6 Combine Studs Detroit Lions Must Have on Their Short List
Day 1 of the 2015 NFL combine's on-field drills is in the books and the Detroit Lions—like every other team—got their first up-close look at potential prospects for the upcoming draft.
No, things aren't any clearer for your mock draft. In fact, things might have become murkier because a few unknowns jumped into the fold that weren't prominent names a couple of days ago. But that makes draft season all the more fun.
As we tour the standouts that improved their stock, take note that this is only encompassing the first day of drills, so you'll only find offensive linemen and tight ends here. Now click through so we can wade our way through the numbers to find six guys who took a step toward making their NFL dream a reality.
C Ali Marpet
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Get used to hearing Ali Marpet's name. He's been building buzz since the Senior Bowl and amplified the noise with a solid performance at the combine.
Marpet blazed his way—and I'm not using that term loosely—to a ridiculous 4.98 40-yard dash, per NFL.com. Mind you, he isn't undersized at 6'4" and 307 pounds.
Not only did that time turn heads, it also sunk shoulders as he dusted the rest of the offensive linemen.
He also performed very well in the three-done drill (7.33 seconds) and 20-yard shuttle (4.47). Both of those numbers ranked second among the big hog mollies.
"When it comes to what you needed to run to be a prototypical offensive guard at the combine, Ali Marpet hit every metric perfectly.
— Scott Carasik 5071 (@ScottCarasik) February 20, 2015"
The product of Hobart and William Smith College, a school with more names than students, is looking to make the rather distant jump from Division III. Most see him as a center, but his role in Detroit would probably start off as a backup to Travis Swanson with the potential to line up next to him as a guard.
OG Mitch Morse
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We're staying in the deeper reaches of the draft to discuss Missouri's Mitch Morse.
Until the combine, Morse was only spoken about in terms of the little engine that could. He was scrappy with a tenacious streak and full of effort.
One day at the combine altered that narrative:
"After posting 2nd-best bench (36 reps) on Thursday, Mitch Morse has third-best 20-yd shuttle (4.50), t-8th vertical (31") and 40 (5.14).
— Tod Palmer (@todpalmer) February 20, 2015"
Notice I used the word altered instead of changed. The tape isn't going away. There's plenty of work to be done just to cement career-backup status, much less someday-starter.
However, Morse's foundation seems a bit more stable to build a legitimate career upon. His 36 bench repetitions were second among offensive linemen, and his 112" broad jump was just a 10th off the best mark of the day. He now looks the part of a late-round flier so long as he's willing to play inside.
OG Terry Poole
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The interior of the line should be a focus for Detroit this offseason, and therefore a definite area of interest come late April.
And that area just got a little more interesting.
Terry Poole wasn't a name that came to mind heading into the combine. He flipped that discussion on its head with strong performance in the 40-yard dash (5.09 seconds) and broad jump (113 inches).
Much like the prior two candidates bandied about on this slideshow, Poole won't be taken on Day 1. In fact, he can safely leave his phone on vibrate through Day 2 as well, but the likelihood of being an undrafted free agent took a serious hit.
"3 guys I have not yet evaluated but I am excited to get to their tape after watching them today: Mitch Morse, Takoby Cofield & Terry Poole.
— Joe Marino (@TheJoeMarino) February 20, 2015"
Detroit won't grab Poole with the intention of starting him on the outside. His overall speed is nice, but he is better suited to a life in the interior.
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OT/OG Brandon Scherff
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Let's stretch the definition of "combine stud" a bit here.
Brandon Scherff didn't have a great day thanks to a hamstring tweak that limited his appearance, per Kim Jones of NFL Network. He did, however, perform nicely in his short showcase.
"#Iowa OT/OG Brandon Scherff posted a 1.78 10-yard split in the 40. That's a solid number at 319 pounds.
