Combine Catchall

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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A thread for combine observations beyond who the Patriots are interviewing.
 
-Vic Beasley looks like one big winner so far.  Most people assumed he weighed around 225, which was the big knock on him, and he came in at 246.  If he maintains good speed/agility at that weight, I could see him entering the Top 10 or even Top 5 conversation.
 
-Among the OL, buzz is that Jake Fisher and La'el Collins have both helped themselves.  I think Collins, who also killed the senior bowl, ends up out of the Patriots' reach.  The same is likely true of Brandon Scherff, who I love but seemed only likely to fall if teams deemed him an interior OL only.  One of the big questions about Scherff was arm length and he measured better than many expected. 
 
Some guy is aggregating all the measurements and drill results here.
 
 
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Nick O'Leary just ran a 4.94.  Doh.  He also has super short arms.
 
I actually would love for him to drop like a rock and for the Pats to grab him in the 5th-6th round and explore turning him into a James Casey type.  Every time I watched FSU he was making huge plays.
 

PaulinMyrBch

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Kevin White looks like he's all business, which obviously is a nice thing to see at the combine. 23 reps at 225 + 4.35 + his game film. Kid is having a nice weekend.
 

ElcaballitoMVP

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PaulinMyrBch said:
Kevin White looks like he's all business, which obviously is a nice thing to see at the combine. 23 reps at 225 + 4.35 + his game film. Kid is having a nice weekend.
 
 Yup, looks like a 1st round pick with this performance, backing up what he did on the field. With his size/speed and production, he could go early. 
 

mascho

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ElcaballitoMVP said:
 
 Yup, looks like a 1st round pick with this performance, backing up what he did on the field. With his size/speed and production, he could go early. 
He should just start house hunting in Oakland/Carson. Love this kid and 4.35 erased any concerns some (not me) had about his speed.
 

dynomite

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Some terrible QBs in these receiving drills for the second day in a row.
 
Absolutely.  I don't really watch college football, but Blake Sims from Alabama looks terrible -- zero touch on deep throws, weird throwing motion.   You know who looks good?  Mariota and Winston (no surprise) and Bryce Petty from Baylor (great arm, pretty throws -- a little Big Ben-ish?).
 

mascho

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dynomite said:
 
Absolutely.  I don't really watch college football, but Blake Sims from Alabama looks terrible -- zero touch on deep throws, weird throwing motion.   You know who looks good?  Mariota and Winston (no surprise) and Bryce Petty from Baylor (great arm, pretty throws -- a little Big Ben-ish?).
 
I actually watched Petty's film yesterday and am writing it up over the weekend. Some positives on him are arm strength, atheticism in the pocket, and accuracy on the intermediate stuff. But what is absolutely maddening with him is the inconsistency in the vertical game. His TCU film from 2014, along with some throws against Buffalo (2014) West Virginia (2014) and Oklahoma (2013) was rough at times. Missing wide open guys on deep routes. He might be the 3rd best QB in this draft...but I've got a late 3rd-early 4th round grade on him. 
 

Gunfighter 09

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Mark Schofield said:
He should just start house hunting in Oakland/Carson. Love this kid and 4.35 erased any concerns some (not me) had about his speed.
 
I certainly prefer him to Cooper. I think Jalen Strong probably made himself some money with his huge body, great jumping and surprising sub 4.5 speed. 
 
Winston looks smooth as can be, all of his motion looks easy and his ball is right on the receiver, who barely has to move his hands. I still would want nothing to do with him, but I can see the attraction. 
 

mascho

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Gunfighter 09 said:
 
I certainly prefer him to Cooper. I think Jalen Strong probably made himself some money with his huge body, great jumping and surprising sub 4.5 speed. 
 
Winston looks smooth as can be, all of his motion looks easy and his ball is right on the receiver, who barely has to move his hands. I still would want nothing to do with him, but I can see the attraction. 
 
Yeah, I have White above Cooper right now as well. I'm actually going to take a second look at Cooper soon. 
 
But this WR class is deep, and you've got all types (Xs, slots, utility guys). A guy like William and Mary's Tre McBride (who ran a 4.41 today) is likely gonna go third round. I'm hoping to get down to Williamsburg for McBride's Pro Day and see him in person.
 
Winston seems to be having a good couple of day in Indy. I like Mariota more but like you can understand the preference for Winston. 
 
ETA: Added the "likely" qualifier re: McBride's draft stock. He could move up.
 

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j44thor

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Thought this was a deep rb class, 40 times have been consistently pedestrian as in an actual pedestrian could run some of these times, saw one "rb" run a 5+.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Mark Schofield said:
 
Yeah, I have White above Cooper right now as well. I'm actually going to take a second look at Cooper soon. 
 
But this WR class is deep, and you've got all types (Xs, slots, utility guys). A guy like William and Mary's Tre McBride (who ran a 4.41 today) is likely gonna go third round. I'm hoping to get down to Williamsburg for McBride's Pro Day and see him in person.
 
Winston seems to be having a good couple of day in Indy. I like Mariota more but like you can understand the preference for Winston. 
 
ETA: Added the "likely" qualifier re: McBride's draft stock. He could move up.
Any thoughts on Rashad Greene? I love his fit with the Patriots, especially if he drops into the 3rd. He won't shine in the underwear Olympics compared to all these freaks, but I see a guy with great hands who runs precise routes out of a sophisticated college offense and who just has a knack for getting open. If rather have that player for the next couple years than a raw specimen who is probably just going to compete with Dobson and Tyms for the same kind of role.
 

mascho

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I like Greene. As you say he is a great route runner. Tracks the ball well in the vertical game. Shifty with the ball in his hands. Tremendous work ethic according to what I've read about him. I've got some concerns with his hands, in that he has a tendency to use his body when making catches. He's also doesn't high-point the catch all the time, which he's gotten away with in college but might not in the pros. But if he's there in the third he would be a solid choice. I think he could fit in well for New England, and might step in to Amendola's role should New England part ways with him. 
 

