<![CDATA[Do you as the Ravens top brass upgrade for immediate complimentary receiving impact through Free Agency or the Draft? Or do you strive for some kind of magical combination of both? Then there’s always the option of a Trade.
Based upon Saturday’s Combine WR workouts, the question becomes even tougher.
Washington receiver John Ross stole the day with a 40-yard dash time of 4.22 seconds, which broke Chris Johnson’s record of 4.24 seconds that was set in 2008.
Ross was not the only wide receiver to deliver an eye-opening 40 time, though.
Ohio State’s Curtis Samuel, who starred at Erasmus Hall High in Brooklyn, ran an overlooked 4.31 in the 40. Tennessee’s Josh Malone ran a 4.4 flat, Baylor’s K.D. Cannon clocked in with a 4.41, and Penn State’s Chris Godwin surprised everyone with a 4.42. Georgia’s Isaiah McKenzie also hit that mark, as did Stanford’s Michael Rector.
Suddenly the WR crop looks a lot more tempting for the Ravens in the 1st Round than I thought it would be.
Here are all the 40-times and other test results for the wideouts:
PLAYER | SCHOOL | OFFICIAL 40 | VERT | BROAD
Rodney Adams, South Florida, 4.44, 29.5, 10-5
Quincy Adeboyejo, Ole Miss, 4.42, 34.5, 10-3
Victor Bolden, Oregon State, 4.54, 32, 9-9
Kendrick Bourne, Eastern Washington, 4.68, 34, 10-5
Billy Brown , Shepherd, 4.7, 29, 9-10
Noah Brown, Ohio State, DID NOT TEST
K.D. Cannon, Baylor, 4.41, 37, 9-11
Jehu Chesson, Michigan, 4.47, 35.5, 11-0
Stacy Coley, Miami, 4.45, 34, 10-2
Amara Darboh, Michigan, 4.45, 36, 10-4
Corey Davis, Western Michigan, DID NOT TEST
Robert Davis, Georgia State, 4.44, 41, 11-4
Malachi Dupre, LSU, 4.52, 39.5, 11-3
Travin Dural, LSU, 4.57, 30.5, 9-8
Amba Etta-Tawo, Syracuse, 4.49, 31, 10-6
Isaiah Ford, Virginia Tech, 4.61, 35.5, 10-7
Shelton Gibson, West Virginia, 4.5, 32, 9-10
Chris Godwin, Penn State, 4.42, 36, 10-6
Kenny Golladay, Northern Illinois, 4.5, 35.5, 10-0
Chad Hansen, California, 4.53, 35, 9-11
Keon Hatcher, Arkansas, 4.64, DNT, DNT
Carlos Henderson, Louisiana Tech, 4.46, 36, 10-11
Krishawn Hogan, Marian, 4.56, 36.5, 10-4
Mack Hollins, North Carolina, 4.53, DNT, DNT
Bug Howard, North Carolina, 4.58, 37.5, 9-11
Zay Jones, East Carolina, 4.45, 36.5, 11-1
Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington, 4.62, 31, 9-8
Jerome Lane, Akron, 4.6, 35, 10-5
Keevan Lucas, Tulsa, 4.55, 32.5, 9-11
Josh Malone, Tennessee, 4.4, 30.5, 10-1
Gabe Marks, Washington State, 4.56, 29.5, 9-9
Isaiah McKenzie, Georgia, 4.42, 36, 10-3
Drew Morgan, Arkansas, 4.74, 30, 9-4
Speedy Noil, Texas A&M, DNT, 43.5, 11-1
Zach Pascal, Old Dominion, 4.55, 36, 10-6
James Quick, Louisville, 4.6 , 31, 9-7
Michael Rector, Stanford, 4.42, 36.5, 10-9
Josh Reynolds, Texas A&M, 4.52, 37, 10-4
Jalen Robinette, Air Force, 4.62, 31.5, 10
Darreus Rogers, USC, DNT, 26.5, 9-4
Fred Ross, Mississippi State , 4.51, 35, 9-5
John Ross, Washington, 4.22, 37, 11-1
Travis Rudolph, Florida State, 4.65, 31.5, 9-6
Curtis Samuel, Ohio State, 4.31, 37, 9-11
Artavis Scott, Clemson, 4.61, 31, 9-8
Ricky Seals-Jones, Texas A&M, 4.69, 28, 10-1
Juju Smith-Schuster, USC, 4.54, 32.5, 10
Jamari Staples, Louisville, 4.51, 36, 10-10
ArDarius Stewart, Alabama, 4.49, 34, 10-4
Ryan Switzer, North Carolina, 4.51, 32, 9-8
Taywan Taylor, Western Kentucky, 4.5, 33.5, 11-0
Trent Taylor, Louisiana Tech, 4.63, 33, 9-9
Noel Thomas, UConn, 4.63, 32.5, 9-10
Greg Ward, Houston, DID NOT TEST
Dede Westbrook, Oklahoma, DID NOT TEST
Kermit Whitfield, Florida State, 4.44, 32.5, 10-0
Mike Williams, Clemson, DNT, 32.5, 10-1
Bobo Wilson, Florida State, 4.57, DNT, 9-11
Not to be ignored, the Tight Ends group got a tremendous review from Fran Duffy at PE.com:
“This was an absolutely ridiculous group of athletes at the tight end position. You could argue it’s the best we’ve ever seen. The freakiest overall workout was turned in by Bucky Hodges with a time of 4.58 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 11’2″ in the broad jump, and 37.5 inches in the vertical leap are all in the 98th percentile or above when compared to tight ends in the last five years. He did it at 257 pounds. He was listed at 245 pounds this season for Virginia Tech.”
“Evan Engram ran the fastest 40-yard dash of any tight end drafted since 2012 (4.42), and the third fastest since 2003! O.J. Howard’s 4.51 40, at 251 pounds, is simply special.”
“Then there was New Jersey native David Njoku. At 246 pounds, the Miami junior jumped 11’1″ in the broad, just one inch short of Hodges, and leaped 37.5 inches in the vert, tying Hodges for the best mark of the day by a tight end. Both marks ranked in the 95th percentile or above for tight ends drafted since 2012.”
“Also remarkable were Adam Shaheen’s numbers in the broad (10’1″ which is a good number for any tight end) and vertical jump (32.5 inches, a modest number). When you include the fact that he weighs 278 pounds, heavier than any tight end taken in the last five drafts, you get a sense of Shaheen’s explosive power.”
“Any other year, George Kittle would’ve stolen headlines. But ho hum, the senior went out and ran a 4.53 in the 40, and posted a broad jump of 11′ at 247 pounds. Both of those test scores are in at least the 90th percentile of tight ends taken since 2012. The same can be said for Jonnu Smith’s jumps (10’7″ broad jump and 38-inch vertical). The moral of this story? These tight ends are ridiculously athletic.”
Here is some other scuttlebutt from Saturday:
Penn State wide receiver Chris Godwin helped himself by running the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds. NFL Network’s Mike Mayock said that Godwin’s time “just stunned me,” and that he has to “go back and watch more tape on this kid.”
Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers met with the media and said he plans to play safety at the next level. He played just about every position in college – safety, cornerback, linebacker, running back, returner, quarterback – but he most likely projects as a safety to the NFL game. “The bottom line is I’m a ball player, and I’m a hell of a ball player,” Peppers said.
Alabama linebacker Ryan Anderson delivered probably the quote of the day when asked how he expected to perform in the combine drills. “I ain’t a bologna sandwich,” he said. “I ain’t a slouch either.”
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