about him, he managed 28 reps so he has functional strength and a decent work ethic... if nothing else he would make a VERY scary wedge buster... He will now get drafted due to his athleticism... Where the Bucs might nab him... round 5 or 7
other OL to impress, Blalock and Ramirez showing good strength and dedication by putting 40 reps up... JThomas, Gabe Hall, and Ryan Kalil for posting sub 5.0 40X... there were 4 OL to post sub 5.0 40X
DE Adam Carriker weighed in at 6'6 and 296 with very little fat, put up 225 33X but only posted a 4.9 40 time... however, he had a 20 yard shuttle time of 4.18 which was 2nd best among all DLinemen and better than about half of the DBs and WR's... could be a top 10 pick at this point and may be able to play DT at his size... Where the Bucs could nab him.... pick #1 (after a trade down preferably)
DE Brian Robison and Tim Crowder from UTexas... both guys proved to be much better athletes than anticipated.. RObison may have been the star of the DL... posting good 40X an RB like 3 cone drill and an unheard of 40.5 vertical jump, he also posted 27 reps on bench... he weighed in at 6'3 259 so he isn't a complete lightweight... He moved himself up into the first day and Crowder solidified himself in the 2nd. WHere we could get either of them... Crowder pick 2a, and Robison round 3.
DE/DT Turk McBride, was only 6'2 277 but posted a 4.82... he also posted the best 20 yard shuttle time of all DL with 4.12 and a respectable 27 reps... He elevated his stock a little... where the Bucs could nab him... round 4
DE Baraka Atkins ran better than anticipated.
LB Quincy Black, for a while now I have been saying I wanted the Bucs to grab him... in round 5... that will NEVER happen.... all Black did is put on perhaps the best performance of the combine... he weighed in at 6'1.5 and 240 posted a 4.42 and put up a combine best 41.5 vertical jump...the best 60 yard shuttle and the 3rd best 3 cone drill... He put up an average 24 reps on 225... which is not terrible considering he is more of a run and hit and cover LB..If you haven't seen anything about Black... he played at UNM playing Urlacher's old SS/LB hybrid spot and was extremely productive... He put himself into the 1st day for sure... where? The Bucs could nab him at 2b but we might be too late!
LB Patrick Willis-majorly productive stud with excellent measurables... Ran a 4.49 only posted a 22 reps but was very fluid in drills... Solidified himself as at least a mid round 1st round pick and might move into the top 10... Where the Bucs could nab him... pick #1 preferrably after moving down...
LB Antawan Barnes a 4.43 40 and 31 reps on 225 at 6'1 240... the problem with Barnes is that he has limited experience at LB playing DE for half of his collegiate career at Florida International... He will likely struggle in coverage but with his fantastic speed and dedication he will make a big impact on special teams and can play there as he learns... May go as early as day 1... where the Bucs can nab him... round 4 or 5...
LB Zak DeOssie--at 6'4 250 Steve DeOssie's son from Brown posted a rather impressive 4.58... He's also a longsnapper... While he might not project to LB for the Bucs, he was wildly productive and could be a Sam ...he's got good strength (26 reps) and posted excellent results inthe broad jump, 20 yard shuttle, 60 yard shuttle, and 3 cone drill....all superior to the best DE's at the combine... the question is, could he project to a RDE for the Bucs? He has some injury issues which might keep him out of the first day.. but he could sneak in there due to his athleticism and production and obvious smarts and versatility (LS) Where the Bucs could nab him... round 4 or 5...
LB Chad Nkang, Tim Shaw, Justin Durant, Juwan Simpson , David Harris, Rory Johnson, Nate Harris all ran very well at the combine and could impress the Bucs if their game tapes look good.
CB Chris Houston was a guy I really liked at CB, not for us, he's primarily a man2man CB and wouldn't be happy with the Bucs... But he went out there and blazed a 4.32 and put up an extremely impressive 27 reps at 225... at only 185 lbs.. this guy is pure fast twitch athlete... what he did... may have become the top CB in the draft... A shutdown CB like no other in the draft, he went from being a fringe 1st round pick to possibly a top 10 pick... Where the Bucs might nab him... I really like Houston but the Bucs will not be drafting a CB in the 1st or even a shutdown CB at any point... this won't happen.
CB Leon Hall... Hall wasn't supposed to run this well, a 4.39 wsa great for him, great for anybody, he really helped his stock and might be able to hold off Chris Houston as the #1 CB... No go for the Bucs, CBs in the 1st in the cover 2 is not their thing.
other CBs... Josh Wilson...Aaron Ross...
S this is the position that got me excited... Laron Landry blew away all the other S's at the combine, first he came in looking like a Mack truck then he ran a 4.35 40 at 214 lbs... with his experience and production and speed, he may very well find himself in the top 10 after being debated as to whether he is the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd best safety in the draft... He's now definitely #1
S Sabby Piscatelli--- wow, this guy was impressive... 6'2.5 226 and posted a 4.47 and even better he posted probably the best 20 yard shuttle time at the combine at 3.90... he ranked fairly highly in other drills but more importantly he looked very fluid and athletic in the position drills... There is a lot to like with Sabby, he was very productive in college (15 career picks), he will now definitely find himself in the 1st day... could possibly play WLB or MLB in the tampa 2 or SS... Where the Bucs might nab him... 2b... if they're lucky... he will likely be drafted ahead of other safeties like Aaron Rouse now.
S John Wendling.. another big safety that ran extremely well... 6'1 222 and posted a 4.48 and a 38.5 vertical jump as well as placing inthe top 4 in nearly every category.. He also posted 22 reps of 225 and looked very fluid and athletic in the position drills... At the East West shrine game he really laid a lick on a TE and was a good and productive tackler in college. He may have moved himself into the first day... and he might also be able to transition to WLB or MLB WHere the Bucs can nab him... 3rd round pick might be too early, 4th round pick might be too late.
Other safeties that helped their cause
Eric Weddle, Michael Griffin both ran under 4.5 and it wasn't a sure thing that they would... Aaron Rouse ran a 4.52 at 6'4 223 and could project to LB.
This took awhile to compile feel free to add other guys you think really helped themselves... I'll make my list of guys that really hurt themselves but first let me go on record that in regards to JaMarcus Russell, I don't think he looked that bad when he took off his shirt, it is when he took off his bra that he disgusted me! :)