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Defensive Backs Complete Combine Workout

Photo – Safety Eric Berry of Tennessee

The defensive backs took the spotlight on the final day of workouts at the NFL Combine with several outstanding performances.Several highly regarded prospects had huge workouts that probably guarantee them an early first round selection in April. Safeties Taylor Mays of Southern Cal, Earl Thomas of Texas and Eric Berry of Tennessee were very impressive at the event. Mays ran a low .4.4 time at 230 lbs. He also did 24 reps in the lifting and had a super 41” vertical leap in an excellent workout. Thomas ran in the mid 4.4 time at 203 lbs. He looked sharp in the agility drills. Berry ran a sub 4.5 time with a 43” vertical jump and a 10’6” broad jump

Cornerbacks Devin McCourty of Rutgers, Brandon Ghee of Wake Forest, Amari Spievey of Iowa, Kyle Wilson of Boise St, Kareem Jackson of Alabama and Akwasi Owusu-Ansah of Indiana (Pa) all had impressive workouts that either maintained high grades or moved them up the charts. McCourty of Rutgers is one of the fast rising prospects in this class and ran mid 4.4 time that ranked among the best times for corners. Jackson ran a 4.41 time that moves him up the charts. He showed good COD skills in the agility drills. Wilson did 25 reps in the lifting that was equal to many linebackers. He was fluid in all drills and showed the smooth change of direction skills that impressed many NFL scouts. Spievey ran a mid 4.4 40 time and looked sharp in the agility drills especially the three cone event. Ghee needed a strong performance and ran a 4.45 time that moved him among the top tier of corner prospects.

We will have NFL Combine Report in March for Full Subscribers

Clemson's Spiller and Ford Light up Workout

Photo – RB C. J. Spiller - Clemson

The skilled position players took center stage Sunday at the NFL Combine for workouts and a couple of Clemson Tigers were very impressive at the event. Running back C.J Spiller ran a fine 4.37 time at just under 5’11” and 196 lbs. He will have a complete workout for positional drills at the Clemson pro day in March. His Clemson teammate, wideout Jacoby Ford had the fastest 40 time at the event thus far with a 4.28 time. It challenged Chris Johnson’s record 4.24 time from the NFL Combine 2008. The time by Ford was the fastest by a receiver tying the record for the position for the event’s history. The defensive backs will run on Tuesday and there are a few prospects who will attempt to beat that super sprint number.

Running back Jahvid Best of Cal had a huge workout and one that he needed after a late season neck injury. He ran a 4.35 time at 199 lbs. that was the fastest among the running backs. He was impressive in the positional drills and did 18 reps in the lifting. RB Toby Gerhart of Stanford had a strong performance with a 4.53 time and 22 reps at over 230 lbs. He had a 38” vertical leap and a 9’10” broad jump and helped his cause. RB Montario Hardesty of Tennessee had a very impressive workout including a 4.49 time with 21 reps in the lifting. He had an incredible 41” vertical leap and a 10’4” broad jump that was best among the talented running backs. Ryan Matthews of Fresno St. ran a 4.45 time with a 10’1” broad jump, 36” vertical leap and 19 reps in the lifting that impressed many NFL clubs. He is one of the fastest rising prospects at the event thus far.

Tackles Light up NFL Combine Workout

Photo – OT Brian Bulaga of Iowa

The offensive tackle class took the spotlight on the first day of workouts on Saturday at the NFL Combine with several outstanding performances. The tackle class for the NFL Draft 2010 could provide as many as six #1 selections in April especially after many top performances in the workout drills in Indy. Tackles Russell Okung of Oklahoma St, Brian Bulaga of Iowa, Trent Williams of Oklahoma and Bruce Campbell of Maryland had huge workouts that guarantee each of them a first round grade. Okung has been our #1 tackle prospect all year and probably guaranteed himself a top ten selection with a fine performance. He ran a 5.17 time with 38 reps in the lifting at over 6’5” and 307 lbs.

Brian Bulaga of Iowa came in at 6'5” and 314 lbs. and ran a 5.25 time. He did 26 reps in the lifting and looked sharp in the agility drills. Trent Williams is one of the more versatile linemen in this class and may move into the top ten off his impressive effort. He ran a fast 4.88 time and was impressive in the agility drills. He also had a 34” vertical leap and did 23 reps in the lifting. He came in at 6’5” 315 lbs.

