2011 NFL Draft: NFL Scouting Combine Preview

NFL Draft fans, take a deep breath and rejoice, the Combine is here.

For the next week, we’ll have the chance to put on our imaginary scouting hats, break out the old stopwatch and observe some of the top NFL prospects run to glory in 40 yard intervals.

Want to know how high Cam Newton can jump, how big Nick Fairley’s hands are or how well Jake Locker can answer questions such as “If one sneaker is 17 dollars, how much would six pairs cost?” then you’re in luck.

The NFL network is set to give us wall to wall coverage of all the goings on in Indianapolis.

What will end up being the big storyline?

We’ll find out, but I have a strange feeling Cam Newton’s name will come up at least once or twice.

Here’s a quick look at what to watch for this week.

Quarterbacks

We still don’t have a clear cut No. 1, “this is the guy we need to hype” kind of quarterback going into the combine. Both Auburn’s Cam Newton and Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert are battling it out, but neither has taken the lead just yet .

There should be some interesting Gabbert vs. Newton debates over the next two months which will probably sound similar to the Leinart/Young discussions that we heard back in 2006.

Newton already worked out for the media a few weeks ago in California, garnering rave reviews. And he's recently made it clear that he intends to throw in front of the scouts in Indianapolis.

Gabbert, on the other hand, has opted to wait.

If the Heisman winner performs as well at the combine as he supposedly did at his San Diego workout, Newton could gain some real momentum going into the pro-day period.

Newton will be the most scrutinized player of any position but there are two other notable quarterbacks who will need to perform well in completely different areas.

Washington’s Jake Locker has gone from trendy No. 1 pick to media outcast in a matter of about five months. Locker struggled in his senior year and didn’t help himself with a questionable showing at the Senior Bowl.

Everyone knows the former Husky has the skills to be an NFL starter, but we still have to see if he can really handle the spotlight of pressure situations. It should be interesting to see how well Locker performs with of hundreds of NFL personnel evaluators looking on.

Big, 6’7’’ Ryan Mallett of Arkansas should impress in throwing drills considering he has the undisputed strongest arm in the draft. Unfortunately for Mallett, it’s in the off-field interviews where he’ll have the most questions to answer.

About a month ago, in my article http://bleacherreport.com/articles/572087-ryan-mallett-rumors-what-dont-we-know-about-the-arkansas-quarterback, I insinuated that there could be some negative issues surfacing from Mallett’s past and now that appears to be the case. Drug addiction accusations are now starting to pop up from different NFL sources.

Not good.

Mallett has got to be open and honest with NFL teams during interviews or else his stock could go into free fall mode.

With the questions surrounding Locker and Mallett, the five “next tier” quarterbacks in this year’s draft - Andy Dalton, Colin Kaepernick, Christian Ponder, Ricky Stanzi, and Pat Devlin - really have a chance to gain some ground.

Dalton won’t wow anyone by performing in a t-shirt and shorts, but he’s the type of intangible player who will make a positive impression on executives in one-on-one conversations.

Kaepernick will make an impression with his speed. The Nevada QB is expected to run in the 4.5 range in the 40 yard dash. If that ends up actually happening, we better have the defibrillator ready for Al Davis.

Ponder, Stanzi and Devlin are three guys considered backup types right now, so they’ll need to make a strong impression during chalkboard work in the team meetings to show scouts that they have a true mind for the position.

Even though I’ve been getting some pretty heavy backlash on this site any time I’ve written an article pumping up Cam Newton over the last few months, I still believe, deep down, that he’s the best quarterback prospect of this class.

In fact, I might go as far as to say that five years from now, if Newton ends up on the right franchise, he very well could be the best player to come out of this entire draft.

I’d say right now Newton’s ceiling is the Buffalo Bills at No. 3 with his floor being the Washington Redskins at No. 10. How he performs in Indianapolis will go a long way into cementing his top ten draft status.

Danny’s Top 10 QB Prospects
1. Cam Newton, Auburn
2. Blaine Gabbert, Missouri
3. Jake Locker, Washington
4. Andy Dalton, TCU
5. Ryan Mallett, Arkansas
6. Colin Kaepernick, Nevada
7. Christian Ponder, Florida State
8. Ricky Stanzi, Iowa
9. Pat Devlin, Delaware
10. Greg McElroy, Alabama

Running Backs

The running back position is supposedly losing value each passing year, yet we still saw three rushers selected in the first round in 2010.

