2016 NFL Combine Day 1 Recap; Jason Spriggs, Derrick Henry lead the way
Here are some of our observations from day 1.
LINE NOTES
High-rated LSU guard Vadal Alexander showed he is definitely a phone booth guy, meaning he is probably better inside. He was stiff and showed he is not very fast or quick but he is big and strong. Alexander has the length to play tackle but has a better skill set for guard.
UCLA tackle Caleb Benenoch was a surprise early entry in the draft who came out and ran in the sub 5.0 range and looked quick in position drills. He’s a better athlete than football player right now but the late bloomer in high school clearly upside and should go higher than expected in the draft because of that upside.
Auburn tackle Shon Coleman benched 22 reps but passed on running the 40-yard dash.
Michigan State tackle Jack Conklin has great length, good feet, and really looks like a first round pick in his workouts. We would be surprised if he fell past the 25-30 range. While his testing was not elite, he impressed enough in position drills that you can see a future NFL starter.
Washington State tackle Joe Dahl moves well and has the feet to play tackle but his size and length will likely project him to guard in the NFL.
Ohio State tackle Taylor Decker not only has great length and size but he moves well in the mirror, change of direction, and pulling drills.
One player whose NFL stock is reportedly not as high as media is Baylor’s Spencer Drango. He did 30 reps and measured at 6055, 315 pounds with a 5.3 40 but is considered more of a mid to late round prospect despite nearly every media outlet naming him a first-team All-American. His NFL stock has never been close to where you would expect based on media accolades.
Michigan interior lineman Graham Glasgow is a tall, long, and just big guy who moves pretty well changing direction. With his versatility and size he could surprise and be a 3rd-4th round selection. Glasgow looked pretty good in position drills.
One guard here who looks the part of an ideal guard is San Diego State’s Darrell Greene. He moves well for his size and has the lower body girth and bubble butt you look for in a powerful guard.
Each year there are some players who surprise everyone when they get a combine invite and one of them this year is Oklahoma guard Nila Kasitati. He didn’t really do much to show he is just a big time sleeper who should go high in the draft. The Sooner blocker only did 12 reps at 6032, 317 pounds and ran a 5.3 40. He looked like a priority free agent and with players like Miss State tackle Rufus Warren, App State tackle Davante Harris, Kentucky tackle Jordan Swindle, Richmond tackle Nick Ritcher, Iowa guard Jordan Walsh, Hampton’s Torian White, Temple center Kyle Friend, and a few others not getting an invite we are still a little surprised Kasitati was picked.
Sometimes a player can be too tall and high legged. San Diego State’s Pearce Slater has very long legs, is stiff, tight hipped, and not very athletic in movement drills. He struggles to bend well. While he is a very good blocker that might push him down to the late rounds.
Indiana OT Jason Spriggs is very smooth running the 40 and had times in the 4.90-5.00 range on a lot of clocks. He is very athletic and has the physical tools teams are looking for. Spriggs can move very well and shows the ability to mirror and use his hands. He may have put himself in the top 40 picks, although he was not far from there to begin with. The NFL Combine just continued to magnify what he does so well on tape and has made him a little more valuable come draft day.