PaulinMyrBch

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Vic Beasley just went 35 reps at 225. So lots of eyes will be watching his 40 to make sure the weight they think he added doesn't effect the speed.
 

dynomite

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Mark Schofield said:
Yeah, I have White above Cooper right now as well. I'm actually going to take a second look at Cooper soon. 
 
But this WR class is deep, and you've got all types (Xs, slots, utility guys). A guy like William and Mary's Tre McBride (who ran a 4.41 today) is likely gonna go third round. I'm hoping to get down to Williamsburg for McBride's Pro Day and see him in person.
You're talking about it above, but there are a LOT of incredibly fast, big, strong WRs in this draft from what I've seen. WR isn't an enormous position of need on the 2015 Patriots, but there are some really interesting names who will probably be available in the 2nd/3rd rounds, right?

Edit: You're going to his pro day? Awesome.
 

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PaulinMyrBch said:
Vic Beasley just went 35 reps at 225. So lots of eyes will be watching his 40 to make sure the weight they think he added doesn't effect the speed.
 
If he doesn't slow down  do teams just factor in that he will be in the drug program sometime in his first contract? 
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Mark Schofield said:
I like Greene. As you say he is a great route runner. Tracks the ball well in the vertical game. Shifty with the ball in his hands. Tremendous work ethic according to what I've read about him. I've got some concerns with his hands, in that he has a tendency to use his body when making catches. He's also doesn't high-point the catch all the time, which he's gotten away with in college but might not in the pros. But if he's there in the third he would be a solid choice. I think he could fit in well for New England, and might step in to Amendola's role should New England part ways with him. 
 
Thanks Mark.  Those are interesting observations, especially about his catching style.  From the (admittedly limited) sample of FSU games I've seen over the last few years, he catches everything he can get his hands on.  But maybe he'll have a tougher time when the coverage is tighter and the ball more contested.
 
I like that he can play inside and outside as well.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Gunfighter 09 said:
 
If he doesn't slow down  do teams just factor in that he will be in the drug program sometime in his first contract? 
 
If he's productive enough, I'm sure they'd be willing to help this poor young man work through his tragic Adderall addiction.
 

PaulinMyrBch

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Top 3-4 D Rush OLB's.
 
Dante Fowler, Jr (Florida) ran a 4.61 at 260. 10 yard split was 1.59. Comp on the NFL Combine screen is Justin Houston.
 
Vic Beasley (Clemson) ran a 4.53, second attempt. Same 10 yard split 1.59. Comp is Bruce Irvin
 
Randy Gregory (Nebraska) 4.57, second attempt. 1.60 10 yard split. 
 

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I was asking myself why I was watching linebackers run the 40 and then Mayock started funk-rapping and answered it for me.
 

ivanvamp

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A guy I want New England to draft is WR Geremy Davis from UConn.  6'3", almost 220 lbs.  Runs about a 4.50, has huge hands, an incredible catch radius, is big, strong, athletic, and runs great routes, has terrific hands.  He played for a very bad offense and his numbers reflected that.  Probably could be had in the 6th or 7th round.  Sharp kid, very, very hard worker, team captain.  Apparently had a very good day yesterday at the combine.  
 

Mr. Baseball

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ivanvamp said:
A guy I want New England to draft is WR Geremy Davis from UConn.  6'3", almost 220 lbs.  Runs about a 4.50, has huge hands, an incredible catch radius, is big, strong, athletic, and runs great routes, has terrific hands.  He played for a very bad offense and his numbers reflected that.  Probably could be had in the 6th or 7th round.  Sharp kid, very, very hard worker, team captain.  Apparently had a very good day yesterday at the combine.  
 
Surprising coming from a guy with a Syracuse avatar ;)
 
Seriously though, as a UConn fan, dying to see how this guy does with a real QB
 

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PaulinMyrBch said:
Too bad Jones didn't go to Rutgers. We could use that type of athlete in nickel or dime.
Belichick's track record drafting Rutgers DBs is better than his track record with Connecticut DBs.
 
Seriously, the "RUTGERZ!" jokes are super-tired. The Pats have drafted four Scarlet Knights in 15 drafts, and their returns on those four have been pretty good.
 

PaulinMyrBch

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There was a solid page ahead of me without a Rutgers mention, felt like I was in the clear. But I shall heed your warning. 
 

Gunfighter 09

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Assuming he did not tell any more fables in the interviews, USC CB/storyteller Josh Shaw helped himself out quite a bit. He was 6'1" and 200#, ran a 4.44, benched 26 times, which is lineman strong, and went 37.5" and 10'10" in the broad jump.
 
He probably can't cover #1 WRs (Ty Montgomery gave him big problems) but he might be big and strong enough to cover TEs and WRs and be a 3rd corner / FS type of player. He probably got himself into the 3rd/4th round depending on whether or not a team is willing to look past his lying / tardiness / injury issue this year.
 

Marciano490

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Are they ever going to get rid of some of these combine drills?  Who gives a shit how many reps a football player can do with 225 pounds?  I can't imagine a less indicative test for performance on the football field.
 

theapportioner

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Maybe it's a threshold thing? If a player is like me, who starts struggling after a few reps at 165 lbs, you won't last very long in the NFL?
 

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There is also a training and discipline angle to the bench press. You know it's coming, it's relatively simple to prepare and train for. It's like guys that fail drug tests even when they know they are coming, they are a special time of stupid.