Bruce Campbell came in at over 6’6” and 314 lbs. and had the best performance of the first day with a 4.85 time, 32” vertical leap and 34 reps in the lifting. He is a cut tackle who entered the draft as a junior after only 17 college starts. He has super long arms of 36 ¼ arms and is the best athlete at this deep position. His overall performance moved him into the first round and maybe into the top 20 selections overall.

We will have exclusive NFL Combine Reports for Subscribers this week

Top 64 Pro Prospects - NFL Draft

This is an updated Top 64 Pro Prospects for the NFL Draft 2010 prior to the start of the NFL Combine. We will have exclusive reports for subscribers from the week long event. The NFL Combine has been a key part of the final stages of the evaluation process for future NFL players. We will have further reports during and after the NFL Combine with critical information that will effect the upcoming Pro Days in March.

Photo - OT Russell Okung - Oklahoma St

Pre NFL Combine Rankings * Declared Underclassmen
Pro Prospect / Pos/ School / Ht / Wt / Sp
1. Ndamukong Suh - DT - Nebraska - 6’4” 300 - 4.9
2. * Gerald McCoy - DT - Oklahoma - 6’4” 300 - 4.9
3. * Eric Berry - FS - Tennessee - 5’11” 200 - 4.45
4. * Sam Bradford - QB - Oklahoma - 6’4” 220 - 4.8
5. * Rolando McClain - LB - Alabama - 6’2” 245 - 4.6
6. * Joe Haden - CB - Florida - 5’10” 180 - 4.35
7. * Derrick Morgan - DE - Georgia Tech - 6’5” 270 - 4.7
8 Taylor Mays - S - Southern Cal - 6’3” 235 - 4.5
9. Russell Okung - OT - Oklahoma St - 6’5” 310 - 5.1
10 * Jimmy Clausen - QB - Notre Dame - 6’3” 215 - 4.8
11. C.J. Spiller - RB - Clemson - 5’11” 195 - 4.4
12. * Bryan Bulaga - OT - Iowa - 6’7” 320 - 5.0
13 * Dez Bryant - WR - Oklahoma St - 6’2” 215 - 4.45
14 * Anthony Davis - OT - Rutgers - 6’5” 325 - 5.1
15 Sergio Kindle - LB - Texas - 6’4” 255 - 4.6
16. * Carlos Dunlap - DE - Florida - 6’6” 285 - 4.7
17 * Earl Thomas - S - Texas - 5’10” 195 - 4.45
18 Brandon Graham - DE - Michigan - 6’1” 265 - 4.75
19 Jared Odrick - DT - Penn St - 6’4” 300 - 5.0
20 Mike Iupati - OG - Idaho - 6’5” 330 - 5.2
21. * Jason Pierre-Paul - DE - South Florida - 6’5” 260 - 4.7
22 * Brian Price -DT - UCLA - 6’2” 310 - 5.1
23 Trent Williams - OT - Oklahoma - 6’5” 320 - 5.3
24 Patrick Robinson - CB - Florida St - 5’11” 190 - 4.45
25. * Everson Griffen - DE - Southern Cal - 6’3” 265 - 4.65
26 * Navorro Bowman - LB - Penn St - 6’1” 225 - 4.6
27 Dan Williams - DT - Tennessee - 6’2” 300 - 5.2
28 Brandon Spikes - LB - Florida - 6’3” 255 - 4.65
29 Greg Hardy - DE - Mississippi - 6’4” 265 - 4.75
30 Sean Weatherspoon - LB - Missouri - 6’1” 240 - 4.6
31 * Arrelious Benn - WR - Illinois - 6’1” 190 - 4.45
32 * Jermaine Gresham -TE - Oklahoma - 6’6” 260 - 4.65
33 * Jonathan Dwyer - RB - Georgia Tech - 5’11” 230 - 4.5
34 * Ryan Mathews - RB - Fresno St - 5’11” 220 - 4.5
35 * Bruce Campbell - OT - Maryland - 6’6” 320 - 5.2
36. Brandon LaFell - WR - LSU - 6’3” 210 - 4.45
37 Charles Brown - OT - Southern Cal - 6’5” 295 - 5.2
38 * Damian Williams - WR - Southern Cal - 6’1” 190 - 4.45
39 * Chad Jones - S - LSU - 6’2” 225 - 4.55
40. * Golden Tate - WR - Notre Dame - 5’10” 190 - 4.5 .
41 Kyle Wilson - CB - Boise St - 5’10” 185 - 4.45
42. * Rob Gronkowski - TE - Arizona - 6'7" 270 - 4,7
43 Mardy Gilyard - WR - Cincinnati - 6’ 190 - 4.5
44 Perrish Cox - CB - Oklahoma St - 6’ 195 - 4.45
45 Jerry Hughes - DE - TCU - 6’3” 255 - 4.65
46 * Jahvid Best - RB - California - 5’9” 195 - 4.4
47. * Demaryius Thomas - WR - Georgia Tech - 6’3” 230 - 4.5
48 Terrence Cody - DT - Alabama - 6’4” 360 - 5.5
49 Ricky Sapp - LB - Clemson - 6’4” 245 - 4.6
50. * Morgan Burnett - S - Georgia Tech - 6’ 200 - 4.5
51 Nate Allen - FS - South Florida - 6’1” 210 - 4.5
52 * Donovan Warren - CB - Michigan - 6’ 190 - 4.45
53 * Jason Worilds - DE - Virginia Tech - 6’2” 245 - 4.6
54. * Kareem Jackson - CB - Alabama - 5’11” 190 - 4.5
55 Corey Wootton - DE - Northwestern - 6’6” 275 - 4.8
56 Devin McCourty - CB - Rutgers - 5’11” 190 - 4.45
57 Tim Tebow - QB - Florida - 6’3” 235 - 4.55
58 Eric Norwood - DE - South Carolina - 6’ 255 - 4.65
59 Daryl Washington - LB - TCU - 6’2” 235 - 4.6
60 * Dominique Franks - CB - Oklahoma - 6’ 185 - 4.45
62 * Joe McKnight - RB - Southern Cal - 6’ 200- 4.45
63 * Amari Spievey - CB - Iowa - 5’11” 185 - 4.45
64 Tyson Alualu - DT - California - 6’2” 300 - 5.0

