2012 NFL Combine: Day 6 Winners and Losers

As the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine nears its end, we had one of the more interesting days of this year's event on Monday. Linebackers and defensive linemen had the chance to workout on the sixth day of the combine and they didn't disappoint. There was plenty of drama to go around even though the offensive skill position guys are long gone from Indianapolis.

Here is a look at the winners and losers from day six at this year's NFL Scouting Combine.

Winners: 

Nick Perry, Defensive End/Outside Linebacker, USC

Perry was thought of as a riser who could impress at the combine and boy did he ever. The stud defensive lineman who led the Pac-12 with 9.5 sacks in 2011 blazed to an official time of 4.64 seconds in the 40-yard dash, a 7.25 second three-cone drill and a 4.66 second 20-yard shuttle.

The USC product was also impressive in other areas, powering his way to 35 reps on the bench press, showing a 38.5-inch vertical leap and a 124-inch broad jump. 

By showing superior athleticism to go along with fantastic pass-rushing skills, Perry has easily solidified himself as a first-round pick. He has also shown that he'll likely be able to play outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, as he measured in at 6'3" and 271 pounds. If he can move that well at that size, he could be a terror in the NFL as an edge rusher.

Zach Brown, Outside Linebacker, North Carolina

Brown isn't as well known as some of the other linebackers in this year's draft, but one thing people know about him is that he's exceptionally fast. And he showed that on Monday, ripping off an official time of 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash. He measured in at 6'1" and 244 pounds, which means he certainly has the bulk to handle outside linebacker responsibilities in a 4-3 defense.

The North Carolina product also showed off his exceptional athleticism with a 33.5-inch vertical leap and a 116-inch broad jump. 

Brown is exceptional at locating the ball and closing to it to make big plays. Obviously, his speed has a lot to do with how quickly he can make tackles, so blazing to such a fast time in the 40-yard dash will only make him more coveted. Especially when you consider that he stumbled during the start of his first attempt. 

Luke Kuechly, Inside Linebacker, Boston College

For a few weeks now, Kuechly has been considered the top linebacker on most draft boards. But the Boston College product has mainly been thought of as a heady playmaker whose impeccable instincts made up for a lack of elite athleticism. Well, that was shown to be completely wrong on Monday.

After measuring in at 6'3" and 242 pounds, Kuechly showed himself to be one of the most athletic linebackers in this year's draft class during his workout. He was officially timed at 4.58 seconds in the 40-yard dash, posted 27 reps on the bench press, showed a 38-inch vertical leap and had a 123-inch broad jump. 

He was among the top performers in the 40-yard dash, vertical and broad jump for linebackers, and when you consider his incredible instincts and reputation as a tackling machine, Kuechly has probably solidified his spot as the top pure linebacker (read: not edge rusher) in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Dontari Poe, Defensive Tackle, Memphis

No one was sure what to make of Memphis defensive tackle Dontari Poe before the combine, but rest assured, we all know what he can do now.

Poe measured in at 6'4" and 346 pounds, then went out and ran a 4.98 40-yard dash, threw up 44 reps on the bench press, recorded a 29.5-inch vertical leap, 105-inch broad jump, then broke out a 7.9-second time in the three-cone drill and a 4.56-second time in the 20-yard shuttle.

Poe has probably made himself more money than anyone at this year's combine by showing incredible athleticism, power, speed and quickness out of his massive frame. He is likely to be a nose tackle in a 3-4 defense at the next level, and don't be surprised if Monday's performance took him from a guy projected to go in the mid-20s to a Top 15 pick in this year's draft.

He did all of that despite being the heaviest lineman to weigh in at this year's combine. That is simply incredible. 

Losers:

Vontaze Burfict, Inside Linebacker, Arizona State

According to most observers in attendance, no one did more to turn off scouts during the interview process this week than Vontaze Burfict. Then he proceeded to send his stock plummeting even more with horrible performances in workouts. 

Burfict cut his weight down to 248 pounds and measured in at 6'1" but then ran what was officially timed as a 5.09-second 40-yard dash. The nightmare continued as he registered just a 30-inch vertical leap and a 104-inch broad jump.

Considering the kind of trouble he had off the field at Arizona State, Burfict needed to shine in his workouts and interviews at the combine to maintain a first-round grade. That hasn't happened and now his stock is probably slipping more than anyone's in the entire draft class.

Michael Brockers, Defensive Tackle, LSU

Brockers is another guy whose stock was soaring following LSU's wildly successful season. In fact, some had made noise about him possibly jumping into the Top 10 of this year's draft. After today, he probably has a lot of work to do for that to happen.

Brockers originally did not plan on fully participating in drills at the combine, but at the last minute decided to work out. He probably shouldn't have done that. After measuring in at a massive 6'5" and 322 pounds, Brockers did not turn in a great performance in any of the drills.

He ran a woeful 5.36-second 40-yard dash, then posted just 19 reps on the bench press. He also showed a 26.5-inch vertical leap, 105-inch broad jump, then wasn't as quick as many expected him to be, finishing with a 7.46-second time in the three-cone drill and posting a 4.81-second 20-yard shuttle.

Brockers will have a chance to reverse his fortunes at his pro day, but until then expect his stock to continue to fall after lackluster workouts.