OFFENSIVE LINE TEST RESULTS
| First Name | Last Name | School | ET40 | Reps | BJ | 3-cone | 20 |
| Vadal | Alexander | LSU | 5.57 | 25 | 95 | 8.04 | 4.90 |
| Jack | Allen | Michigan State | 5.29 | 23 | 101 | 7.90 | 4.73 |
| Willie | Beavers | Western Michigan | 5.28 | 20 | 103 | 7.96 | 4.71 |
| Caleb | Benenoch | UCLA | 4.98 | 104 | 8.15 | 5.11 | |
| Austin | Blythe | Iowa | 5.36 | 29 | 99 | 7.52 | 4.53 |
| Evan | Boehm | Missouri | 5.33 | 24 | 96 | 7.52 | 4.69 |
| Jake | Brendel | UCLA | 5.01 | 25 | 108 | 7.31 | 4.27 |
| Joseph | Cheek | Texas A&M | 20 | ||||
| Le’Raven | Clark | Texas Tech | 5.16 | 18 | |||
| Shon | Coleman | Auburn | 22 | ||||
| Jack | Conklin | Michigan State | 5.00 | 25 | 103 | 7.63 | 4.57 |
| Fahn | Cooper | Mississippi | 5.17 | 19 | 102 | 7.85 | 4.89 |
| Joe | Dahl | Washington State | 5.18 | 28 | 109 | 7.64 | 4.77 |
| Taylor | Decker | Ohio State | 5.23 | 20 | 101 | 7.70 | 4.76 |
| Spencer | Drango | Baylor | 5.27 | 30 | 100 | 7.88 | 4.66 |
| Parker | Ehinger | Cincinnati | 5.26 | 97 | |||
| Josh | Garnett | Stanford | 5.32 | 30 | 99 | 7.62 | 4.64 |
| Graham | Glasgow | Michigan | 5.13 | 23 | 106 | 7.63 | 4.63 |
| Darrell | Greene | San Diego State | 5.20 | 28 | 98 | 8.07 | 4.98 |
| Joe | Haeg | North Dakota State | 5.16 | 111 | 7.47 | 4.47 | |
| Jerald | Hawkins | LSU | 5.23 | 23 | 100 | 8.19 | 4.89 |
| Germain | Ifedi | Texas A&M | 5.27 | 24 | 109 | 4.75 | |
| Dominick | Jackson | Alabama | 20 | 97 | |||
| Tyler | Johnstone | Oregon | 5.21 | 24 | 104 | 7.31 | 4.60 |
| Nila | Kasitati | Oklahoma | 5.32 | 12 | 107 | 8.30 | 4.83 |
| Ryan | Kelly | Alabama | 5.03 | 26 | 103 | 7.58 | 4.59 |
| Denver | Kirkland | Arkansas | 5.55 | 19 | 94 | 8.72 | 5.06 |
| Alex | Lewis | Nebraska | 5.22 | 27 | 100 | 7.94 | 4.72 |
| Nick | Martin | Notre Dame | 5.22 | 28 | 97 | 7.57 | 4.72 |
| Tyler | Marz | Wisconsin | 5.54 | 19 | 99 | 8.38 | 4.97 |
| Connor | McGovern | Missouri | 5.11 | 24 | 109 | 7.50 | 4.65 |
| Kyle | Murphy | Stanford | 23 | ||||
| Stephane | Nembot | Colorado | 5.39 | 32 | 103 | 8.55 | 5.15 |
| Rees | Odhiambo | Boise State | 23 | ||||
| Alex | Redmond | UCLA | 5.30 | 30 | 111 | 7.75 | 4.90 |
| Dominique | Robertson | West Georgia | 5.36 | 30 | 100 | 8.42 | 4.83 |
| Isaac | Seumalo | Oregon State | 5.19 | 105 | 7.40 | 4.52 | |
| Brandon | Shell | South Carolina | 5.22 | 22 | 112 | ||
| Matt | Skura | Duke | 5.39 | 27 | 103 | 7.89 | 4.76 |
| Pearce | Slater | San Diego State | 5.42 | 17 | 92 | 8.36 | 5.12 |
| Jason | Spriggs | Indiana | 4.94 | 31 | 115 | 7.70 | 4.44 |
| Ronnie | Stanley | Notre Dame | 5.20 | 8.03 | 4.90 | ||
| John | Theus | Georgia | 5.22 | 103 | 7.90 | 4.78 | |
| Joe | Thuney | North Carolina State | 4.95 | 28 | 110 | 7.47 | 4.54 |
| Cole | Toner | Harvard | 5.32 | 22 | 103 | 7.88 | 4.59 |
| Sebastian | Tretola | Arkansas | 5.45 | 22 | 94 | 7.94 | 5.02 |
| Max | Tuerk | Southern California | 22 | ||||
| Laremy | Tunsil | Mississippi | |||||
| Landon | Turner | North Carolina | 5.58 | 30 | 88 | ||
| Halapoulivaati | Vaitai | TCU | 5.26 | 23 | 113 | 8.26 | 5.00 |
| Christian | Westerman | Arizona State | 5.17 | 34 | 98 | 7.69 | 4.71 |
| Cody | Whitehair | Kansas State | 5.08 | 16 | 110 | 7.32 | 4.58 |
| Avery | Young | Auburn | 5.39 | 8.22 | 4.91 |
TOP 5 OFFENSIVE LINE WORKOUTS
- OT Jason Spriggs, Indiana
There is no question who the top workout of the day. Spriggs put up a very impressive workout from beginning to end. He showed good feet and quickness in drills and led all linemen in the 40 with a 4.94. He was also among the top 5 in the bench press (31), short shuttle (4.44), and broad jump (115). He also had a 7.70 short shuttle. Spriggs measured 6’6, 301 pounds with 34 1/8 inch arms and 10 1/8 inch hands.