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) February 20, 2015"
Obviously, plenty of you reading this have already heard of Scherff and dismissed him as a potential target since his value could place him in the top 10. Yet, there are other draftniks that could see him slipping further:
"@mork1215 i think collins is going to grade out over scherff for most teams too, but both will be solid top 15-20 picks
— Sigmund Bloom (@SigmundBloom) February 20, 2015"
The coincidental part is Detroit would draft Scherff with the idea of putting him next to another former Hawkeye in Riley Reiff. The two would pair well as run-blockers, giving Detroit a strong side that would be balanced nicely by Larry Warford opposite them.
OT T.J. Clemmings
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You already knew that Pitt offensive tackle T.J. Clemmings was huge. And some of you probably knew the former defensive end was athletic.
However, the big man (6'5", 309 lbs) must have been self conscious about what the rest of the league thought. He put that to bed quickly with a 32.5" vertical and a 4.54 20-yard shuttle, which was fourth among linemen this year.
"T.J. Clemmings gotta be moving up boards as an OT. Looking great right now, agile, quick. Nice frame.
— Andrew Kulha (@Hawkeyes247) February 20, 2015"
Apparently that message went from Andrew Kulha's tweet to fellow Bleacher Report writer Scott Carasik's mind:
"Top 5 OT's after combine and 2nd pass of film: 1) T.J. Clemmings 2) La'el Collins 3) Jake Fisher 4) Ereck Flowers 5) Andrus Peat
— Scott Carasik 5071 (@ScottCarasik) February 20, 2015"
There will be plenty of movement on everybody's big boards over the next two months. Yet should Detroit get the chance to land the big tackle, general manager Martin Mayhew will have to give him serious consideration. He could easily come into camp and leave with the starting right tackle position.
TE Wes Saxton
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I'll allow you a moment to get over the thought of Detroit selecting a tight end after wasting the 10th overall on Eric Ebron last season (a popular opinion that I don't share).
Got a hold of your breath yet? Good. And give me back my lunch bag back.
Wes Saxton is another athletic tight end, but he didn't have enough college production to give scouts a real chance to break him down. However, he did nothing at the combine to hurt his reputation as an athletic freak.
"More WR than TE? Funchess-lite? RT @JoshNorris: (Wes Saxton) Was split out wide very frequently at South Alabama.
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) February 20, 2015"
The key component to the Lions and their fanbase is his late-round availability. Every team already knew he was going to run well and show off his impressive physical attributes, so it's unlikely that he changed his stock too much by virtue of his performance.
Saxton isn't going to become a blocking tight end or even approach Ebron's level of tenacity for the dirty work. He's strictly a pass-catcher that can cause problems by virtue of his size (6'4", 235 lbs) and speed (4.58 40, per NFL.com).
And that's where he might find a spot on this roster.
Detroit lacked any serious threat behind Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate. The Lions shouldn't close any doors this early in the process as they look to diversify and expand their weapons cache.
Day 2 Standouts
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Post-publication update with a couple intriguing names from Day 2
Jeremy Langford, RB, Michigan State
Langford's college production (1,522 rush yds, 22 TDs) garnered a mid-round grade with the possibility of moving up to Round 3 if he performed perfectly. The Spartan took a step toward that goal by posting the fastest 40 among the running backs with a 4.42, per NFL.com.
But his strong showing won't be enough to justify a Day 2 pick on its own. Langford's seemingly newfound speed raises his potential a couple notches, giving him more value as a change-of-pace back and third-down receiver. Yet he could still be available on Day 3 because of his weaker tackle-breaking ability.
Tyler Lockett, WR, Kansas State
Lockett didn't surprise so much as confirm what everyone already thought.
"Tyler Lockett's 4.40 was impressive. He's a legit option for the Dolphins. Deep speed, returner, slot option, RAC skills. Just a tad tiny
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) February 21, 2015"
The speedster posted the requisite 4.4 40 needed to certify himself as a dangerous kick-returner. While the Lions might be bringing Jeremy Ross back, there's no reason to hand him the job.
Now it's just a matter of how high of a pick Lockett would require. If he needs a second-round investment, that might be too expensive for a team with holes along the lines and in the secondary.
All combine statistics are courtesy of NFL.com.
Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.
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