2018 SCOUTING COMBINE DAY 1 TESTING RECAP
By: PPIDraftPro
The Scouting Combine gets bigger every year and this event is again ran very well by Director Jeff Foster. For those who question how players are picked you can read this very good article by SI.com where they interview Jeff and got some interesting news out of him: https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/02/21/2018-nfl-combine-player-selection-jeff-foster-national-football-scouting
NOTES AND NOTES
Before we get into the results there are some news and notes to mention.
- – Word was that former Heisman winning Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson had been asked to do both receiver and quarterback drills by several NFL teams. Jackson said “No team asked me to try out at wide receiver,” Jackson said. “I don’t know where that came from. I’m strictly a quarterback.” Our view is that it would not hurt to do them and the fact he is not going to run the 40-yard dash is a flag seeing as every other quarterback is doing it. He is also representing himself and we believe that is a mistake. We hope it works out because our staff is a huge fan of his game but these things are minor flags to keep an eye on. Hopefully he will find representation as it will help him.
- – Oklahoma offensive tackle Orlando Brown said he only did 14 bench reps due to not sticking to his breathing routine but will retest at pro day so he will get to show if that is really why or not. Brown said “I didn’t stick to my breathing routine. That’s the lowest I have ever done, and I’ll redo it at my Pro Day. Keeping it real, it will be held against me. All my numbers will be held against me. As an offensive tackle, my numbers are going to be prepared to other offensive tackles. That’s just the reality of it.”. He is right and smart for him he did test here so he can rebound at pro day.
- – Texas tackle Connor Williams made an interesting quote when asked what went into his decision to sit out the bowl game and who did he talk to about coming out. Williams said “I talked to many trusted people that were close to me and after talking to my team and talking with the people I trusted, I felt like I was informed enough to make a decision of ultimately chasing my dream, which is to play in the NFL.” We are curious what he was told because the rumor around campus is that he told coaches he would be a top 10 pick and he had told everyone he would declare before the season started. We aren’t trying to cause problems but this answer is a bit weird because NFL teams 100% felt he would come out back in August and Connor is saying that is not the case. We have also been told he is, and we quote “full of BS in team interviews” by multiple sources. It just goes to show many of these media interviews are a waste of time because players have been coached up.
- Ohio State lineman Billy Price injures pec during the bench press. When asked about what happened he said “Getting ready for the bench press, I got into my warmup set, had no problem, no issues. Got the first rep off, got to the third, thought I was still doing well, felt a pop. Immediately racked it. Something didn’t feel right. I’ve been lifting since I was in the fifth grade. I’m familiar with my body and I try to be very aware of what’s going on. I didn’t feel something right. I grabbed it. Felt a little bit of swelling a little bit of a pop or a tingle. Got the medical doctors here, Brian McGuire got me set up with the doctors. Met with doctors from the Indianapolis Colts. Got the MRI results this morning. It was officially an incomplete pec tear with no grade, no issues like that. Something very minor. Looking at the MRI results, we were able to see a little bit of an issue, nothing that’s going to force me to miss time at all. I’ll be fine for the season going forward and I should be fine going into training camp.” He also said he may lift at pro day but will get more opinions and see where he is. When asked if it was a relief for him about the MRI he said “Oh, it’s huge. You look at guys who have a complete pec tear. I have no bruising, which is huge for me. I woke up this morning and looked down there like thank God. No bruising, no issues in that sense. Yeah, I’m definitely happy. It’s definitely something minor. It’s not something that’s going to make me lose time or impact me going forward in the season.” -
- USC quarterback Sam Darnold not expected to throw and we believe that is a mistake. Many media outlets think he is the top overall pick and we don’t. He could be a good one but needs the right situation and we don’t see him going 2 or 3 overall so if Cleveland wants him they ould probably get him at 4th but we still think that is high. He could have helped himself with a good workout tomorrow and he should throw to help himself.
- Fordham RB Chase Edmonds was asked to do wide receiver drills as well.
INJURY NOTES
Stanford OT David Bright was a medical exclusion due to left ACL and all he did was get measured. He chose not to bench by choice
Louisville OT Geron Christian did not do jumps, shuttle, or 3-cone due to left hamstring injury.
