Combine Review-Offensive Players

Much to my wife's chagrin, the last two days (and the next two) the combine has dominated the TV. Of course she mentioned that she couldn't wait until we move into our new house so we can have cable in the bedroom too so she doesn't have to put up with this bullshit anymore. Luckily she's on a business trip this week so the next two defensive days I have no worry about the grumbling sitting next to me.

So the offensive prospects have come and gone and the following are my initial thoughts about players who really elevated their status, and some who likely cost themselves millions of dollars.

SHOOTING STARS

Pat White, QB, West Virginia
Now I wasn't a huge fan of his during college, I saw him more as a running QB, a Seneca Wallace or Brad Smith then anything else. He first started to convert me during the Senior Bowl, where he won the MVP, and completed my conversion this past weekend at the combine. On my own internal list, I have Pat White now the third quarterback behind Stafford and Sanchez, and he may be higher then Sanchez. He was clearly threw the best passes during the drills yesterday, and he has a poise and confidence that every great quarterback has. In the end he very well end up the best QB in this entire draft when we look back on it in ten years.

Andre Brown, RB, North Carolina State
Andre Brown was a decent college back who was hampered by injuries and playing for one of the lower level ACC teams easily had the best complete workout of any running back yesterday. He was a top performer in the 40, the bench press and vertical jump. He definitely looked the part, and because of injuries he has some fresh legs. I think he could easily be the version of Willie Parker in this class. A kid who didn't play that much in college, wasn't that productive, but his best days are in front of him.

Brian Robiskie, WR, Ohio State
He easily had the best combine of any WR yesterday. He was a top performer on the vertical, 3 cone and 20 yard shuttle, but that's not the big story. He likely caught the ball better then anyone else to go with his routes that were damn near perfect. He looked like a man among boys out there and I think he really recovered his draft stock that was hurt by playing with a freshman QB who ran the ball as much as he threw it.

Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia and Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
Due to Andre Smith pulling his childish bs this weekend, Monroe and Smith were automatically shot straight to the top of the draft. That didn't end there though, both those boys had tremendous combines and they both look like absolute beasts. You have to love Jason Smith, a kid I'm falling in love with. When talking about his style of play, "I'm looking to physically assault somebody."

David Richmond, WR, San Jose St, Sammie Stroughter, WR, Oregon St and Mike Wallace, WR, Ole Miss
These three wide receivers stood out to me all day long. Richmond may have caught the ball better then anyone, with huge hands that just snag the ball out of the air and away from the body. Stroughter had great routes and felt like a very natural wide receiver with great instincts for the position. It almost felt like I was watching a smaller version of Anquan Boldin. Mike Wallace caught people's attention with his mohawk, then really caught their attention by turning in the second fastest 40 time so far in the combine. His athletic ability was all over the place and helped his stock considerably.

HONORABLE MENTION
QB-Mike Reilly Central Washington, Stephen McGee Texas A&M
RB-Ian Johnson Boise St, Mike Goodson Texas A&M
WR-Kenny McKinnley South Caroliona, Johnny Knox Abilene Christian
TE-Jared Cook South Carolina, Cornelius Ingram Florida
OL-Jamon Meredith South Carolina, Lydon Murtha Nebraska

CRASHING SATELLITES

Andre Smith, OT, Alabama
Apparently the childish lazy behavior that he was tagged prior to this weekend stuck even more when he announced that he wasn't going to participate this weekend because he wasn't ready, that he was behind schedule on training. In a sense he had more time than anyone else here since he was suspended for the bowl game and should have been working out then to get ready for this, but apparently he hasn't. It's also a red flag that no one really knows who his agent is.

Hunter Cantwell, QB, Louisville
To put it simply he did not throw the ball very well this weekend. I'm not sure if anyone else threw it worse since we only really got to see one group, though I know Freeman and Davis weren't that impressive either. It's quickly becoming to look like Louisville is becoming one of those programs, much like Texas Tech.

Travis Beckum, TE, Wisconsin
I remember this time last year and Beckum was thought very highly of, very athletic and most folks had him as one of the top TEs in the class. Now, I have him about 8 on my list which easily puts him into day two. He could have helped himself greatly by having a phenomenal combine, but he was just another tight end and didn't help himself what so ever.

NFL Combine Rockets and Rocks

I've spent a good portion of the last three days watching or catching up on the NFL Combine. This was difficult at times, especially since it was a busy weekend, unless you count my epic fail at trying to see No Country For Old Men with SayHey and his lady on Saturday night. The times, presses and jumps are interesting, but days like today I'm more interested in the positional drills.