- OT Joe Thuney, NC State
Entering the season Thuney was not really on the NFL radar but you could see the athleticism pop out on tape and it showed here at the combine. At 6’4 5/8, 304 pounds he ran a 4.95 40, did 28 reps, 110 on the broad jump, 7.47 3-cone, and did a 4.54 short shuttle. He only finished in the top 5 in the 40 but did well in position drills and had a solid day.
- OG Christian Westerman, Arizona State
Before the season there was buzz he was a workout warrior and he certainly looked good here with a 5.17 40 and 34 reps at 6’3, 298 pounds. He also had huge hands at 11 7/8 and good arm length for a guard at 33 ½ inches. His other times weren’t great (98 broad jump, 7.69 3-cone, 4.71 short shuttle) but they were okay.
- OT Joe Haeg, North Dakota State
The former walk-on for the Bison was quite impressive at the combine and may have put himself in the top 100 with a 5.16 40, 111 inch broad jump, 7.47 3-cone, and 4.47 short shuttle at 6’6, 304 pounds with 33 ¾ inch arms. Haeg has the feet, size, length, and skills to be a quality starter in the NFL. The big question for him is his bench as he did not do it but outside of that he had a very good day.
- C Ryan Kelly, Alabama
This year’s draft is led at center by Kelly and it is not even close. His film is impressive and his position drills were very good as well. He followed up the film with a 5.03 40, 26 reps, 103 inch broad jump, 7.58 3-cone, and 4.59 short shuttle. Kelly should be a top 50 pick.
DISAPPOINTING WORKOUTS
Arkansas OL Denver Kirkland had the worst 3-cone time at 8.72 seconds and was poor in the bench (19 reps), short shuttle (5.06 seconds), and ran a slow 5.55 40-yard dash at 6’4, 335 pounds. It is clear that Kirkland must play in the interior and will best fit in a road grade style scheme.
Oklahoma guard Nila Kasitati measured at 6’3, 317 pounds with 10 ½ inch hands and 32 inch arms but only ran a 5.32 40, did the worst on the bench with just 12 reps, had a 8.30 3-cone, and a 4.83 short shuttle.
RUNNING BACK NOTES
UGA RB STEALS THE SHOW IN 40
Coming in to this week there were two players expected to run very well in the 40 and they were Alabama’s Kenyan Drake (who showed it on his kickoff return TD in the title game) and San Jose State’s all-purpose back Tyler Ervin. Drake ran in the mid to high 4.3s on hand helds while Ervin ran a high 4.3 40. They were both beaten out by Georgia’s Keith Marshall who measured in at 5113, 219 pounds and ran a 4.31 40. Marshall has had injury problems in his career and only started two games but showed the athletic ability that made him one of the most highly recruited running backs in the nation coming out of high school.
NOTABLE WORKOUT OBSERVATIONS
It seems like every year there are a few runners from the G5 level who are clear steals and Kenneth Dixon of Louisiana was one of them. He was dominant all year and then at the Senior Bowl. Today he did okay in the testing but looked very good in position drills. He is a smooth runner who changes direction quickly and is a natural receiver.