Iowa C James Daniels did not run the 40 by choice.
West Georgia tackle Des Harrison did not bench due to left pec strain and chose not to do jumps, shuttle, or 3-cone.
Ohio State OT Jamarco Jones skipped the bench by choice.
Florida State OT Rick Leonard did not do anything on the field by choice.
LSU OT KJ Malone skipped the 3-cone and 20-yard shuttle by choice.
Notre Dame OT Mike McGlinchey did not run the 40 by choice but skipped the 20 shuttle and 3-cone due to right hamstring pull in drills.
Notre Dame OG Quentin Nelson skipped the 40 by choice.
TCU OT Joe Noteboom did not run the 40 by choice. NC A&T OT Brandon Parker did not bench because he was sick the night before.
Stony Brook OT Timon Parris did not do jumps or run by choice. He has a right ankle injury so he skipped the skills drills, shuttle, and 3-cone.
Idaho State OG Skyler Phillips did not bench due to right pec strain. Ohio State C Billy Price suffered a pec injury during bench and was medically excluded from run, jump, and skill drills.
Miss State OT Martinas Rankin had a left foot stress fracture so he did not workout except for the bench press.
NC State OT Will Richardson and Washington C Coleman Shelton skipped the bench press by choice. Ole Miss OT Rod Taylor did not bench due to rotator cuff strain and was ill so he did not do the shuttle or 3-cone.
Army OT Brett Toth did not workout due to a right foot stress fracture.
Utah OG Leka Uhatafe had a right wrist injury so he did not bench press.
Georgia OT Isaiah Wynn did not workout due to a left shoulder injury he suffered at the Senior Bowl.
Notre Dame RB Josh Adams did not workout due to right foot injury.
Arizona State RB Kalen Ballage did not do the 60 shuttle by choice.
Penn State RB Saquon Barkley did not do the broad jump, shuttle, or 3-cone by choice.
San Diego State FB Nick Bawden was a medical exclusion due to a right foot injury and did not bench due to A/C injury he suffered at Senior Bowl.
Georgia RB Nick Chubb did not do the 60 shuttle by choice.
Washington RB Lavon Coleman did not do the shuttles or 3-cone due to left ankle.
West Virginia RB Justin Crawford did not do shuttles or 3-cone by choice.
Oklahoma FB Dimitri Flowers did not do the 60 shuttle by choice.
LSU RB Derrius Guice did not do the broad jump, shuttles, or 3-cone by choice. He also disclosed that a team asked him if he liked men but did not tell which team.
TCU RB Kyle Hicks did not do the shuttles or 3-cone due to left hamstring.
NC State RB Nyheim Hines was asked to do wide receiver drills and he did not bench or do the 60 shuttle by choice.
Auburn RB Kerryon Johnson did not do 60 shuttle or run by choice.
USC RB Ronald Jones suffered a pulled right hamstring on the 40-yard dash and did not do anything else. He was asked to do receiver drills as well.
Tennessee RB John Kelly was also asked to do receiver drills and he did not run or do 60 shuttle by choice.
Georgia RB Sony Michel chose not to do 3-cone, jumps, or 60 shuttle and was asked to do receiver drills.
San Diego State RB Rashaad Penny, Alabama RB Bo Scarbrough, Jacksonville State RB Roc Thomas, and Arizona State RB Demario Richard did not do shuttles or 3-cone by choice.
Iowa RB Akrum Wadley did not do shuttles, 3-cone, or broad jump by choice.
Miami RB Mark Walton did not do shuttles or 3-cone by choice.
Auburn RB Kamryn Pettway suffered a right hamstring injury during skill drills and did not do shuttles or 3-cone.
Ole Miss RB Jordan Wilkins did not run the 40 due to left hamstring or the 60 shuttle and 3-cone by choice.
LSU RB Darrel Williams did not do the 60 shuttle or 3-cone by choice.
North Texas RB Jeff Wilson did not do anything except bench because of a right foot injury.
OFFENSIVE LINE TOP RESULTS TOP PERFORMERS
OT BRIAN O’NEILL, PITTSBURGH
O’Neill led all linemen with a 4.82 40-yard dash, had a solid 22 bench reps, 29-inch vertical, and 107 inches on the broad jump. He also led all linemen with a 7.14 3-cone. O’Neill may have clinched a spot in round one as there was buzz he may before the combine and this just clinced what many scouts felt coming into the postseason.
