The combine has nearly come and gone, but there has been no shortage of storylines, interviews and player performances throughout.
On Monday, the attention turned to a pair of high profile defensive ends in Jadeveon Clowney and Michael Sam, a breakout linebacker performance and Jerry Jones making a surprising announcement.
1. Jadeveon Clowney is a Freak Athlete
The Clowney-workout hype has been building since January, shortly after he officially announced his decision to declare for the draft and claimed that he would work out in Indianapolis. He didn’t disappoint throughout his workout, posting one of the best forty-times (4.52), 10-yard splits (1.60) and vertical/broad jump among all pass rushers. Teams already knew he was a freak athlete, but seeing it up close and personal is a whole different animal.
2. Aaron Donald a Big Winner
Clowney’s hype may have killed just how exciting his posted numbers were. As for Aaron Donald, few expected him to test as well as he did. Finishing second in bench reps among defensive linemen on Sunday, he posted the best forty-time among interior defensive linemen, a tremendously fast 4.65, looking balanced throughout his run. Already a top-20 worthy pick in my eyes, his workout may have solidified his grade for teams, despite his lack of ideal length.
3. Despite Media Hype, Michael Sam has Lackluster Workout
The fanfare Michael Sam brought to the combine and the way he handle the media portion of the event was applause-worthy. However, his performance on the field in workouts was less than stellar. He finished with a 4.91 forty-time, a less than ideal 3-cone drill and didn’t showcase the balance or quickness to play linebacker in individual drills. He’s not a lock to be a top-five round draft pick.
4. Ryan Shazier Jumps out of the Stadium
In a somewhat weak linebacker class, the combine was the chance for one to emerge as a feature playmaker and a first round pick after CJ Mosley. Ryan Shazier, who has some size concerns, took the opportunity in Indianapolis to show how explosive he is. He posted the best vertical jump (42”) and broad jump (10’10”) of any linebacker in attendance, and now firmly puts himself in the top-25 discussion.
5. Anthony Barr Underwhelms
Anthony Barr’s draft grade is primarily based on his upside, athleticism and time needed for the former running back to reach his full potential. So when it came to combine workouts, I, like many others, assumed he would test out as one of the best pass rushers. While he didn’t post glaringly bad numbers, he was closer to the middle of the pack in most of his workouts, not ideal for a developmental prospect with so much coaching needed. Teams may be a bit more wary in the top-15 after his Indianapolis performance.
6. Get to Know Shepherd’s Howard Jones
One of the more entertaining parts of the combine process is seeing which “diamonds in the rough” can emerge from the crowd and get teams excited about their upside. It’s a great chance for the select few small schoolers to get prime-time treatment, and linebacker Howard Jones of division-two Shepherd took full advantage. With a 4.57 forty-time and a highly impressive linebacker workout, he seems like a high upside 3-4 outside linebacker who, based on his film and workouts, is a dark-horse candidate to be a top-100 pick.
7. A Still-Overweight Will Sutton Continues to Struggle
As a junior, Arizona State defensive tackle Will Sutton was playing at around 280 pounds and had one of the best seasons in the country among defensive linemen. As a senior, the coaching staff asked him to bulk up to 310 pounds and, as a result, he put up far less impressive numbers. At the Senior Bowl, he still was in the 300 pound range, and remained there for his combine weigh-in. He needs to get down into the high 200s if he hopes to impress teams, as his workout numbers and individual drills were less than ideal for a player with his past production.
8. Dee Ford Can’t Back Up Talk in Press Conference
On Sunday, Dee Ford bashed Jadeveon Clowney repeatedly, telling people to go watch his film and that size was over-rated. It was a bit much and over-the-top, but the intention was that Ford would work to out-perform Clowney in drills. Well, Monday morning, the doctors ruled that Ford could run any drills due to an undisclosed injury, forcing Ford to keep his combine sweatshirt on all day and taste the words he was forced to eat from Sunday.
9. Demarcus Ware out in Dallas?
In one of the few press conferences or media-coach interactions of the day, Jerry Jones appeared candidly for the second time during the combine. This time, when asked what the plan for Demarcus Ware would be, he said that the team had to think long and hard about Ware, with cutting the team’s best defensive player being a legitimate option. For Dallas’s already unsuccessful defense sake, let’s hope the two sides can find some way to keep Ware in Big-D.
10. Atlanta Falcons are “Open for Business”
A day after Jadeveon Clowney said that he’s love to play for the Atlanta Falcons, general manager Thomas Dimitroff said the team was “open for business” and willing to move up or down in the draft. Moving up has been well-known, as they would love the chance to draft Clowney to shore up their defense. But if they can’t get Clowney in a trade up, the Falcons could consider moving back in the draft, securing more picks, and finding an offensive or defensive lineman later in round one.
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