Scouts have some players on their list with questions about their hands and Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott was one of them. He is a big kid at 5116, 225 pounds and did not look natural catching a high throw on the flat route.
Heisman Trophy winning Alabama back Derrick Henry is so big at 6022, 242 pounds and is a bit tight so he did not look smooth in routes.
One player who really caught the ball well showing concentration and hands is Indiana’s Jordan Howard. He is a fairly smooth runner who has good change of direction skills. The All-Big Ten runner is a very good all around player and should be a top 75 pick.
If you love a good story then unrated walk-on Andy Janovich of Nebraska is here and he looked solid in pass catching drills and tested fairly well. He could find himself coming off the board in the 6th or 7th round.
Daniel Lasco of California is a natural receiver and he showed good hands and feet in route running drills. At 6002, 209 pounds he ran in the 4.4 range as well, which is good for a back at his size.
One of the players who struggled by dropping several passes was Florida’s Kelvin Taylor. His lack of production and upside as a receiver means he likely won’t be drafted higher than the 7th round, if at all.
The worst 40 among tailbacks was NC State’s Shad Thornton who has had his share of issues and was dismissed from NC State. Thornton likely won’t get drafted when you consider his speed and off field concerns. He ran in the 4.70 range, which would not have been first among fullbacks.
While diminutive in size, Texas Tech’s DeAndre Washington (5082, 204) is thick and showed that he can change direction and catch the football naturally. Fluid in his running style and a natural receiver.
RUNNING BACK TEST RESULTS
| First Name | Last Name | School | ET40 | Reps | VJ | BJ | 3-cone | 20 | 60 |
| Peyton | Barber | Auburn | 4.64 | 20 | 32.5 | 111 | 7.00 | 4.21 | 11.65 |
| Devontae | Butler-Booker | Utah | 22 | ||||||
| Tra | Carson | Texas A&M | 19 | ||||||
| Alex | Collins | Arkansas | 4.59 | 18 | 28.5 | 113 | |||
| Marshaun | Coprich | Illinois State | 4.47 | 17 | 34 | 112 | 7.26 | 4.58 | 12.09 |
| Kenneth | Dixon | Louisiana Tech | 4.58 | 18 | 37.5 | 121 | 6.97 | 4.28 | 11.50 |
| Kenyan | Drake | Alabama | 4.45 | 10 | 34.5 | 123 | 7.04 | 4.21 | |
| Ezekiel | Elliott | Ohio State | 4.47 | 32.5 | 118 | ||||
| Tyler | Ervin | San Jose State | 4.41 | 17 | 39 | 130 | |||
| Josh | Ferguson | Illinois | 4.48 | 21 | 34.5 | 120 | |||
| Glenn | Gronkowski | Kansas State | 4.71 | 17 | 33 | 120 | 7.10 | 4.45 | 11.95 |
| Derrick | Henry | Alabama | 4.54 | 22 | 37 | 130 | 7.20 | 4.38 | 11.50 |
| Quayvon | Hicks | Georgia | |||||||
| Jordan | Howard | Indiana | 16 | 34 | 122 | ||||
| Andy | Janovich | Nebraska | 4.81 | 30 | 34 | 119 | 7.28 | 4.32 | 11.95 |
| Devon | Johnson | Marshall | |||||||
| Daniel | Lasco | California | 4.46 | 23 | 41.5 | 135 | 7.22 | 4.26 | 11.31 |
| Tre | Madden | Southern California | 24 | ||||||
| Keith | Marshall | Georgia | 4.31 | 25 | 30.5 | ||||
| Paul | Perkins | UCLA | 4.54 | 19 | 32 | 124 | |||
| C.J. | Prosise | Notre Dame | 4.48 | 35.5 | 121 | ||||
| Wendell | Smallwood | West Virginia | 4.47 | 14 | 33.5 | 120 | 6.83 | 4.28 | 11.14 |
| Kelvin | Taylor | Florida | 4.60 | 15 | 32 | 113 | |||
| Shadrach | Thornton | North Carolina State | 4.75 | 12 | 31 | 116 | 6.85 | 4.21 | 11.53 |
| Soma | Vainuku | Southern California | 4.68 | 26 | 32 | 108 | |||