NFL Scouting Combine Schedule of Events

NFL Combine - Feb. 24-March 2, 2010
Lucas Stadium, Indianapolis, In

Photo - Myron Rolle - Florida St

The NFL Network channel will televise the NFL Combine 2010 event again for several days. There are 329 college players expected to attend the event with over 700 NFL front office personnel for the six day event. Players will go through a week long extensive testing on their athletic, intellectual and psychological abilities by the 32 staffs of each NFL club. Extensive front office personnel including GMs, coaches, directors, scouts and medical personnel will represent each NFL team. Each club will interview up to 62 players over the six day event. NFL Draft 2010 prospects will be put through a series of tests both physical and mental in the biggest sports job market in the business. Once again, many prospects are expected to avoid parts or the entire workout, opting for the friendly confines of their school's track on a pro day in March/ April.

The NFL Combine gives players a chance to impress pro scouts on a level playing field vs all competitors. The entire workout will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium for the second year after years at the old RCA Dome that had a reputation of being a notoriously slow surface thru the early ‘90s before improving over its final years. The new stadium’s surface creates a different yardstick in evaluating speed that should once again prove interesting from a timing perspective for prospects over the 6 day event.

NFL Combine Schedule of Events
* Physical examinations
* Body measurements
* Drug testing
* Psychological testing
* Wonderlic intelligence testing
* Informal and formal interviews, some videotaped
* Meeting sponsored by the NFL Players Association
* Media interviews

Athletic Workout Events
* Cybex strength testing
* Bench-press weight lifting tests (reps @ 225 lbs.)
* 10, 20 and 40-yard sprints
* Vertical-jump tests
* Broad-jump tests
* Agility drills
20 yard shuttle
60 yard shuttle
(measures lateral quickness with the three-cone drill grading speed and body control)

Media access begins Thursday thru Sunday.
Workouts begin Saturday thru Tuesday.

