NFL Combine 2014: Grading the Most Notable Invitees
What can a prospect really accomplish at the combine?
The common cliche is that most prospects can hurt themselves more than they can help themselves in Indianapolis, and I don't necessarily disagree. If tape—which lies far less than workout numbers—says certain things about a prospect, all the combine can do is either highlight athleticism that one already saw on tape or expose athletic deficiencies a scout didn't think were there.
So in many respects, the best kind of combine for a prospect is that he confirmed what we already believed: that he's a top prospect who can hack it with the pros. Still better, however, is when a player comes from relative obscurity or makes a case that he should be taken more seriously.
One note on the slides: This is not my top ranking at each position. Instead, it's just a handful of selected players who had notable combine performances or are top prospects who didn't shine as brightly as they might have hoped.
Don't agree with my assessments? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Note: Combine results courtesy of NFL.com.
Quarterbacks
1 of 8
Teddy Bridgewater (QB Louisville)—INC
My general rule of thumb is that it's difficult to begrudge a man for making a business decision like not competing at the combine. Yes, scouts and media love to see everyone compete, but if the player trusts his representation and the advice is to wait for his pro day, it's not my choice to make.
That said, Bridgewater is getting terrible advice. It isn't just not throwing, but not doing anything. He's setting himself up to need a perfect pro day, and if that doesn't happen, he could be the third quarterback taken of the top three.
Johnny Manziel (QB Texas A&M)—B+
Again, the knock here isn't that Manziel didn't throw. Had he done so, maybe he could have worked this grade up into an A or A-plus. I'm not even mad about his 40-yard dash (4.68). That's about what many people expected—escapability is his strong suit, not elite straight-line speed.
No, the only thing keeping this from being an A is that he didn't do anything to stand out from Bortles or Bridgewater. He left Indianapolis with just as much uncertainty as he entered it—big hands aside.
Blake Bortles (QB Central Florida)—A-
From the arm to the agility to how he handled himself in front of the media, Bortles made a strong statement that he belongs in the top tier of elite passers.
AJ McCarron (QB Alabama)—B+
McCarron decided to throw and had a fantastic day. No one should be too worried about his poor testing numbers, and he did his best to ensure he's a second- or third-round pick.
Running Backs
2 of 8
Ka'Deem Carey (RB Arizona)—C
Carey already had a tenuous hold, at best, on the top running back spot on my board, and a 4.7 40-yard dash with little else to be excited about made for a disappointing combine. He came in with some off-the-field issues, so this is another big question mark.
Carlos Hyde (RB Ohio State)—C+
If you're known as a big, bruising back, shouldn't you be a threat in the bench press? He only put up 19 reps; however, I'm not concerned with his pectoral strength as much as his dedication in the weight room. A number like 19 sends scouts back to talk with the people who did Hyde's pre-combine training and worked in his college weight room.
Lache Seastrunk (RB Baylor)—A-
The only thing keeping this from being an A-plus is all of the hype Seastrunk drove home before the combine about how fast his 40 was going to be. His result of 4.51 is nothing to shake a stick at, but it wasn't record-breaking by any means. It wasn't even top 10.
Still, the explosiveness numbers from his vertical and broad jump are extremely impressive, and scouts should be salivating to put him in a more featured role than he ever had in Baylor's offense.
Dri Archer (RB Kent State)—A-
Look, I like Dri Archer and knew he was going to run fast. Did I expect that fast? No, that fast always surprises me.
Am I going to get crazy about the time, though, and bump him up to the first or second round when he doesn't have the size or other tools to be a featured NFL back? No, I'm not.
Archer's speedy time, though, gives teams a reason to take him rounds earlier than any other scatback or return specialist. So, he's had a pretty great week.
Receivers
3 of 8
Sammy Watkins (WR Clemson)—A
Watkins is the top receiver in the draft, and while he didn't stand head and shoulders athletically above his peers, he "checked off all the boxes" in terms of confirming what we saw on tape. His result of 4.43 is a very respectable time that says he'll be able to gain separation in the NFL like he did at Clemson.
Mike Evans (WR Texas A&M)—A+
Evans probably had the best combine that people have stopped talking about. Before Indianapolis, there was little breathing room between him and Kelvin Benjamin (WR Florida State), whom many considered the vastly better athlete with the higher ceiling.
At the combine, Evans was better athletically in almost every way. So, he has at least equal upside (if not higher), and he was the vastly better receiver in college. After Indianapolis, there's less room between him and Watkins than there is between Evans and the rest of the field.
Brandin Cooks (WR Oregon State)—A
Cooks isn't a big-bodied receiver, and most have been looking at him as a slot receiver prospect. He has the tools to go high in the draft, but the worry was that he might get lost in the shuffle, as the No. 1 receiver prospects in this very deep wideout class could overtake him.
With a 4.33, that won't happen.
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Tight Ends
4 of 8
Eric Ebron (TE North Carolina)—A
Ebron put up game-breaking film at North Carolina and then showed he's a game-breaking athlete and matchup nightmare at the combine. In short, stop calling this guy just a tight end and start calling him what he truly is—an offensive weapon that any team could use in its arsenal.
Jace Amaro (TE Texas Tech)—B+
Amaro was basically a slot receiver at Texas Tech, and I would have liked to see him stand out a little more athletically, but he had a very good weekend as one of the top tight ends in just about every workout.
