The last day of the Combine had the defensive backs go through drills. Since they will make a living covering the fastest, strongest receivers in the league, speed is obviously the focus of the day.
Mark Barron – Alabama
Barron, the top rated safety in the draft, did not participate in any drills because of hernia surgery. He might not be healthy enough to participate in his pro day on March 7th however; he should still be the first safety off the board come April.
Josh Robinson – University of Central Florida
Robinson earned the coveted title as fastest player in the Combine with a 4.33 40-yard dash. Robinson had marginal numbers during his college career with 48 tackles and 15 pass deflections, but his performance at the Combine should intrigue teams. This is the perfect case of a relatively unknown talent from a small football program whose raw skill can translate to the next level.
Morris Claiborne – LSU
Claiborne did nothing to jeopardize his position as the best defensive back in the draft. He had a 40 of 4.5 and showed great agility during the agility drills. He is as good a prospect as fellow alum Patrick Peterson was, and may even be more technically sound.
Ron Brooks – LSU
Claiborne’s teammate shocked scouts as he turned in the second fastest 40 time of the Combine with 4.37 seconds. Brooks is often overshadowed by Claiborne, but he should now be on the radar for many teams. It will be interesting to see how he performs during his pro day on March 14th and which round he ultimately is drafted in because of his impressive time.
Per SBNation.com, here are the top 40 times of the day. They are unofficial unless noted.
▪ Josh Robinson, CB, LSU – 4.33 (official)
▪ Ron Brooks, CB, LSU – 4.37 (official)
▪ Dwight Bentley, CB, Louisiana-Lafayette – 4.37
▪ Jayron Hosley, CB, Virginia Tech – 4.38
▪ Jamell Fleming, CB, Oklahoma – 4.43
▪ Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama – 4.44
▪ Stephen Gilmore, CB, South Carolina – 4.44
▪ Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU – 4.47
▪ Terrance Frederick, CB, Texas A&M – 4.50
▪ Charles Brown, CB, UNC – 4.50
▪ Asa Jackson, CB, Cal-Poly – 4.50
This year’s defensive backs are definitely a speedy bunch, and they should be. There were few poor performances so it is a good sight to see that prospects improved their draft stock as a whole.
The Combine now comes to a close and the focus now shifts to pro days next month. While many players had great combines, the more anticipated players will perform the rest of their drills at these events. The next month will be a good one and will definitely not be short of noteworthy stories. The NFL Draft on April 26th awaits.
