The Ravens of both present and future need young defensive back help—one or two talented rookies to start climbing up the pipeline and be ready to step in at a starting corner or safety by the time 2017 rolls around.
Here’s a look at the 2016 Scouting Combine results for defensive backs:
Auburn’s Jonathan Jones led the entire DB group with a 4.33 40-yard dash.
Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey had a nice run with 4.41 in the ’40, and also did well in vertical leap (41.5″) and broad jump (135.0″). Vernon Hargreaves of Florida was disappointed with his 4.50. A couple of guys who improved their brand the most were Houston cornerback William Jackson III, who ran a 4.37, and Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple, who timed in at 4.40 seconds.
Full results for the defensive backs 40-yard times (Mackensie Alexander, Vonn Bell,and nine other guys did not participate) :
Name School Height Weight 40-yard (Official)
Mackensie Alexander Clemson 5’10 190 —
Eli Apple Ohio State 6’1 199 4.40
Vonn Bell Ohio State 5’11 199 —
Briean Boddy-Calhoun Minnesota 5’9 193 4.47
James Bradberry Samford 6’1 211 4.50
Anthony Brown Purdue 5’11 192 4.35
Lamarcus Brutus Florida State 6’0 206 4.76
Artie Burns Miami(FL) 6’0 193 4.46
Juston Burris North Carolina State 6’0 212 4.53
Deon Bush Miami(FL) 6’0 199 4.64
Taveze Calhoun Mississippi State 6’0 192 4.58
Maurice Canady Virginia 6’1 193 4.49
Tevin Carter Utah 6’1 218 —
Jeremy Cash Duke 6’0 212 —
Ken Crawley Colorado 6’0 187 4.43
Sean Davis Maryland 6’1 201 4.46
K.J. Dillon West Virginia 6’0 210 4.53
DeAndre Elliott Colorado State 6’1 188 4.55
Kavon Frazier Central Michigan 6’0 217 —
Kendall Fuller Virginia Tech 5’11 187 —
T.J. Green Clemson 6’2 209 4.34
Deiondre’ Hall Northern Iowa 6’2 199 4.68
Vernon Hargreaves III Florida 5’10 204 4.50
De’Vante Harris Texas A&M 5’11 176 4.56
DeAndre Houston-Carson William & Mary 6’1 201 4.54
Xavien Howard Baylor 6’0 201 4.58
William Jackson III Houston 6’0 189 4.37
Cyrus Jones Alabama 5’10 197 4.49
Jonathan Jones Auburn 5’9 186 4.33
Karl Joseph West Virginia 5’10 205 —
Jayron Kearse Clemson 6’4 216 4.62
Miles Killebrew Southern Utah 6’2 217 4.65
Derrick Kindred TCU 5’10 207 4.50
Jordan Lomax Iowa 5’10 202 4.75
Jordan Lucas Penn State 6’0 201 —
Harlan Miller SE Louisiana 6’0 182 4.65
Jalen Mills LSU 6’0 191 4.61
Eric Murray Minnesota 5’11 199 4.49
Keanu Neal Florida 6’0 211 4.62
Kevin Peterson Oklahoma State 5’10 173 4.66
Tyvis Powell Ohio State 6’3 211 4.46
Jimmy Pruitt San Jose State 6’0 198 4.73
Jalen Ramsey Florida State 6’1 209 4.41
Will Redmond Mississippi State 5’11 182 —
Rashard Robinson LSU 6’1 171 4.49
KeiVarae Russell Notre Dame 5’11 192 —
Zack Sanchez Oklahoma 5’11 185 —
Kevon Seymour Southern Cal 5’11 186 4.39
Elijah Shumate Notre Dame 6’0 216 4.58
Justin Simmons Boston College 6’2 202 4.61
LeShaun Sims Southern Utah 6’0 203 4.53
Ryan Smith North Carolina Central 5’11 189 4.47
A.J. Stamps Kentucky 5’11 193 4.79
Darian Thompson Boise State 6’2 208 4.69
Cleveland Wallace San Jose State 5’11 188 4.68
D.J. White Georgia Tech 5’11 193 4.49
Brandon Williams Texas A&M 5’11 197 4.37
Daryl Worley West Virginia 6’1 204 4.64
Tavon Young Temple 5’9 183 4.46
Here’s a composite of the top results in all the DB drills:
40-yard dash
1. Jonathan Jones, Auburn – 4.33
2. T.J. Green, Clemson – 4.34
3. Anthony Brown, Purdue – 4.35
4. William Jackson III, Houston – 4.37
4.Brandon Williams, Texas A&M – 4.37
Bench press
1. Miles Killebrew – 22
2. Sean Davis – 21
3. Jimmy Pruitt – 19
3. Anthony Brown – 19
3. Juston Burris – 19
3. Zach Sanchez – 19
3. Jonathan Jones – 19
3. Tevin Carter – 19
Vertical Leap
1. Jalen Ramsey, Florida State – 41.5″
2. DeAndre Elliott, Colorado State – 41.0″
3. Justin Simmons, Boston College – 40.0″
4. Eric Murray, Minnesota – 39.5″
5.Vernon Hargreaves, Florida – 39.0″
Broad Jump
1. Jalen Ramsey, Florida State – 135.0″
2. Keanu Neal, Florida – 132.0″
2. D.J. White, Georgia Tech – 132.0″
4. Vernon Hargreaves, Florida – 130.0″
5. T.J. Green, Clemson – 129.0″
1. Justin Simmons, Boston College – 6.58
2. Sean Davis, Maryland – 6.64
3. Cyrus Jones, Alabama – 6.71
4. Tavon Young, Temple – 6.80
