South Carolina Football: Updating Gamecock Performances from the NFL Combine

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The combine is an interesting place to be for an athlete. 

You produce at a high level for three to four years, then one day of poking, prodding, and drilling can seem more important than all of that. 

South Carolina had six players invited to this year's NFL Scouting Combine.  All of them went through all the motions except for Alshon Jeffery.

How did these Gamecocks stack up?  Did they hurt or help their case to be drafted?

Here's how they performed.

Melvin Ingram, DE

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Melvin Ingram has had an impressive showing at the combine. 

A Sports Illustrated riser after his results, Ingram was almost flawless in his drills.  His unofficial forty time of 4.62 (his official time was 4.7) and his ten-yard split was an incredible 1.65—obscene for a defensive end. 

He was also excellent with his linebacker and defensive line drills.  He improved his already substantial stock by proving what an excellent athlete he is. 

He should be a top-ten pick. 

Antonio Allen, S

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Antonio Allen was a player viewed as third- or fourth-round talent who could rise with a great combine performance. 

However, he will probably remain where he is after an average performance. 

His 4.62 forty time was solid, but not spectacular.  His bench press (17 reps) and jumping ability (118 inch broad and 34 inch vertical) were also average for his position. 

Stephon Gilmore, CB

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Stephon Gilmore performed well at the combine. 

He ran an official 4.4 40, which was good enough to earn him an NFL.com top performer star.  He did 15 reps on the bench, which is about average for a corner.  His long jump was 123 inches and his vertical was 36 inches—also average. 

However, his official size may have hurt his stock a bit.  He only came in measuring 6'0 and weighing 190 pounds.  He's much smaller than originally thought. 

But, his speed and his work at position drills were solid, and he probably helped his draft stock with a solid performance.

Travian Robertson, DT

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Travian Robertson is a defensive tackle who relied on his athleticism and motor in college to make plays and become an underrated member of a very good South Carolina line.

His combine results showed that. 

His 5.19 forty yard dash isn't blazing fast, but for a 300-pound tackle, it's solid.  He showed burst off the line and did well in defensive line drills.  He also did 30 reps on the bench press and jumped well for a big man.

He is probably still a late-round prospect, but his combine results showed that he may have the athleticism to play well in the NFL.

Rokevious Watkins, OL

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Rokevious Watkins did not perform quite as well at combine. 

He was extremely slow during drills and did not look the part of an NFL-caliber offensive lineman.  He does have ideal size, however, so he has an outside shot at being drafted late.