| Dan | Vitale | Northwestern | 4.60 | 30 | 38.5 | 123 | 7.12 | 4.12 | 11.36 |
| DeAndre | Washington | Texas Tech | 4.49 | 24 | 34.5 | 118 | 7.03 | 4.20 | 11.63 |
| Brandon | Wilds | South Carolina | 4.54 | 21 | 36.5 | 118 | 7.08 | 4.33 | 11.75 |
| Jonathan | Williams | Arkansas | 16 |
TOP 5 RUNNING BACK WORKOUTS
- Derrick Henry, Alabama
Nobody impressed and stole the show more than Henry. Henry measured at 6’3, 247 pounds and finished in the top 5 in the broad jump (130) and vertical (37). He also ran a very good 4.54 40 at 247 pounds along with a solid 22 bench reps, 4.38 short shuttle, and 7.20 3-cone. He even had a 11.50 60 shuttle. This was very impressive for his size.
- Tyler Ervin, San Jose State
Putting up a top 5 performance in the 40 (4.41), broad jump (130), and vertical (39), Ervin showed good speed and explosion. He also did a solid 17 reps.
- Daniel Lasco, California
After a strong fall with over 1100 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns Lasco followed up with a very good NFL Combine by running a 4.46 40, 41 ½ inch vertical, 135 inch broad jump, 7.22 3-cone, 4.26 3-cone, and 11.31 60 shuttle. His 40, broad jump, and vertical were among the top 5 among his position at 6’0, 209 pounds.
- DeAndre Washington, Texas Tech
Washington was a late add to the Senior Bowl and showed he belonged. Then he followed it up here at the combine with a 4.49 40, 24 reps, 34 ½ inch vertical, 118 inch broad jump, 7.03 3-cone, and a very good 4.20 short shuttle at 5’8, 204 pounds.
- FB Dan Vitale, Northwestern
Since nobody among tailbacks truly lit it up I’ll go with Vitale after running a 4.60 40 at 6’1, 239 pounds. That is a good time at that weight. He also had a very impressive 38 ½ inch vertical, 123 inch broad jump, 7.12 3-cone, 4.12 short shuttle, and 30 bench reps. This workout very likely ensures he is drafted in rounds 5-6.
BIG DISAPPOINTMENT
Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State
After showing up at 5116, 225 pounds and running a 4.47 40 he decided to bow out of all the other running drills and only do the jumps. He had a 32.5 inch vertical and did 118 inches on the broad jump.
Shad Thornton, NC State
Thornton ran a 4.75 40, had a 31 inch vertical, 116 inches on the broad jump, and a 6.85 3-cone. This workout was not very good for a player who has off field concerns. This likely eliminates him fully of being drafted.
SPECIAL TEAMS
There is not much to say on specialist workouts. The drills aren’t pressured and thus not much you can get from the workouts.
However, two players did run the 40-yard dash. Liberty kicker John Lunsford ran a 4.74 while Iowa kicker Marshall Koehn ran a 4.61 40.
THROWING QUARTERBACKS ON DISPLAY
You may not have seen who was designated as the drills passers, meaning they are here all week throwing to everyone. They are Wisconsin’s Joel Stave, Oregon’s Vernon Adams, and Liberty’s Josh Woodrum. Of that group the best college player was definitely Vernon Adams but the most arm talent was Josh Woodrum. Stave possibly has the most upside of them all being the bigger kid who played in a better pro style system.
POTENTIAL TOP 5 PICK GETS BAD NEWS FROM MEDICAL CHECK
Notre Dame LB Jaylon Smith, a potential top 5-10 pick, has been told he will miss the 2016 season and possibly beyond. His knee injury suffered a couple months ago is worse than originally thought and could be in for a long rehab.
