2015 NFL Combine: Day 3 News and Notes

By Scott Anderson

Day 3 of the Combine is in the books, and it was the first day for the prospects to show off their on the field athleticism. When looking at prospects, all 40 times are different. You get a better grasp of the players burst from their time in the 10 yard split. That is especially important for offensive lineman who are rarely ever asked to run down the field. Here some news and notes from Day 3:

• Reports circulated that Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston had extra medical evaluations to look at some minor discomfort in his right shoulder.
• Speaking of Winston, he announced that he will join Marcus Mariota in throwing at the combine, “I’m a competitor and I will be throwing”.
• Georgia running back Todd Gurley will not let teams examine and evaluate his recently surgically repaired ACL. If this causes Gurley to drop out of the first round, he would only get a four year contract instead of a five year. This would allow him to enter the free agency market a year sooner due to the CBA rules.
• The winners at the weigh in for defensive linemen were Missouri’s Shane Ray and Clemson’s Vic Beasley. Ray measured in at 6’2 5/8 and 245 pounds, while Beasley shocked many coming in at 246 pounds on his 6’3 frame. If Beasley can show that he still has his athleticism with the added weight, he could soar back into top 10 discussion.
• Southern California defensive lineman Leonard Williams confirmed that he is a freak measuring in at 6’5 and 302 pounds with 34 5/8 arms and monstrous 10 5’8 inch hands.
• Randy Gregory of Nebraska measured in smaller than expected at 6’4 7/8 and 235 pounds. However, it has been released that Gregory came into combine training at 218 pounds, and got up to 242 before getting sick a few days before the combine.
• Dante Fowler, defensive end from Florida, measured in at 6’2 5/8 and 261 pounds.
• The standout of the offensive linemen during the 40 yard dash was Oregon tackle Jake Fisher. After weighing in at 6’6 and 306 pounds, Fisher ran his 40 in 5.05 and 5.01 seconds, with 10 yards splits of 1.75 and 1.78 respectively.
• La’el Collins was tremendous during the on field workouts. His agility and balance were on display during the change of direction drills, and combined with his versatility may have cemented himself in the upper portion of the first round.
• The only Division 3 participant at the combine, Hobart’s Ali Marpet clocked the fastest 40 time of any offensive lineman with a 4.98, and an incredibly 1.74 10 yard split.
• Brandon Scherff from Iowa was having a solid day with back to back 5.07 40s, with splits of 1.78 and 1.79 before having to call it a day due to a tweaked hamstring.
• Shaq Thompson, OLB from Washington, came in at a solid 6’0 228 pounds. Any questions about his perfectly sized 33 inch arms.
• Oklahoma defensive lineman Jordan Phillips came in at 6’5 and 329 pounds, which is quite impressive but his physique did not match his consistency in college.
• Washington’s Danny Shelton weighed in at 339 pounds on his 6’2 frame, showing he has that Vince Wilfork size to man the middle of a defensive line for 10 years.

• Florida State’s Eddie Goldman came in larger than his expected size at 6’4 336 pounds. The on the field drills will show if he needs to slim down to his listed size of 320 pounds.

• Norfolk State’s Lyndon Trail should be rising up draft boards after coming in at 6’7 269 pounds. His 34 7/8 inch arms were the second longest in the defensive lineman ground just behind Houston’s Joey Mbu’s 35 inch arms.
• Kentucky’s Bud Dupree measured in at 6’4 and 269 pounds, showing he has the size to play in a 3-4 or 4-3.
• Miami’s Denzel Perryman came in at 5’11 and 236 pounds, which is a little undersized but not enough to have an impact on his draft position.
• Minnesota tight end Maxx Williams disappointed in the 40 with a 4.9 and 4.77, but more than made up for it by catching everything in sight during the receiving drills. His second attempt 10 yard split of 1.63 seconds was also the third best among the tight ends.
• South Alabama tight end Wes Saxton measured in at 6’3 and a chiseled 248 pounds, and recorded the fastest 40 in the group with a 4.56. His 10 yard split of 1.61 was also the best of the tight ends.

Saturday features the on the field workouts for the quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers. With Mariota and Winston both scheduled to throw, it should be another big day in Indianapolis.