Clemson's Vic Beasley Blows Up NFL Combine, Re-Enters Top-10 Conversation

Clemson's Vic Beasley re-established himself as one of the top prospects in the 2015 NFL draft with an outstanding combine performance. 

Prior to the start of the 2014 season, Beasley was considered a potential top-10 prospect. As a junior, the Clemson product was a consensus All-American after registering 23 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. 

He played just as well as a senior, when he added 12 more sacks on his way to becoming Clemson's all-time leader in the category and the ACC's Defensive Player of the Year. The edge player proved to be the catalyst for the nation's No. 1 overall defense. 

Beasley's production and ability to get after quarterbacks have never been in question. He owns a lighting-quick first step and the flexibility to bend the edge against far bigger offensive tackles. 

Size and functional strength, though, remained the biggest knocks against the defensive end. 

A typical write-up on Beasley's weaknesses as a player—in this case from NFL.com—reads as follows, "High cut with narrow waist and thin legs. Needs to add more bulk. Unlikely to convert speed to power against NFL tackles. Wins with athleticism on majority of his sacks."

Beasley obliterated those primary concerns at the combine. 

First, he measured 6'3" and 246 pounds. The whispers of him playing closer to 220 pounds despite his listed weight of 235 pounds at Clemson were put to rest. 

But when a player with size concerns shows up at the combine, scouts are curious whether they'll retain the athleticism seen when breaking down his film. 

Beasley was everything he was billed to be, even at 246 pounds, and then some. 

First, he blistered the track with an unofficial 4.56 40-yard dash, which left mouths agape. Clemson Tweets summed up how impressive Beasley's straight-line speed actually is: 

When a player runs as well as Beasley did, scouts usually have to go back to the tape and make sure he played at that speed. 

They won't have to do so with the Clemson defensive end, according to FOX Sports' Bruce Feldman: 

"

#Clemson's Vic Beasley just clocked a 4.53 40.. Best part of that: He plays very fast too.

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 22, 2015"

Not only did Beasley crush his 40-yard dash, he was also one of the strongest defensive linemen with 35 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press. 

This is especially important, because it shows he can be a true edge player at the next level. Some smaller edge-rushers can't hold up against the run. They aren't strong enough to set the edge and make sure a running back isn't bouncing the ball outside the tackle or tight end. 

Beasley's impressive strength on the bench indicates he's stronger at the point of attack than previously given credit. He always played with good leverage, but he was overwhelmed at times by bigger offensive linemen. His workout indicates teams should be more comfortable with his ability to be a true edge player. 

NFL.com's Chase Goodbread provided context for Beasley's raw strength numbers: 

To top it all off, the defensive end also proved to be one of the most fluid athletes on the field. He was already projected as an outside linebacker in the professional ranks because of his size, but the added weight didn't slow him during positional drills. 

NFL analyst Willie McGinest, who was a three-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots as a starting outside linebacker, was impressed by Beasley during the individual sessions:

"

Beasley impressed me. He just did some of the change-of-direction stuff. The one thing I'm looking at for these guys that are used to having their hand in the dirt coming forward and not working in space. No wasted motion for Beasley. He was explosive and his change-of-direction was good. He was running 100 percent. He wasn't cheating the drills and trying to stop and read the ball. He played through the drill. His change of direction, getting in and out of there looked really good.

"

So, let's rehash Beasley's combine experience: 

• Added weight. Check. 
• Stronger than expected. Check. 
• Explosive speed. Check.
• Fluid in drills. Check. 

The strength in the defensive end's lower body is also impressive. The way to assess overall explosion at the combine is to see how athletes test during the broad and vertical jumps. Beasley even blew everyone away with his vertical. 

World Herald Live's Mike'l Severe relayed Beasley's measurement: 

That effort placed the defensive lineman among the best vertical jumps of any prospect in Indianapolis. 

Beasley passed the combine with flying colors and made an unbelievable impression on NFL teams. 

While workout numbers are only part of the equation, they were especially important for Beasley, as FOXSports.com's Peter Schrager argued: 

With all the questions about his game answered, Beasley is now firmly in the conversation to become a potential top-10 selection.  

Florida's Dante Fowler, Nebraska's Randy Gregory and Missouri's Shane Ray are still considered the top talents among the edge-rushers, but Beasley's outstanding career at Clemson coupled with an elite workout will make him very enticing for teams within the lower portion of the top 10. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL draft for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.