"Small School" Guys in the NFL Combine 2013 (Updated 2/27)
Much like last year, I will be updating the progress of the small school guys in the NFL combine. I'll be watching as much as I can and will try to update this as it happens.
This year has a very impressive amount of FCS players and DII guys. Yet again, nobody from DIII was invited (there is however one lone NAIA athlete). It's interesting to note that there is only one small school QB in this list and zero DE's from the FCS.
FCS
QB Sorensen, Brad Southern Utah - 4.97/40, 29" VJ, 112" BJ, 7.17 3-cone, 4.55 20yd. Brad was a pleasant surprise at this years Combine. I wasn't sure what to expect from him, but he was right up there with the best of them in nearly every event.
RB Maysonet, Miguel Stony Brook - lift 20x, 7.21 3-cone, 4.43 20yd. Other than showing some strength in the lift, he really didn't do much of anything.
WR Kaufman, Brandon Eastern Washington - 4.67/40, lift 9x, 33.5" VJ, 115" BJ, 7.11 3-cone, 4.44 20yd, 12.14 60yd. Was very unspectacular.
WR Bonner, Alan Jacksonville St. - 4.59/40, lift 14x, 33" VJ, 117 " BJ, 4.15 20yd. Didn't really stand out.
WR Goard, Tyrone Eastern Kentucky - 4.50/40, 10x, 36" VJ, 123" BJ, 6.90 3-cone, 4.39 20yd. Tyrone Goard did well for himself. I really liked his agility and route running.
WR Rogers, Da'Rick Tennessee Tech - 4.52/40, lift 10x, 39.5" VJ (3rd best), 132" BJ (3rd best), 6.71 3-cone (4th best), 4.06 20yd (5th best), 11.31 60yd (5th best). This kid really raised his stock. Doesn't have blazing speed but is a true athlete. Quick, moves very well, good route runner and is incredibly athletic.
WR Spadola, Ryan Lehigh - 4.48/40, lift 15x, 119" BJ, 6.72 3-cone (5th best), 4.07 20yd, 11.35 60yd. Ryan Spadola was another small school standout. He showed a great combo of speed and strength. Ryan was one of the top ten in nearly every category.
WR Mellette, Aaron Elon - 4.54/40, lift 9x, 33.5" VJ, 123" BJ, 7.11 3-cone, 4.41 20yd. A big time college star that didn't show too much during the 2013 NFL Combine.
OG Watford, Earl James Madison - 5.06/40, lift 24x, 30" VJ, 107" BJ, 7.77 3-cone, 5.00 20yd. Looked very promising. Moves around fairely well.
OG Mady, Lamar Youngstown St. - 5.48/40, lift 35x (3rd best), 23" VJ, 95" BJ, 8.07 3-cone, 4.82 20yd. Just a pure power guy.
OT Tretter, J.C. Cornell - 5.09/40, lift 29x, 29.5" VJ, 109" BJ, 7.48 3-cone, 4.69 20yd. I liked what I saw from JC. Quick, decent feet and strength.
OT Gaines, Rogers Tennessee St. - 5.24/40, lift 28x, 23" VJ, 5.24 3-cone. Didn't show too much.
OT Armstead, Terron Arkansas-Pine Bluff - 4.71/40 (1st best), lift 31x, 34.5" VJ (1st best), 112" BJ (4th best), 7.62 3-cone, 4.72 20yd. His Combine results were off the charts. His 4.72/40 was just amazing and his agility was eye opening. He really raised his stock considerably.
OT Johnson-Webb, Jamaal Alabama A&M - 5.37/40, lift 17x, 23" VJ, 92" BJ, 8.12 3-cone, 4.74 20yd. Other than a somewhat acceptable 20yd shuttle time, he just didn't look very good.
DT Smith, Jared New Hampshire - 5.08/40, lift 28x, 32.5" VJ, 115" BJ. Performed well across the board. Ran well and showed agility.
DT Hughes, Montori Tennessee-Martin - 5.23/40, lift 22x, 26.5 " VJ, 104" BJ. Can move around well for a big man, just wish he lifted more.
DT Williams, Nick Samford - 4.94/40, lift 28x, 33" VJ, 111" BJ. Nick did well for himself. Showed that he can really move and has good power.
ILB Hepburn, Brandon Florida A&M - 4.68/40, lift 21x, 32" VJ, 124" BJ (5th best), 7.40 3-cone, 4.55 20yd. All around solid performance from Hepburn.
OLB Pough, Keith Howard - 4.90/40, lift 17x, 33" VJ, 118" BJ, 7.28 3-cone, 4.47 20yd. He really looked bad on his 40. However he did pretty well in the other events.