NFL Combine Workout Schedule
Players available to media

Thursday
Offensive linemen
Placekickers
Punters
Longsnappers
Tight ends

Friday
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers

Saturday - Workouts Begin
Defensive Linemen
Linebackers
Offensive linemen
Tight ends
Specialists

Sunday
Defensive backs media interviews

Workouts
Quarterbacks
Wide receivers
Running backs

Monday, March 1
Defensive linemen
Linebackers

Tuesday, March 2
Defensive backs

Special NFL Combine 2010 report and emails - Free for Full Subscribers

NFL Scouting Combine Invitation List

NFL Combine - Feb. 24-March 2, 2010
Lucas Stadium, Indianapolis, In

Photo - TE Jermaine Gresham – Oklahoma

This is a final updated NFL Combine 2010 list with underclassmen and additional seniors added prior to the start of the critical week long event. We will have reports directly from the NFL Combine starting later this week for subscribers. There will be additional reports over the next week plus an exclusive NFL Combine Report for subscribers in March.

NFL Combine 2010 by Position
* Underclassmen

Offense
Quarterbacks:
* Sam Bradford - Oklahoma
Jarrett Brown - West Virginia
Levi Brown - Troy
Sean Canfield - Oregon St
Darryl Clark - Penn St
* Jimmy Clausen - Notre Dame
Max Hall - BYU
Tim Hiller - Western Michigan
Mike Kafka - Northwestern
Dan Lefevour - Central Michigan
Thaddeus Lewis - Duke
Colt McCoy - Texas
Tony Pike - Cincinnati
Zac Robinson - Oklahoma St
John Skelton - Fordham (N.Y.)
Riley Skinner - Wake Forest
* Jevan Snead - Mississippi
Tim Tebow - Florida

Running back:
Matt Asiata - Utah
Joique Bell - Wayne St
* Jahvid Best - California
LeGarrette Blount - Oregon
Chris Brown - Oklahoma
Andre Dixon - UConn
Anthony Dixon - Mississippi St
* Jonathan Dwyer - Georgia Tech
* Toby Gerhart - Stanford
Montario Hardesty - Tennessee
Javarris James - Miami
Stafon Johnson - Southern Cal
* Darius Marshall - Marshall
* Ryan Mathews - Fresno St
Dexter McCuster - Mississippi
* Joe McKnight - Southern Cal
* Shawnrey McNeal - Southern Methodist
Lonyae Miller - Fresno St
Brandon Minor - Michigan
Pat Paschall - North Dakota St
Charles Scott - LSU
CJ Spiller - Clemson
James Starks - Buffalo
Ben Tate - Auburn
Keith Totson - Oklahoma St
Keiland Williams - LSU

Fullbacks:
John Conner - Kentucky
Rashawn Jackson - Virginia
Manase Tonga - BYU

Wide Receivers:
Seyi Ajirotutu - Fresno St
Alric Arnett - West Virginia
Danario Alexander - Missouri
Brandon Banks - Kansas St
* Chris Bell - Norfolk St
* Arrelious Benn - Illinois
Nyan Boateng - California
* Dezmon Briscoe - Kansas
* Antonio Brown - Central Michigan
* Dez Bryant - Oklahoma St
Chris Carter - Cal-Davis
Riley Cooper - Florida
Eric Decker - Minnesota
Marcus Easley - UConn
Armanti Edwards - Appalachian St
Jacoby Ford - Clemson
David Gettis - Baylor
Mardy Gilyard - Cincinnati
Shay Hodge - Mississippi
Donald Jones - Youngstown St
Kevin Jurovich - San Jose St
Brandon LaFell - LSU
Scott Long - Louisville
Chris McGaha - Arizona St
Kerry Meier - Kansas
* Carlton Mitchell - South Florida
Preston Parker - North Alabama
Jared Perry - Missouri
Taylor Price - Ohio
David Reed - Utah
Andre Roberts - Citadel
Emmanuel Sanders - SMU
Jordan Shipley - Texas
* Golden Tate - Notre Dame
* Demaryius Thomas - Georgia Tech
Verran Tucker - California
Chastin West - Fresno St
Blair White - Michigan St
* Damian Williams - Southern Cal
Jeremy Williams - Tulane
Kyle Williams - Arizona St
* Mike Williams - Syracuse
Stephen Williams - Toledo
Ryan Wolfe - UNLV

