Scouting the Combine: 10 players who could improve or damage their draft stock
02/22/2008
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Five years ago, it’s safe to assume more people would have rather tuned in to see reruns of “Roseanne” than watch the NFL Scouting Combine.
Times have changed.
The NFL Draft has become an offseason event all to itself – a spectacle even. Fans have become so enamored with the draft that they sprint to the web to find any information they can on the prospects their favorite teams might select come April.
Recently, one of the more popular events leading up to the draft is the scouting combine, which started Wednesday and will run through next Tuesday. The combine is so popular nowadays that it’s aired live on the NFL Network and cut into nightly clips on “SportsCenter.” For fans, the combine has become the appetizer to the draft, which is to say it’s only a taste of things to come.
Of course, the combine shouldn’t be the be-all and end-all for judging prospects. To paraphrase Mike Golic around last year’s scouting combine: Football is played on a field, not lying down on a bench press machine in shorts and a t-shirt or running as fast as you can in a straight line.
But every year players elevate their draft stock with good combine workouts, so teams can’t downplay its importance. Mike Mamula’s name always pops up around this time of year because he turned in a rousing combine workout in 1995, prompting the Eagles to trade up to select him with the seventh overall pick, even though he should have gone much later.
For those who haven’t clicked over to YouTube to check out old clips of “Roseanne,” below are 10 prospects who will workout at this week’s scouting combine. While each prospect could improve his draft stock with a great combine workout, I’ve listed five players who could dramatically up their worth. I’ve also listed five prospects who, with a poor combing showing, could expect some sort of drop come April.
Most to gain
DeSean Jackson, WR, California
Oklahoma’s Malcolm Kelly and Texas’s Limas Sweed are arguably more polished receiving prospects, but Jackson is without a doubt the flavor of the month. Drawing comparisons to the Bears’ Devin Hester, Jackson is the ultimate playmaker and could blow scouts away in timed events at the combine – especially running on turf. His playmaking potential already has teams intrigued, but a great combine performance would have teams drooling and could make him the first receiver off the board in April.
Kevin Smith, RB, Central Florida
College football’s 2007 yardage king really has nothing to lose. Teams know that he was a productive player at UCF, but also realize his lack of speed won’t make him a very attractive pick. He’s slated to be taken somewhere in the middle rounds but with an impressive combine workout, he might elevate into a second round pick. Either way, he’s certainly an intriguing prospect and one who could potentially be a sleeper if he’s not taken in the first three rounds.
Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas
Talib is already a fine prospect and is likely to be taken in the first round, but if he turns in a great workout he could leap frog Troy’s Leodis McKelvin and Ohio State’s Mike Jenkins as the first corner taken in the draft. Talib has playmaking potential, but scouts worry about his speed and the ability to turn and run with receivers at the next level. If he runs a solid 40-yard dash – and proves he’s fluid in defensive back drills – he might surprise people and wind up as the first defensive back off the board.
Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio State
At 6-4 and 264 pounds, Gholston is a physical marvel and has already proven that he can be a solid rush end. If he can also show that he’s fluid enough in drills that test his side-to-side quickness, teams that run a 3-4 might be intrigued by the prospect of making him as an outside linebacker. Gholston could essentially be viewed as the next Adalius Thomas or Terrell Suggs if he can prove he’s much more than just a pass rusher.
Davone Bess, WR, Hawaii
Chances are, Bess isn’t even on most teams’ radars heading into the combine. However, with his speed and play-making potential, a great workout could essentially elevate him over some of the more polished receivers. Remember, Steve Smith wasn’t chosen until the third round. That’s not to say Bess is the prospect Smith was, but he’s incredibly underrated and has nothing to lose seeing since he’s an afterthought in most scouts’ minds.
Most to lose
Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
How could arguably the best player in the entire draft have a lot to lose at the combine? Two words, one name: Sedrick Ellis. The former USC Trojan is breathing down Dorsey’s neck like that guy in the big SUV trying to get past you on the highway. If Dorsey flounders a bit at the combine, Ellis might actually be the first defensive tackle chosen in the draft. It’s not likely given Dorsey’s amazing potential, but stranger things have happened.
Andre Woodson, QB Kentucky
Scouts want to believe in Andre Woodson. They’re actually dying to believe in him. They want to think that the 6-5, 230-pound package and strong arm is just the tip of the iceberg. But after suspect performances against top competition while at Kentucky as well as a so-so Senior Bowl week, Woodson hasn’t given scouts anything to get excited about. In fact, if he doesn’t turn in a decent combine, Michigan’s Chad Henne and Delaware’s Joe Flacco will likely be rated higher than Woodson come draft day. (If they aren’t already.)
Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii
Poor Colt. All the guy does is set the NCAA record for most career touchdown passes (131), passing efficiency in a season (186.0 in 2006) as well as countless other individual records, and most teams would rather take a shot on the next Maurice Clarett than draft Brennan. Unfortunately, the book is already out on Brennan and his nasty throwing motion, injury concerns and lack of experience running a pro-style offense. So why is he on this list? Believe it or not, after a poor showing at the Senior Bowl, Brennan could potentially go undrafted if he turns in a bad combine workout. One would think some team would take a shot on him in the later rounds, but his stock has been freefalling since Georgia harassed Brennan in the Sugar Bowl.
Steve Slaton, RB, West Virginia
There was a time when scouts were so enamored with Slaton’s potential that they were willing to look past his 5-9, 190-pound frame. But after a disappointing junior season and a head-scratching decision to forego his senior year, teams now seem to be fixated on Slaton’s faults. He should turn in good 40-times, but will it be enough for him to overcome lack of height and injury concerns? A poor showing at the combine could doom Slaton’s chances for being selected in the middle rounds. The same could be said for Ray Rice of Rutgers, too.
Kenny Phillips, S, Miami
Unlike last year when the draft boasted two extremely good prospects in LaRon Landry and Reggie Nelson, the safety position this year is weak. Phillips is arguably the best of the bunch, but he didn’t have a rousing junior season and since underclassmen obviously can’t compete at the Senior Bowl, the combine and individual workouts are the only opportunities he has to prove he should be the top safety taken in April. A great combine effort could solidify Phillips’ first-round status, but a so-so workout could open the door for other safeties Reggie Smith (Oklahoma) and DaJuan Morgan (North Carolina State) to be taken ahead of him.
Questions or comments? Send them to astalter@bullz-eye.com.