CB Webb, B.W. William & Mary - 4.51/40, lift 14x, 40.5 VJ (2nd best), 132" BJ (T 1st best), 6.82 3-cone, 3.84 20yd (1st best), 11.06 60yd (1st best). Nobody may have raised his stock as much as BW Webb. It was known that he was athletic but this was just nasty. His 4.51/40 was acceptible, but it was his jumping ability, foot skills and strength that really surprised everyone.
CB McCray, Demetrius Appalachian St. - 4.54/40, lift 4x, 36" VJ, 126" BJ, 7.17 3-cone, 4.32 20yd. Did OK, wish he ran faster.
CB Alford, Robert Southeast Louisiana - 4.39/40, lift 17x (3rd best), 40.0 VJ (4th best), 132" BJ (T 1st best), 6.89 3-cone, 4.23 20yd, Another DB that raised his stock considerably. Across the board, Robert was fantastic. Fast, quick, can really jump and is surprisingly strong. A natural athlete.
CB Swanson, Daxton Sam Houston St. - 4.56/40, lift 15x, 33" VJ, 122" BJ. Had some strength, but lacked the 'wow' factor.
FS Wilcox, J.J. Georgia Southern - 4.57/40, lift 17x, 35" VJ, 124" BJ, 7.04 3-cone, 4.09 20yd (4th best). J.J. Wilcox had a decent Combine, not mind-blowing, but decent.
DII
OG Kugbila, Edmund Valdosta St. - 5.31/40, lift 23x, 22.5" VJ, 105" BJ, 7.72 3-cone, 4.65 20yd. He proved to be very quick footed.
OT Foketi, Manase West Texas A&M - lift 25x, 23.5" VJ, 102" BJ, 8.11 3-cone, 5.06 20yd. Looked about slow out there.
OT Gilkey, Garrett Chadron St. - 5.33/40, lift 28x, 30" VJ, 108" BJ, 7.65 3-cone, 4.75 20yd. Solid athleticism and quick feet. Looked good.
OT Jackson, Mark Glenville St. - 5.65/40, 20.5" VJ, 91" BJ, 8.07 3-cone, 5.03 20yd. Did not perform well at all.
DE Powell, Ty Harding - 4.63/40, lift 28x, 37" VJ (3rd best), 122" BJ (T 4th best). Ty was a standout athlete in this Combine. He's fast, can really jump and is very strong.
DE Bryant, Armonty East Central (OK) - 4.86/40, 31.5" VJ, 118" BJ - Certainly didn't hurt himself.
DE Bass, David Missouri Western - 4.84/40, lift 20x, 30.5" VJ, 111" BJ - He was just OK.
DT Williams, Brandon Missouri Southern St. - 5.37/40, lift 38x (1st best), 29.5" VJ, 102" VJ. Just one big and powerful DT.
FS Miles, Rontez California (PA) - 4.62/40, 36.5" VJ, 123" BJ, 6.97 3-cone, 4.27 20yd. Rontez did not do enough to raise eyebrows.
NAIA
OT Marquardt, Luke Azusa Pacific - lifted 31x. Wish he did more, but at least his lift was good.
Day One - TE/OL/ST
Day one of the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine opened up with a decent crop of TE's and O-Linemen. I really liked Eifert and Ertz coming into this thing and I like them even more now. They both have excellent quickness, strength and athleticism. One kid however stayed on par with these two, and that was Vince McDonald from Rice. At 6-4 267 pounds he ended up with the 5th best 40-time, 1st in the lift with 31x, 6th best VJ, 3rd BJ, 5th shuttle and 3rd in the 60yd dash. Kasa from Colorado also looked good for a 6-6 270 pounder. Another eye opening performance came from a group 6-3 Tight Ends; Chris Gragg, Matt Furstenburg and Jake Stoneburner all looked athletic and strong.
Stock Rising: TE Vince McDonald, Chris Gragg
When it came to the Offensive Linemen, it was the Terren Armstead show. The OL from Arkansas Pine Bluff posted a 4.71/40 and lifted 31x. He was also 1st in the VJ (34.5") and 4th in the Broad Jump. Lane Johnson, Eric Fisher and Vinston Painter were all very impressive, finishing top five in most categories. Also keep an eye on JC Tretter from Cornell, Jeff Baca, David Quessenberry and Reid Fragel.