5. De’Vante Harris, Texas A&M – 6.82
20-yard shuttle
1. Justin Simmons, Boston College – 3.85
2. Tavon Young, Temple – 3.93
3. DeAndre Elliott, Colorado State – 3.94
4. Sean Davis, Maryland – 3.97
5. Vernon Hargreaves, Florida – 3.98
60-yard shuttle
1. Justin Simmons, Boston College – 10.84
2. Daryl Worley, West Virginia – 10.87
3. Miles Killebrew, Southern Utah – 11.02
4. Jalen Ramsey, Florida State – 11.10
5. LeShaun Sims, Southern Utah – 11.18
5. Ryan Smith, North Carolina Central – 11.18
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Here’s how Tony Pauline viewed the best performances of the defensive backs class of 2016:
“Several cornerbacks significantly improved their draft stock while others quieted concerns about their athleticism. Here are the risers from the final workout of the Combine.”
1. CB Eli Apple, Ohio State – “Apple timed 4.40 seconds in the 40 after measuring just over 6-feet and 199 pounds. The time quieted some of the concerns scouts had about his long speed. Apple later looked terrific in drills, displaying a smooth backpedal and the ability to quickly flip his hips in transition. He cemented himself as a top-20 pick.”
2. CB William Jackson, Houston – “When all is said and done, Jackson helped himself more than any other defensive back on Monday. He timed the 40 in the mid-4.3s, measured over 6-feet tall and looked natural in all the drills. His backpedal, ability to flip his hips and explode to the ball came second nature to Jackson, who moved into the top half of the second round.”
3. CB Jonathan Jones, Auburn – “Jones was the fastest defensive back of the day, timing in the high 4.2s on a number of watches. He looked equally athletic and fast during drills. Like William Jackson, Jones effortlessly moved throughout all the drills with efficiency and little wasted movement. His terrific Combine performance comes off the heels of a very good Senior Bowl week and Jones’ stock is on the rise.”
4. DB DeAndre Houston-Carson, William & Mary – “The small-school prospect is another who capitalized on a solid Senior Bowl week with a good Combine performance. His 40 time in the low 4.5s was better than expected and Houston-Carson looked good in all the drills. He displayed solid ball skills and was fluid in his hips and backpedal.”
5. CB Anthony Brown, Purdue – “Brown was not highly rated entering the year, but has been on a tear since January. He followed up a terrific showing at Shrine Game week with an outstanding Combine workout. Brown’s times in the 40 clocked in the low-to-mid 4.3s while his vertical jump came in at 35 inches. Brown kept the momentum going and looked sharp in position drills.”
6. CB Justin Burris, North Carolina State – “Scouts had major questions about the long speed of Burris, but he squashed many of those concerns by timing the 40 in the low 4.5s to high 4.4s Monday. Included was a 10-yard split of 1.59 seconds, just slightly slower than Eli Apple’s mark. Burris looked fluid in drills, especially when flipping his hips and transitioning from moving backward to running forward.”
7. S Tyvis Powell, Ohio State – “Powell had the most complete performance of all the safeties who took the field Monday. His 40 time clocked under 4.5 seconds, giving him one of the fastest marks at the position. His vertical jump was a respectable 34.5 inches and Powell looked terrific in drills. His foot quickness, hip turn and initial burst looked better than many of the cornerbacks who worked out.”
8. S Justin Simmons, Boston College – “Simmons was a terrific college safety who got a rap for not being a good athlete. He changed that perception on the final day of the Combine. His 40 time clocked in the high 4.5s, much better than expected. His vertical jump of 40 inches bested all other safeties by two inches and his broad jump of 10-6 was a top-five mark. His times in the short shuttle (3.85 seconds), long shuttle (10.84) and 3-cone (6.58) were all outstanding marks bettered by only three defensive backs.”
Somewhere in that list of prospects is a future Raven. Ozzie is going to draft at least 2 DB’s. Book it.
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