Colt Lyerla (TE Oregon)—A+
Some had stopped talking about Lyerla. Off-the-field issues and a season away from the game will do that, and he needed a big combine to refocus the attention on his football skills. He is fast, agile and explosive, so he is going to get drafted. How high he goes depends on how much he impressed teams during the closed-door interviews.
Offensive Linemen
5 of 8
Greg Robinson (OT Auburn)—A+
Robinson had the most stunning performance of the combine. Everyone who watched Auburn expected this guy to be a freak of nature, but he still managed to wow scouts time and again. He's still my No. 2 tackle on the board, but it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if more NFL teams preferred him, and he could go as high as second overall.
Jake Matthews (OT Texas A&M)—A-
Off college tape, Matthews is the more ready pro prospect between him and Robinson. More polished in pass protection and a mauler in his own right, Matthews would make any team very happy if he slid—even momentarily—down the draft board in May.
I was surprised, though, to see him test quite as athletically as he did. While it wasn't a freak performance like Robinson's, it kept his name in the conversation and gave scouts a reason not just to write him off as the far lesser athlete.
Taylor Lewan (OT Michigan)—A+
Speaking of "keeping your name in the conversation," Lewan was more like one of those annoying party guests who made sure people were talking about him every single time conversation went elsewhere. At 33 7/8", his arm length is on the high side of "OK" for a pass-protector, but his athleticism and lateral agility are through the roof.
NFL types will write off a lot of his college tape because he was dealing with mobile passers and an inconsistently moving pocket, but this combine performance gives them a lot to chew on after those top two tackles go off the board.
Defensive Linemen
6 of 8
Jadeveon Clowney (DE South Carolina)—A
The old scouting maxim is that you don't credit a guy for being a freak athlete at the combine when you've already given him props for being a freak athlete on tape.
So, while Clowney and that ridiculous 40 may draw headlines, the overall grade is an A because the athleticism showed a commitment to pre-combine training that offers little comfort after a year of people asking if he shut it down.
He could go as high as No. 2 and won't get past Atlanta.
Aaron Donald (DT Pittsburgh)—A+
As impressive as Clowney's 40 time was, Aaron Donald's 4.68 at 285 pounds is astonishing. For perspective, realize that plenty of DE/OLB tweeners who are prized mostly (or only) for their speed ran slower than Donald and will still be drafted as one-dimensional speed-rushers. Donald's fast is just faster than their fast, and that's scary from an interior prospect.
He could easily go in top 10 after a fantastic predraft process, which should only continue.
Ra'Shede Hageman (DT Minnesota)—B+
When talking about Hageman—a former tight end—strength is not the first thing that comes to mind. After 32 bench-press reps, it's now going to go into the plus column on his scouting sheet, albeit with a question mark. He is a work in progress, as he often plays the position like he doesn't know what he's doing. A talented defensive line coach in the NFL could turn him into a superstar.
Linebackers
7 of 8
Khalil Mack (DE/LB Buffalo)—A+
Mack has some of the best tape of any defensive player in the draft, but time and again I've heard, "Yeah, but it's Buffalo." Not that the school was going to stop anyone from drafting Mack in the top five, but there were concerns that he wouldn't be the biggest, fastest and strongest in the NFL like he was at a smaller school.
It was a minor concern that he silenced after a fantastic combine.
Max Bullough (LB Michigan State)—B+
Before this previous year, I had Bullough as a potential first-round prospect, but a rough final year at Michigan State and a Rose Bowl suspension (that he has still not talked about) knocked him down a lot of draft boards. To make matters worse, he showed up to the Shrine Game out of shape and looked like he might fall off draft boards altogether.
The 30 reps on the bench impressed me, but it was the agility testing that really got him back into the conversation as a mid-round ILB prospect with starting potential. A good pro day could insert him into the mix of the second or third round once again.
Michael Sam (LB/DE Missouri)—D
As impressive as Sam's media session at the combine was, the athletic testing confirmed our biggest fears—at 4.91, his consistent edge rush isn't going to be effective on Sundays. He'll need to change the way he plays his game and, even then, would do himself a huge favor by shaving a tenth of a second off his 40 time before he takes an NFL snap.
Defensive Backs
8 of 8
Justin Gilbert (CB Oklahoma State)—A
Gilbert has been trying to make the case that he is the No. 1 cornerback. Darqueze Dennard (CB Michigan State), however, is a favorite of some. Gilbert, as the fastest cornerback, one of the strongest and one of the most explosive, proved he has far more physical tools than any other corner prospect in this class.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (S Alabama)—A
Clinton-Dix's stock has taken a full frontal assault from Calvin Pryor (S Louisville). It was good, then, that Clinton-Dix reminded us that he's a more-than-capable athlete who has plenty of upside as a professional. Pryor could still go before him, but Clinton-Dix made the conversation a bit more interesting.
Jason Verrett (CB TCU)—A+
In a world of increasingly bigger defensive backs, Verrett needed a great combine...mission accomplished.
With a time of 4.38, he was one of the fastest corners. Check.
A 39-inch vertical means he can play above the rim. Check.
A 6.69 three-cone drill means he's more than agile enough to lock down shifty slot receivers. Checkmate.
As teams focus on getting bigger at the position, the club that decides to take a shot on the 5'9" corner might get the best of the bunch.
Michael Schottey is an NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Find more of his stuff on his archive page and follow him on Twitter.
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