OG WILL HERNANDEZ, UTEP
The UTEP product measured at 6023, 327 pounds, down 13 from the Senior Bowl, and led all linemen with 37 bench reps. He ran a very good 5.15 40-yard dash and despite only putting up okay numbers in the jumps with a 24 inch vertical, 104 inch broad jump, and solid 7.59 3-cone. We expect him to be a top 20 pick.
OT KOLTON MILLER, UCLA
Miller put up very good numbers with a 31-inch vertical, 4.95 40-yard dash, 121 inch broad jump, a very good 7.34 3-cone, and did 24 bench reps at 6086, 309 pounds. He was up and down during the season and does need to improve in position drills but there is upside and this workout could clinch a spot in the top 100 picks for him.
OT DESMOND HARRISON, WEST GEORGIA
Harrison ran the second fastest 40 with a 4.90-second time but did not do anything else. He weighed 292 pounds at 6’6 with 34 inch arms and 10 3/8 hands. He did not do any other drills though.
OG/OT CONNOR WILLIAMS, TEXAS
Many teams want to move Williams inside to guard but he did measure long enough to possibly stay outside with 33 inch arms. He had a fine day with a 5.05 40-yard dash and led all linemen with a 34-inch vertical. He also had a 112-inch broad jump, 7.83 3-cone, and did 26 bench reps. Some have him as a mid-late 2nd round pick but this workout could sneak him into the late first round.
BIGGEST FALLERS
Two players really stood out as prospects who may slide a full round with their workouts.
OT ORLANDO BROWN, OKLAHOMA
Brown measured at 6’8, 345 pounds and ran the worst 40 with a 5.85 time. He also had a 19.5 inch vertical, did just 14 bench reps, 7.87 3-cone, and 82 inches in the broad jump. Zeus, as they call him, was stiff, slow, and did not look like a top 20 pick.
OT JAMIL DEMBY, MAINE
Demby was a player who looked like a priority free agent in 2016 but really showed improvement and created buzz early. He then has a good week at the Senior Bowl where he may have played his way into the 5th round but saw the breaks put on his stock with his combine workout. Demby ran a 5.85 40, did 14 bench reps, had a 19 ½ inch vertical, and just 82 inches in the broad jump. His film is solid so he still may go in the 7th round but we doubt he is drawn up the board and could be passed by one or two combine snubbed tackles once the dust settles after pro day workouts.
RUNNING BACKS
This is the year of the running back and we expected a freak show. Well, we got one.
TOP PERFORMERS
SAQUAN BARKLEY, PENN STATE
NFL teams knew that he is a test freak and the freak show was on display. Barkley finished second in his group with a 4.40 40-yard dash, led all backs with a 41 inch vertical, and did 29 bench reps.
KALEN BALLAGE, ARIZONA STATE
Ballage measured at 6014, 228 pounds and ran a 4.46 40-yard dash along with a very impressive 6.91 3-cone, 15 bench reps, 33 ½ inch vertical, 122 inch broad jump, and 4.35 short shuttle. His numbers are good for his size and a player like this could land as high as the third round despite not putting up big numbers.
JUSTIN JACKSON, NORTHWESTERN
The Northwestern product measured at 5115, 199 pounds and put up a very good workout with some of the best shuttle times of any player and was faster than expected. Most thought he would run a 4.6 40 but he clocked a good 4.52 time. Jackson also put up 13 bench reps, a 38 ½ inch vertical, 122 inch broad jump, 6.81 3-cone, and 4.07 short shuttle.
BIGGEST FALLERS
Nobody really tested poorly overall and hurt themselves completely but one player did hurt himself after it looked as though he was going to light up the combine.
NYHEIM HINES, NC STATE
When he ran a 4.38 40-yard dash we believed he may put up a good workout but he only jumped 35.5 inches in the vertical jump and showed he is just straight line fast with a 7.18 3-cone and 4.35 short shuttle time. When a player is 5083, 198 pounds you expect them to really light up the workout and after the 40 he was not very good for a player his size.