This year, Alabama's Mark Ingram figures to be the first running back off the board, but there are still two questions to be solved.

1. When will Ingram be selected?

2. Will there be any running backs joining him in the first round?

The most likely candidate to come off the board after Ingram is Mikel Leshoure, a 6’1’’ 230 lb. junior from Illinois.

There are a wide variety of backs this year and a lot of diverse prospects who fit into many different offensive systems. There are backs of all shapes and sizes ranging from 6’2’’225. lb. Daniel Thomas out of Kansas State to Jacquizz Rodgers, a 5’7’’back from Oregon State.

After Ingram, no one really has a true grasp of how the rest of the running backs will fall. A lot will depend on how each of them performs at the Combine.

We still have questions that need to be answered this week.

What’s Ryan Williams' true timed speed?

Is DeMarco Murray more than just another receiving back out of the backfield?

Is Daniel Thomas too stiff at his size?

Was Jordan Todman’s college production over-exaggerated or he is the actually the real deal?

We’ll find out a lot this week, and as always, everyone’s 40 time is sure to be heavily scrutinized.

My prediction for who finishes with the fastest time -- Kentucky’s Derrick Locke with a 4.37. But remember 40 times are just a part of the equation. Don’t get too carried away.

With so many early entrants, this is a deep class that may not be heavy at the top but it runs deep.

The award for RB with most to win/lose goes to West Virginia’s Noel Devine.

Danny’s Top 10 RB Prospects
1. Mikel Leshoure, Illinois
2. Mark Ingram, Alabama
3. Daniel Thomas, Kansas State
4. DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma
5. Jordan Todman, UCONN
6. Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech
7. Derrick Locke, Kentucky
8. Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State
9. Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State
10. Bilal Powell, Louisville

Wide Receivers

We know Georgia’s A.J. Green and Alabama’s Julio Jones, two top ten caliber prospects, are the big names of this receiver class. But what we aren’t sure about yet is who that third guy is.

My personal favorite receiver is Boise State’s Titus Young.

Young may not hail from a traditional big BCS power, but he has just as much, if not more, explosiveness as any receiver prospect this year.

Young was the star of the show down in Mobile during Senior Bowl week and he now has people mentioning his name with the likes of DeSean Jackson.

It’s uncertain whether Jones and Green will run and participate in the full workout. If they don’t, Young would, all of a sudden, become the most intriguing receiver to watch.

I’m telling you now, If Young puts up a big 40 number, he’ll start gaining some real attention.

One receiver who could use some attention is Pitt’s Jonathan Baldwin, who fell off the planet as a junior.

Baldwin, who reminds me way too much of former Bills bust James Hardy, put up respectable numbers in 2010 but he didn’t receive the notoriety he probably would have liked, playing on a mediocre Pitt team.

His one catch performance in the bowl game against Kentucky sure didn’t help his cause either.

They say Baldwin can run a sub 4.4. 40 but I’m going to have to see that before I believe it.

One of the most interesting stories of the combine will revolve around the performances of the three North Carolina stars -- WR Greg Little, DT Marvin Austin and DE Robert Quinn -- who ended up being suspended for the entire 2010 season.

If Little shows up in shape, he’s got a chance to put up some eye catching workout numbers.

The 40 time I’m most interested in is Miami’s Leonard Hankerson.

My prediction for who will be the fastest receiver is Maryland’s Torrey Smith.

Danny’s Top 10 WR Prospects
1. A.J. Green, Georgia
2. Julio Jones, Alabama
3. Titus Young, Boise State
4. Torrey Smith, Maryland
5. Leonard Hankerson, Miami
6. Jonathan Baldwin, Pitt
7. Tandon Doss, Indiana
8. Greg Little, North Carolina
9. Darvin Adams, Auburn
10. Jeremy Kerley, TCU

Tight Ends

To put it mildly, this year’s tight end class isn’t overly impressive.

Kyle Rudolph, the only tight end with first round ability, won’t participate in the workout portion of the combine as he continues to rehab a Torn ACL he suffered this past season. It will be interesting to see how Rudolph checks out medically.