Tight Ends:
Nate Byham - Pittsburgh
Dorin Dickerson - Pittsburgh
Ed Dickson - Oregon
Jim Dray - Stanford
Brody Eldridge - Oklahoma
Dedrick Epps - Miami
Riar Geer - Colorado
Garrett Graham - Wisconsin
Jimmy Graham - Miami
* Jermaine Gresham - Oklahoma
* Rob Gronkowski - Arizona
Clay Harbor - Missouri St
* Aaron Hernandez - Florida
Michael Hoomanawnui - Illinois
Jeron Mastud - Kansas St
Anthony McCoy - Southern Cal
Tony Moeaki - Iowa
Colin Peek - Alabama
Dennis Pitta - BYU
Andrew Quarless - Penn St

Offensive Tackles:
Zane Beadles - Utah
Ciron Black - LSU
Charles Brown - Southern Cal
* Bryan Bulaga - Iowa
Kyle Calloway - Iowa
* Bruce Campbell - Maryland
Selvish Capers - West Virginia
* Anthony Davis - Rutgers
Vladimir DuCasse - UMass
Jason Fox - Miami
Kyle Jolly - North Carolina
Matt Kopa - Stanford
Shawn Lauvao - Arizona St
Marshall Newhouse - TCU
Russell Okung - Oklahoma St
Cole Pemberton - Colorado St
Roger Saffold - Indiana
Chris Scott - Tennessee
Mike Tepper - California
Adam Ulatoski - Texas
Jared Veldheer - Hillsdale
Ed Wang - Virginia Tech
Tony Washington - Abilene Christian
Thomas Welch - Vanderbilt
Trent Williams - Oklahoma
Sam Young - Notre Dame

Offensive Guards:
John Asamoah - Illinois
Dorian Brooks - James Madison
Brandon Carter - Texas Tech
Chris DeGeare - Wake Forest
Kurtis Gregory - Missouri
Joe Hawley - UNLV
Mike Iupati - Idaho
John Jerry - Mississippi
Michael Johnson - Alabama
Alex Parsons - Southern Cal
Mitch Petrus - Arkansas
Dace Richardson - Iowa
Shelley Smith - Colorado St

Centers:
Jeff Byers - Southern Cal
Erik Cook - New Mexico
Ted Larsen - North Carolina St
Eric Olsen - Notre Dame
* Maurkice Pouncey - Florida
Matt Tennant - Boston College
J. D. Walton - Baylor

Proceed to Next Page for NFL Combine Defensive Players

NFL Analysts Discuss Hot Topics

Photo - DT Nda Suh - Nebraska

Colin Lindsay of Great Blue North Report has been a longtime friend and NFL Draft analyst with a website at www.gbnreport.com It is one of the best and long standing web sites available with year round NFL and college football coverage. Lindsay has assembled a group of NFL Draft analysts to get their opinions of the upcoming NFL Draft prior to the NFL Combine that begins later this week. The NFL Draft 2010 is exactly two months away, however, there is still plenty of scouting and debate before the first picks come off the board on April 22nd.

With that in mind, he has asked several of the most pressing questions to a panel of NFL Draft experts including veteran draft analyst Frank Coyle of DraftInsiders.com who is in its 19th year; veteran draft analyst Jerry Jones, whose Drugstore List is now in its 33rd year of publication; former NFL scout Russ Lande, aka GM jr., who also currently has a weekly mock draft at The Sporting News; and Scott Wright whose NFL Draft Countdown is one of the most popular draft sites out there. Here's what the panel said about who is the #1 prospect overall; the top QB, as well as who is up and who is down among other questions.

