What I Learned from the NFL Scouting Combine

As you all know, I am a NFL Draft nut.  I love it.  I am happier on NFL Draft weekend than I am on Thanksgiving.  I don't have to travel, I get to eat food I really enjoy (sorry, just not huge into the traditional spread), and the Cowboys and Lions are only occasionally talked about.  So the Scouting Combine the past few days is like the official beginning of the Draft year, which makes me a very happy man.  Here are some of the players I liked/disliked and things I learned watching the Combine this year:

- Blake Bortles took full advantage of being the only top QB on display this year.  With Manziel, Bridgewater and Carr opting not to throw.  Was he perfect?  No.  But he got stronger as the day went on with unfamiliar wide outs.  He showed great agility in the running/jumping drills, and a strong arm.  He has prototypical QB size at 6-5, 232.  He could fit right into the style that Bill O'Brien brings to the Texans.

- We knew that Jadeveon Clowney was a freakish athlete.  He ran a 4.5 40 and a defensive lineman.  The question as always been about his drive, his motor, his heart, etc.  As a Redskins fan, I know the pain of getting a guy with a ton of talent that really doesn't care much about football (Hellooo Albert Haynesworth).  He would scare the bejesus out of me if I was considering him.  If I were a team in the Top 5, I would use the thought of drafting him as trade bait, because I know there are other GMs that would love him more than I do.  Could he be a Hall of Famer?  Of course.  He has that talent.  But I'd rather have a guy with no questions than one with a ton of them.

- That guy, by the way, would be Khalil Mack, OLB/DE, Buffalo.  Mike Mayock says he is the best player in the draft at any position.  I know he looked damn good at the Combine.

- If all of the Top 5 teams didn't have questions at QB, then this could be known as the year of the Offensive Tackle.  Greg Robinson from Auburn, Jake Matthews from Texas A&M, and Taylor Lewan from Michigan are amazing.  I, personally, would rate all three of them higher than I would Eric Fisher or Luke Joeckel, the top 2 picks from the 2013 draft.  They all show up the tape, and they all had amazing workouts, Robinson especially.  Some folks were comparing him to Hall of Famer Larry Allen.  That's high praise.

- I don't know if I have ever heard of a defensive lineman being underrated when he won pretty much all of the awards he was up for, but that was the case with Pitt's Aaron Donald.  He is an amazing college DT, and should make an impact in the pros.  He doesn't have the same size as Louis Nix III, the Notre Dame nose tackle who has drawn comparisons to Vince Wilfork, but he may be more talented and more explosive.  He benched 225 lbs 35 times, which is 14 times more than athletic freak Clowney did.  He probably secured a place in the first round, and made himself a nice chunk of change.

- The WR class is extremely deep.  Lots of guys impressed, but if I am a team with a need in the late 1st or early 2nd round, I am looking at Davonte Adams from Fresno State.

- My favorite MLB- Jordan Zumwalt, UCLA.  He may not be a top talent, but I thought he had a great combine.  Excellent size, looked fluid in all of his movements, and showed surprisingly good hands for a linebacker.  In the modern NFL, possessing the ball may be the most important aspect.  I think he could be a steal in the 4th or 5th

- Michael Sam will be able to handle the media frenzy and any slurs thrown his way.  His press conference and Q&A with the press over the weekend was fantastic.  His combine wasn't terrible, but showed that he can compete.  He is a pass rusher, and in a pass first league, they are always needed.  Someone will draft him, and he will make a positive impact both on and off the field

- History was made.  Rich Eisen ran a sub-6 40 yard dash.  Amazing.


More to come from Pro Days as the Draft nears, and my 2014 NFL Mock Draft will be coming in April!