So for those of you who don't know how the Combine works I will explain. The Combine takes place over four days where the NFL invites some of the best College football players to Indianapolis to show off their skills to the 32 NFL teams. The players are divided into groups based on their position: RB, QB, DE, etc. This year the schedule for position is as follows: Saturday (tight ends, offensive linemen, and special teams), Sunday (quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers), Monday (defensive linemen, linebackers), and Tuesday (defensive backs). The players run through position specific drills and drills that every player does. Now some players might not do every drill and wait to do those during their pro days which lead us up to the NFL Draft. The 40 yard dash is the drill almost everyone knows about but there is also the long jump, vertical, bench press, and three cone drill. The players also have to take the Wonderlic Test used to determine player aptitude. A 50 is a perfect score and the only player known to do that was Pat McInally who a Punter and Wide Receiver for the Bengals from 1976 to 1985. Offensive tackles average the highest score on the test with a score of 26. Quarterbacks average 24 and most teams look for a score of at least 21.
Players to Watch:
Saturday: My player to watch at Tight End is Notre Dame's Tyler Eifert. He is by far the best option at the position in this years draft. The 6'5" 250 lb Eifert is a big red zone threat who can line up at the receiver position. His numbers were down a little this year but he didn't have Michael Floyd to take pressure off of him. Look for the Atlanta Falcons to make a strong push for him on draft day. Another Option: Travis Kelce, Cincinnati.
As for offensive lineman many think the Kansas City Chiefs will take Texas A&M's Luke Joeckel first overall but my player to watch is Alabama's Barrett Jones. Jones at 6'4" 306 can play ever position on the O line and has performed well on the biggest stage winning multiple National Championships. I think he will be a mid to late first round pick in the draft.
Sunday: This is one of the weakest QB classes we have seen in several years and one of it's stars, USC's Matt Barkley wont be throwing at the Combine due to the injury he suffered late in the season. I actually have two QB's to watch. The first is Oklahoma's Landry Jones. Jones has played well the last to season for Bob Stoops. My other pick is Tyler Bray out of Tennessee. He is a 6'6" big armed QB but he does enter the Combine with questions about his durability. Yet he did break a few of Peyton Manning's records while at Tennessee. Look for Bray to be a day 2 pick to a team like Houston or Arizona.
For the running back position I'm looking at Wisconsin's Montee Ball. The kid is a workhorse and he came pretty darn close to Barry Sanders' record for touchdowns in a season from the 1988 season. I think it makes perfect sense for him to go to Green Bay but then again it made perfect sense for Steve Alford to go to the Pacers in the 1987 NBA draft but that didn't happen. Also keep an eye out for Ray Graham from Pittsburgh.
For wide receiver look no further that Robert Woods out of USC. Woods at 6'0" 201 has good speed and hands. He can also get behind defenders for deep balls. I see him as a mid to late 2nd, early 3rd round pick when the draft comes in April.
Monday: This will be an interesting day because of the linebackers. Manti Te'o will get a lot of attention and it's not only for the whole girlfriend issue. Te'o didn't show up in the National Title and that has some scouts worried about him in big game situations. Yet anyone who watched the ND vs. Oklahoma game knows Te'o made a key interception late in the game that sealed the deal. Te'o will slip to the end of the first round and I think he will fall right into the Baltimore Ravens lap. Also keep an eye on the two Georgia linebackers Jarvis Jones and Alec Ogletree.
Tuesday: The defensive backs are the last to go on Tuesday and everyone is talking about Dee Milliner from Alabama and they should, but I'm not going to because his presence is obvious. I say keep an eye on Jamoris Slaughter the safety from Notre Dame. Even if he doesn't partake since he missed most of the season due to an injury the guy will get a chance somewhere even if he goes undrafted. Many forget ND played most of this past season with only one of their original starters in the secondary. Slaughter by far was their best DB and I think if he comes back right from his achilles tendon injury he could land somewhere this season but not on draft day.
Well that should do it for this edition of the Bach's Sports Box. I wont do an extended ending since this post was a bit longer than the last couple. So the last thing I will say is thank you to all who actually take the time to read my posts every week.
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