The first question to the panel was who IS the #1 prospect for the 2010 draft, Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh, who has been the consensus top guy for seemingly forever, fellow DT Gerald McCoy of Oklahoma who reportedly is pushing Suh on several boards at least in the media, or someone else:
Frank Coyle is unequivocal that Suh is still the #1 guy this year. Indeed, Coyle says that Suh “has been my #1 pro prospect since August 2009. I expect him to impress at the NFL Combine and solidify that ranking. He is a consistently dominant tackle who takes every defender’s level of play up a notch. He has a chance to be an annual Pro Bowl defender. McCoy is a blue chip prospect in his own right who is explosive and has rare speed for an interior defender” who is currently #2 on Coyle’s list. For his part, Jerry Jones, not to be confused with the guy who runs that team in the middle of Texas, is also pretty definitive in rating Suh the top prospect overall and suggests that anyone with any doubts simply re-watch the tape of the Big XII championship game between Nebraska and Texas which Suh dominated. Wright also gives “a slight edge to Suh”, but figures that the former Husker and McCoy are “basically 1A and 1B. Either way it's like deciding between ice cream and cake, both are great! I think Suh and McCoy are locks to go in the top 3 overall, maybe even top 2, and they are the best defensive tackle prospects to come along in 10-15 years. Meanwhile, who has never been known to follow the crowd with his draft evaluations grades Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford as the #1 player overall, although he somewhat surprisingly actually has the same grade as a couple of former Georgia Tech juniors in DE Derrick Morgan and WR Demaryious Thomas. According to Lande, whose main claim to football fame is still the fact that he was our seatmate at our first NFL draft, “Bradford's accuracy, poise, leadership, good athleticism, poise and decision making give him the tools to be a very good quarterback in the NFL and because of the importance of a QB to an NFL team he gets the #1 spot. In terms of Suh and McCoy, I rate Suh higher because he plays with more competitiveness, intensity and passion on every snap which enables him to play with better technique and be more productive throughout games, despite not having the elite/rare athleticism that McCoy has.”

Question #2: Is Sam Bradford of Oklahoma, Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen, or someone else the #1 QB this year (and we gave the panel a real break by not asking specifically about the QB from Florida!)
Needless to say, given the above, Lande clearly has Bradford rated as the top QB prospect “if your are believe that his injured shoulder is going to be fine, which I do. I just believe his accuracy, decision making and poise/leadership are outstanding and give him the tools to become a top level QB. While I like Clausen and gave him a top of the 2nd round grade, I do have concerns about his size, arm strength and his ability to make throws over 15 yards with consistent accuracy.” Lande also added that he has two much less heralded QBs in Jonathan Crompton from Tennessee and Troy’s Levi Brown ranked in his top 5 prospects at the position; indeed, Lande currently has Crompton rated ahead of Clausen, as well as Colt McCoy of Texas as his #2 QB. Jones also gives the edge to Bradford if he‘s healthy. According to Jones “Clausen looks great at times, but not so great other times. The puzzle in this year’s draft is whether any QB is worth a first round selection especially given the price. Tebow will get drafted, probably in the first three rounds, but the questions whether he is a legitimate NFL QB prospect persist, while McCoy is also a probable top 100 prospect, but doesn’t really excite people. The QB who got the plaudits at the Senior Bowl was Tony Pike who has the best arm and can make all the throws. Pike could also be the most ready to step in at the next level, but the injury history and some inconsistencies will hold him back. For his part, Wright also doesn’t think that “either Clausen or Bradford are elite, franchise quarterback prospects and that neither is on the same level as Matthew Stafford or Mark Sanchez were last year. With that said I would go with Clausen every day of the week. There is plenty to like about Bradford, most notably his intangibles and accuracy, but there are also a lot of major question marks ranging from his health and durability to his arm strength to the system he played in at Oklahoma. On the other hand Clausen has adequate physical tools across the board and is well-versed in a pro-style offense after starting for three years in Charlie Weis' system. If I am going to invest $30-plus million guaranteed in a player I would prefer to minimize risk and even though Clausen isn't a sure-thing he is a much safer choice than Bradford.” Coyle is the camp that feels that Bradford and Clausen “are clearly the top two passers and probably the only 1st round selections at the position. Bradford is my #1 guy but must answer injury issue. He is a talented kid with winning NFL QB potential, but he is still young and inexperienced. Probably goes in top 5 if he passes the eye ball test. Clausen is one of the rising prospects in this class. He had a strong junior season last fall and with an impressive workout could elevate into the top 10 selections in April. There may not be another QB in the top 50 overall selections.”

Remaining Questions Go to Next Page