The first on-field workouts began yesterday for many of the offensive NFL prospects and the results are in. I know Saints fans are more focused on the defensive guys and what happens today, but for those of you who didn't watch every exciting second yesterday, allow me to offer a quick recap of what you may have missed. I'm not saying that I actually watched the Combine myself; this recap was put together simply by analyzing the results and reading random clippings from around the internet.
Also, I will post an open thread sometime around noon Central if there are any members out there who aren't working and actually watching the Combine.
Quarterbacks
All the talk this week has revolved around Florida QB Tim Tebow so why should we be any different. Though he didn't throw yesterday, he didn't disappoint in the standard drills. Tebow was a top performer in the 40-yard dash (fourth among quarterbacks), Vertical Jump (first), Broad Jump (second) and 3-Cone Drill (first).
Running Backs
In the 40-yard dash, California running back Jahvid Best lived up to his name and edged out C.J. Spiller from Clemson for the top time of the day with a 4.35. Best also holds the number one spot among running backs in the 3-Cone Drill.
One of the bigger all-around standouts, however, was probably Ben Tate from Auburn. Tate was the top performer in the 40-yard dash (third among running backs), Bench press (second), Vertical jump (second), Broad jump (second) and 3-cone drill (sixth). Also impressive was Tennessee running back Montario Hardesty, who was a top performer in the 40-yard dash (sixth among running backs), Bench press (sixth), Vertical jump (first), Broad jump (first) and 3-cone drill (fourth).
My personal favorite little ball of dynamite, Dexter McCluster, had a so-so day with top performances in the 40-yard dash, Bench press and Vertical Jump.
Wide Receivers
Jacoby Ford out of Clemson was the fastest player on the field yesterday by a fairly wide margin with an impressive 40-yard dash time of 4.28. Ford was fairly unimpressive the rest of the way, however. Other wide receiver standouts with multiple top performances include Brandon Long from Louisville who had the best marks in the Vertical Jump and 3-Cone Drill and Emmanuel Sanders from Southern Methodist with the top score in the Broad Jump. Taylor Price from Ohio and Notre Dame's Golden Tate also ranked well in multiple drills.
Tight Ends
One of the more talked about players yesterday was tight end Dorin Dickerson from Pittsburgh. It wasn't just because his results in the Vertical Jump and Broad Jump were best among tight ends or that he finished as a top performer in six drills. It was because his 40-yard dash time of 4.40 was not only good enough to lead all tight ends but put him second among all wide receivers. That speaks both to the impressive performance of Dickerson and the lacking performances of many of the wide receivers not named Jacoby Ford.
Other tight ends that may have helped their draft stock because of their Combine performances are Dennis Pitta from BYU, Clay Harbor from Missouri St, Jimmy Graham from Miami and Oregon's Ed Dickson.
Bench Press
None of the defensive guys took to the field yesterday for workouts but they did hit the weight room for the Bench Press portion of the Combine late in the day. NFL.com had two blog updates detailing the results from the linebackers and defensive lineman.
Washington ILB Donald Butler hoisted an impressive 35 repetitions, matching the level of the top defensive linemen from earlier in the day. Missouri OLB Sean Weatherspoon wasn't far behind with 34 reps, followed by Kentucky ILB Micah Johnson (31).
Two other ‘backers considered likely first-round picks were Penn State's Navorro Bowman (26) and Alabama's Rolando McClain (24).
The high man for the day was Georgia DT Jeff Owens, who worked the rest of the prospects into a frenzy as he did 44 repetitions. Mammoth East Carolina DT Linval Joseph was next with 39 reps, followed by Georgia DTGeno Atkins and UCLA DT Brian Price with 34 each...
...The highest-rated prospects represented well Sunday. Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh put up 32 reps, doing nothing to hurt his stock and besting Oklahoma DT Gerald McCoy (26). Other notables included Ohio State DE Thaddeus Gibson (32), Michigan DE/OLB Brandon Graham (31) and USC DE Everson Griffen (32).