Stock Rising: OL Terren Armstead, Lane Johnson, Eric Fisher
Stock Rising: PK Dustin Hopkins
Stock Rising: LS Luke Ingram
Day Two - QB/RB/WR
The top backs, such as Barner, Franklin and Bernard, faired well. Overall this crop seems to lack top end speed. That's why players such as Knile Davis (4.37) and Kerwynn Williams (4.48) have stuck out.... Davis also posted a lift of 31x. There was a solid group of backs that consistently came out on top in nearly all the events ... Michael Ford, DJ Harper and Mike Jones all performed well above expectations. I also liked what I saw from Cierre Wood, Zac Stacy and Rex Burkhead ... they have their flaws but I feel that they possess some solid value. The best performer overall had to be Christine Michael from Texas A&M. He is 5-10 220 and an athletic freak. He was top ten in the 40 (4.54), 3rd in the lift (27x), 1st in VJ (43"), 3rd in BJ (125"), 1st in Cone (6.69), 1st in 20yd (4.02) and 6th in the 60yd (11.56).
Stock Rising: RB Christine Michael, Knile Davis, Cierre Wood
Well, athletically Geno Smith looks like everything he's hyped up to be. But, there were a bunch of surprises in the QB group. Florida State's EJ Manuel and Arizona's Mike Scott both stepped up big time in this years Combine, they both can really move and are immensely athletic. Manuel just needs to polish his passing skills. Colby Cameron, Tyler Wilson, Brad Sorensen and James Vandenberg all had fantastic showings. An intriguing athlete is MarQueis Gray from Minnesota. He is 6-3 240, has limited QB experience but looks incredibly athletic. He has played WR.
Stock Rising: QB EJ Manuel, Mike Scott, James Vandenberg
I really enjoyed watching this group of receivers. They are some very talented players here. Tavon Austin, Cordarrelle Patterson and Kenny Stills all looked decent out there. Each one has excellent potential. Patterson could tighten up his route running though. Marquise Goodwin showed some incredibly sped and quickness. I really like what I saw from Ryan Swope, Josh Boyce, Justin Hunter and Markus Wheaton. They all were tops in speed, strength and agility. Mark Harrison, Ryan Spadola and Markus Davis also opened some eyes out there. I liked what I saw from TJ Moe. His 40 time was dreadful but I suspect he can do better. His agility was excellent, he has fantastic hands and immense strength. I see ham as a Wes Welker type.
Stock Rising: WR Josh Boyce, Justin Hunter, Ryan Spadola
Day Three - DL/LB
There is an excellent group od Defensive Linemen this season. Some of the biggest standouts were Barkevious Hunt, Trevardo Williams and Margus Mingo. They are all wonderful athletes that possess rare speed, athleticism and strength. Dion Jordan was just amazing, his quickness seems to be second to none. Ziggy Ansah and Datone Jones both seem to be very solid athletes, but Jones had a disappointing 40 time. Other players to keep an eye on are Corey Lemonier and Devin Taylor. There was also a crew of very skilled DT's. These guys can really move for their size; Sharrif Floyd, Nick Williams, Brandon Williams and Sheldon Richardson ... while Akeem Spence and Josh Boyd are just pure strength.
Stock Rising: DE Barkevious Hunt, Trevardo Williams, Margus Mingo, Dion Jordan
Stock Rising: DT Nick Williams, Brandon Williams, Sheldon Richardson, Sharrif Floyd
The LBs were highlighted by the eye-popping skills of Zavier Gooden and Cornelius Washington. Not only can these guys really move, they are also strong. Watch out for these two. I was also impressed by Sio Moore, John Bostic, John Latulelei and Jamie Collins. Small school guy Brandan Hepburn also did very well out there.
Stock Rising: LB Zavier Gooden, Cornelius Washington
Day Four - CB/S
Man, Shamarko Thomas is impressive. He is built like a truck, runs like the wind and is stronger than most linemen! Shawn Williams and Earl Wolff also looked great, they really raised their Draft stock. Top names such as Matt Elam and Eric Reid did well, but didn't reallty turn heads. I was impressed by some of the skills that I saw from TJ McDonald, Micah Hyde, Josh Evans and Keelan Johnson. Small school guy JJ Wilcox held his own.
Stock Rising: S Shamarko Thomas, Shawn Williams and Earl Wolff
This group of DBs really put on a showcase. I'll only mention a few because there are a slew of talented kids out here. The top guys looked as good as advertised; Darius Slay, Dee Milliner and Desmond Trufant are certainly true talents. Some big time surprises were Robert Alford and BW Webb. Small school guys that I knew were good, but they really stepped up big time in the 2013 Combine. Xavier Rhodes and Dwayne Gratz also looked very athletic out there. Some other guys to mention are; Tyrann Mathieu, Will Davis, Jamar Taylor and Steve Williams.
Stock Rising: CB Robert Alford, BW Webb, Xavier Rhodes
posted by Mugato @ 1:45 PM
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