ROCKETS
Dustin Keller, TE, Purdue
I don't know if any offensive skill position player helped themselves more then Dustin Keller did. I know so many say, oh the combine means nothing, well this kid went from fighting for maybe the number two to number three tight end taken to solidifying the number 2 spot, and maybe even taking the number one.

Dexter Jackson, WR, Appalachian State
He has the second fastest 40 time right now, just behind Darren McFadden, with a 4.37. The dude is lightning quick, had a solid Senior Bowl, and now with a very impressive combine is starting to slowly creep his way up the boards. Before the combine, he may have been a fifth to sixth round guy. I think he may have worked himself into the fourth, MAYBE even the third if some team is really in love with him.

Bryan Kehl, OLB, BYU
There's a lot of interest in Kehl, who seems to have immense physical talents. He was one of the top performers for the linebackers at the 40 and the bench press, and did fairly well in the other timed drills as well. What helped him the most though may have been his instinctive reactions during the linebacker drills. Yes, he went to a Mormon school so he is older (24) but that tells me he won't be doing anything stupid to jeopardize himself or the team.

Cliff Avril, DE/OLB, Purdue
Purdue was dominating the combine these last few days. Keller was the star attraction of the tight ends and Avril became the star attraction of the defensive ends. He ran a 4.5 40, at 250 plus pounds, phe-nominal. I believe he placed as a "top performer" in every statistical category they had for the defensive linemen. Add that with the showing of Keller and Purdue linebacker Stanford Keglar and Purdue had an impressive Combine.

Jeremy Zuttah, OG/T, Rutgers
This guy came out of nowhere and showed that there was someone blocking for Ray Rice. He's 6'3" 303lbs and ran a 4.99 40, had 35 reps at 225lbs, and was near the top of every other drill they had. If anyone helped their draft position the most during the combine so far, it may be Zuttah, the kid is a man-child.

ROCKS
Mike Hart, RB, Michigan
Mike Hart has fought hard to prove to people to overlook his size and stature and just look at his football playing ability, which is bigger then he is. This combine though didn't help him, running a somewhat slow 40 (4.67) and not blowing anyone away with any other drills. I still think he's going to make a believer out of the NFL, this just may have cost him some money his first few years in the league.

Pedro Sosa, OT, Rutgers
Sadly the same can't be said for Pedro Sosa from Rutgers. He's taller then Zuttah, but is lighter and ran a 5.5 40 which doesn't help him at all, specially when you have Chris Long coming off the end. I don't know what happened but he just didn't do his best this weekend at the combine. He was looking before at a fifth to sixth round selection, now he'll be lucky to get drafted at all.

Barry Richardson, OT, Clemson
I'm a huge fan of Barry Richardson, I look at his game tape and I'm impressed with his durability and dependability. Running a slow 40 (5.47) and having a low bench count (24) isn't going to help you, especially in a tackle rich draft like this. In a draft where we could see as many as seven tackles taken in the first round, this may have moved him from the second to somewhere in the third to fourth rounds.

Andre Woodson, QB, Kentucky
Woodson didn't compete this weekend, and I'm in agreement with NFLDraftScout.com, he really needed to, at least in some fashion. He has already begun to slip down the slope of draft boards across the NFL before the combine, this no-show has not helped matters at all. Chad Henne, Joe Flacco and Josh Johnson all came out and solidified themselves as late first round second round draft picks, the bottom line is Woodson didn't.

Adarius Bowman, WR, Oklahoma State
Adarius Bowman was heavily hyped the last few years, but this disappointing season has him in a bit of a free fall down draft boards. There were rumors that last year he was a possible first round pick if he ran in the 4.4s. Well, this year he ran a 4.69, probably moving his draft selection into the early to mid parts of day two. When others are already surpassing you, he had to make some kind of noise, sadly this was not the kind of noise he needed to make.

OTHER THOUGHTS
-Chris Johnson surprised everyone it appears with his speed, I think even moving above Felix Jones on some boards.

-Mario Manningham probably hurt his chances of being the first wide receiver taken in the draft. He had a middle of the pack 40, and folks are starting to watch film and seeing all those dropped balls.

-Not sure about Matt Ryan's choice not to throw, it's nice to work with receivers you know, but show the ability to throw the ball accurately to anyone is a bigger plus.

-Josh Johnson continues to raise eyebrows, mine included. The kids athletic ability is damn near off the charts.

-I think I have Chris Long above Vernon Gholston at this point because of two things. One, he has the family genes of a NFL Hall of Famer. Two, I never saw Chris Long crushed by another team in a big game like I saw LSU do to Vernon Gholston.