LSU Football: Updating Player Performances from the NFL Combine

The NFL Combine is wrapping up and former college standouts are doing everything they can to impress NFL scouts before they make that jump to the pros.

With more then 300 players taking part in this year's Combine testing, it can be tough to stand out. But LSU had at least two players who are almost guaranteed to be first-round draft selections and several other former players who should get selected at some point in this April's draft.

So what LSU players stood out and what ones did not perform up to expectations?

Let's take a look at those LSU players who are participating in this year's Combine and see exactly how they did.

Bleacher Report Style!

Ryan Baker

Ryan Baker

40-yard Dash: 4.88

Bench Press: 30

Vertical Jump: 34.0

Broad Jump: 113.0

3-Cone Drill: 7.21

20-Yard Shuttle: 4.35

When you are known as being a "fast linebacker" for one of the top college programs in the nation, many are expecting you to run a great 40 time as well as stand out in the shuffle and cone drills.

Unfortunately for Ryan Baker, his 4.88 40-yard dash time was rather mediocre and did not rank among the top 15 linebackers in that test.

Where Baker was impressive was in the bench press, where his 30 reps were the fourth-highest mark among linebackers at the combine.

Outside of those two events, Baker was in the middle of the pact in most of the other drills. It's looking like Baker will be a second day draft selection, but he should make a roster and could fit in nicely on a team that runs a 3-4 defense. 

Michael Brockers

Michael Brockers:

40-yard Dash: 5.36

Bench Press: 19 reps

Vertical Jump: 26.5

Broad Jump: 105

3-Cone Drill: 7.46

20-yard Shuttle: 4.81

The NFL Combine testing isn't exactly made for a defensive tackle to stand out, but teams do look to see how many bench press reps these big guys up front can do.

Brockers, who is expected to be an early first-round draft selection, was far from impressive with his test results. He was slow in every running drill and only put up 19 reps on the bench press, which was among the lowest totals for defensive linemen.

Where Brockers did impress scouts was with his size. At 6'5", 322 pounds, Brockers has the ideal size of a defensive tackle and he will only get stronger once he gets on an NFL working regimen. He has huge hands and arms that he can use to his advantage to fend off blocks.

Despite his poor testing results, it's fair to say that Brockers will still likely be an early-to-mid first-round selection in this April's NFL draft. 

Ron Brooks

Ron Brooks

40-yard Dash: 4.37 seconds

Bench Press: 12 reps

Vertical Jump: 38 inches

Broad Jump: 120 inches

For a guy that wasn't a starter in college, Brooks sure had an impressive showing this past week.

The former LSU defensive back had the second fastest 40-yard dash time among cornerbacks and had a top-five overall time of the 300-plus players that took part in the Combine.

Brooks only put up 12 reps in the bench press, but coaches don't look too far into that test for cornerbacks. 

What they do look at is the vertical jump, where Brooks also excelled, jumping 38 inches, which was the third best score among defensive backs. His 120-inch broad jump was 15th, meaning that this former backup corner placed in the top 15 in three of four events.

Looks like NFL scouts will have to take a look at this kid in the later rounds after his outstanding Combine performance this weekend.

Morris Claiborne

Morris Claiborne

40-yard Dash: 4.50

Vertical Jump: 34.5 inches

Broad Jump: 118 inches

3-Cone Drill: 7.81 sec

20-yard Shuttle: 4.12 sec

60-yard Shuttle: 11.44 sec

When it comes to the top cornerbacks in this year's NFL draft, make no doubt about it, Morris Claiborne is the cream of the crop. He is as good as they come at this position, which is why he will likely be a top-five selection in this April's NFL draft.

However, Claiborne wasn't exactly dominant during the combine testing.

His 40-yard dash time was good, but not great. The same can be said for his vertical jump, 20-yard shuttle and 60-yard shuttle, all of which he placed in the top 15, but none of which he placed in the top eight.

The bottom line with this kid is that he is a good athlete, but he just has elite football instincts and a mind for the game which in return make him a truly elite cover cornerback.

That is why Morris Claiborne will be the first cornerback selected and a guaranteed top-10 pick in this year's draft.

Jordan Jefferson

Jordan Jefferson

40-yard Dash: 4.65

Bench Press: 14 reps

Vertical Jump: 36.5

Broad Jump: 116 inches

3-Cone Drill: 6.81 sec

20-yardd Shuttle: 4.06 sec

Jordan Jefferson's strength obviously lies in his speed and his size.

Jefferson ran the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds, which was the third fastest time among quarterbacks. But for a quarterback that isn't a good passer, NFL scouts would like to see a time somewhere in the 4.4-4.5 range for a quarterback who's only chance to ever play at the next level would be in running formations.

Jefferson was solid in the three-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle and pretty average in the other three categories.

The bottom line with Jefferson is that he has size, athleticism, and experience to get a shot at an NFL camp, but the chances of him playing at the NFL level certainly aren't great. 

Deangelo Peterson

Deangelo Peterson

40-yard Dash: 4.76

Bench Press: 18 reps

Vertical Jump: 36 inches

Broad Jump: 121 inches

3-Cone Drill: 7.19 sec

DeAngelo Peterson has the rap as being one of those tight ends who love to catch the ball and run routes, but he isn't a full-skilled tight end because of his lack of elite blocking skills.

Peterson does have rather good speed for the right end position, which he demonstrated with his 4.76 40-yard dash time and his 7.19 3 cone drill score.

Peterson's 36-inch vertical jump was outstanding and his 121-inch broad jump was rather good as well.

If Peterson is selected in the draft, he will likely be a late-round pick who will be used specifically for his pass catching abilities in the NFL.

Rueben Randle

Rueben Randle

40-yard Dash: 4.55 sec

Bench Press: 15 reps

Vertical Jump: 31 inches

Broad Jump: 121 inches

3-Cone Drill: 6.99 inches

20-yard Shuttle: 4.36 sec

60-yardd Shuttle: 11.78 sec

Rueben Randle surprised a ton of people when he announced that he was going to forgo his senior season to enter the NFL draft.

While Randle is considered by many experts to a be a top-five wide receiver prospect, his combine performance was nothing to write home about. In fact, it was possibly the most disappointing of any LSU player.

Randle didn't place in the top-12 among wide receivers in one single testing category.

At 6'3", 212 pounds, Randle does have great size and he has good size hands and arms, but his speed was below average and his strength much the same.

Randle certainly fell below Michael Floyd and probably Kendall Wright and Alshon Jeffery as well as far as the top wide receivers go. 

Brandon Taylor

Brandon Taylor

40-yard Dash: 4.58 sec

Vertical Jump: 33.5

Broad Jump: 118 inches

3-Cone Drill: 7.32 sec

20-yard Shuttle: 4.37 sec

Brandon Taylor is a physical safety who loves to go up and make a play, which means that he should be able to find a spot at the next level. 

Where Taylor will be selected in this April's NFL draft remains to be the question.

Taylor has good speed for the safety position, and he showed that with a 4.58 40-yard dash, which was the eighth fastest time among safeties.

However, none of Taylor's other Combine results ranked in the top 10 among safeties.

The safety position is not strong by any means this year, so because of his physical presence, his good speed and his experience being a three year starter at an elite school in the best conference in college football, Taylor should have a chance at being a mid-round draft selection in this year's NFL draft.

Now, we can just wait and see.