EMQB - NFL Blogcast

NFL Scouting Combine 2008: Day Six

by David Kindervater on February 26th, 2008

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL

It was the final day of the 2008 NFL Scouting Combine and I just realized that some of the coaches and administrators (like those involved with the league’s competition committee) have been in Indianapolis for more than a week now. You would think with this much time in Indy to evaluate players, it would be enough. But team or individual Pro Days are next, (many of them during March) where NFL prospects get a “home field advantage”. At any rate, today featured workouts from the defensive backs — corners and safeties.

When I look at the three top CBs in this Draft class (by most people’s standards) — USF’s Mike Jenkins, Troy’s Leodis McKelvin and Tennessee State’s Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie — they all solidified their positions as likely first-round picks. All three ran well and performed in the drills as expected. But who else can we count on? I say Arizona’s Antoine Cason and Kansas’ Aqib Talib. Both had sub 4.4-40s that did them no harm. Both also have good size and ball skills to go along with that obvious speed. I also really liked Eastern Kentucky’s Antwaun Molden who ran probably better than expected and did very well in the drills (especially the Vert Jump, Bench Press and 3-Cone). Virginia Tech’s Brandon Flowers needed a good workout to make up for his lack of size, but after running a 4.5-40, his chances of moving into the elite group of corners are slim to none.

Among the safeties, I was most impressed with Notre Dame’s Tom Zbikowski, which didn’t surprise me. I love the way this guy plays football and his workout here impressed me as well. He’s no speed-demon, but a 4.52 for a safety is solid. I believe he definitely has the athleticism to play at “the next level” and will wind up proving more on the field than he will here at the Combine. If not, he can always go back to boxing. I also liked the workouts from UTEP’s Quintin Demps (4.4-40) and Arizona State’s Josh Barrett (4.35-40). It’s not considered a strong safety class this year, but these guys will give NFL teams something to consider in the early to mid rounds.

Here are the winning numbers for the cornerbacks and safeties in their drills:

Cornerbacks - Bench Press (Antwaun Molden, Kentucky, 23); Broad Jump (Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Tennessee State, 10′11″ and Aqib Talib, Kansas, 10′11″); Vert Jump (Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Tennessee State, 38′5″); 3-Cone Drill (Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Tennessee State, 6.74 and Terrence Wheatley, Colorado, 6.74); 20-yard Shuttle (Marcus Walker, Oklahoma, 4.07 and Tracy Walker, Indiana, 4.07); 60-yard Shuttle (Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Tennessee State, 11.06); 40-yard Dash (Tyvon Branch, Connecticut, 4.31).

Safeties - Bench Press (Tyrell Johnson, Arkansas State, 27); Broad Jump (Tyrell Johnson, Arkansas State, 10′7″); Vert Jump (David Roach, TCU, 38′); 3-Cone Drill (Brandon Sumrall, Southern Miss, 6.76); 20-yard Shuttle (Nehemiah Warrick, Michigan State, 4.09); 60-yard Shuttle (David Roach, TCU, 11.11); 40-yard Dash (Josh Barrett, Arizona State, 4.35).

Some final thoughts on the Combine? It is what it is. You can’t base your opinion of a player on the NFL Scouting Combine alone. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great event. But ultimately you need to formulate your opinion from three areas — 50% from game tape (aka a player’s “body of work”), 25% from this Combine and 25% from a Pro Day.

Share This

Related Stories

NFL Scouting Combine 2008
NFL Draft Coverage Begins Tomorrow
NFL Scouting Combine 2008: Day One
NFL Scouting Combine: Day Six
EMQB Interview: D.J. Wolfe

POSTED IN: NFL Scouting Combine