Since Rudolph is out, the door is open for other tight ends to show what they have to offer.

I’m looking forward to seeing Luke Stocker, who was underutilized at Tennessee.

The one tight end to keep tabs on is Florida Atlantic’s Rob Housler. He’s sort of like Aaron Hernandez Light.

Danny’s Top 10 TE Prospects
1. Kyle Rudolph, Notre Dame
2. Luke Stocker, Tennessee
3. Rob Housler, Florida Atlantic
4. Lance Kendricks, Wisconsin
5. Jordan Cameron, USC
6. Julius Thomas, Portland State
7. Cameron Graham, Louisville
8. Virgil Green, Nevada
9. Charlie Gantt, Michigan State
10. Daniel Hardy, Idaho

Offensive Linemen

Who is the top offensive tackle this year?

Well, that depends on who you ask.

We don’t have any clear franchise top ten types in this year’s class, but there are plenty of guys in this group who could have long pro careers ahead of them.

My top guy is Derek Sherrod out of Mississippi State but I’ve seen a few people say he still has more developing to do.

Two tackles who have already proved themselves ready for life in the NFL trenches are Nate Solder of Colorado and Anthony Castonzo of Boston College.

The two are both quality athletes who should test well.

One guy who could test the best out of the tackle group is Tyron Smith, a USC prodigy who could make a surge up draft boards after workouts.

The Combine should give us good glimpse into how this lineman group really stacks up. There’s still some shuffling to do at the top.

Pay close attention to Villanova’s Ben Ijalana and Baylor’s Danny Watkins.

Danny’s Top 10 OL Prospects
1. Derek Sherrod, Mississippi State
2. Tyron Smith, USC
3. Nate Solder, Colorado
4. Anthony Castonzo, Boston College
5. Ben Ijalana, Villanova
6. Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin
7. Mike Pouncey, Florida
8. Danny Watkins, Baylor
9. Rodney Hudson, Florida State
10. Stefen Wisniewski, Penn State

Defensive Tackles

Nick Fairley is the go-to, slam dunk No. 1 pick at this point in the process, so it should be interesting to see how he handles all the hype.

Fairley was a monster on the field for Auburn in 2010 but he’s a relatively new commodity. I want to see how he tests out athletically, if he does indeed decide to work out.

I’d keep a close eye on which teams are showing Alabama's Marcell Dareus the most serious interest. It should help us figure out if he’s being looked at as a 4-3 defensive tackle or a 3-4 defensive end. The 6’4’’ 305 lb. Dareus could play either position at the next level.

The three guys who could move up the most with big showings are Temple’s Muhammad Wilkerson, Baylor’s Phil Taylor and South Florida’s Terrell McClain. All three have first round potential, they just have to bring their best effort and perform at the highest level in the drills.

Muhammad Wilkerson is the name to remember. Wilkerson could be a force as a 3-4 defensive end in the pros.

I’m interested in finding out how big LSU’s Drake Nevis really is. I could see a team like Chicago taking a liking to Nevis.

I also want to see what type of attitude and personality suspended DT Marvin Austin brings with him to Indianapolis. Austin’s a wild dude.  

Danny’s Top 10 DT Prospects
1. Nick Fairley, Auburn
2. Marcell Dareus, Alabama
3. Muhammad Wilkerson, Temple
4. Phil Taylor, Baylor
5. Terrell McClain, South Florida
6. Drake Nevis, LSU
7. Corey Liuget, Illinois
8. Stephen Paea, Oregon State
9. Jurrell Casey, USC
10. Marvin Austin, North Carolina

Defensive Ends

Clemson’s Da’Quan Bowers, the consensus top defensive end prospect and a probable top five pick, has decided to just partake in the lifting segment of the combine workouts only, opting to save the running drills for later on.

Considering that this is one of the deepest defensive end classes in years, Bowers may be making a mistake in getting too comfortable and complacent.

There’s at least eight defensive ends with first round potential and at the very least, we should see at least five taken on the draft’s first night.

There’s a notable prospect to fit every possible need. There’s 3-4 defensive ends, 4-3 edge rushers and 3-4 hybrid outside linebackers.

Cal’s Cameron Jordan and Wisconsin’s J.J. Watt are two big, strong ends who 3-4 teams will like an awful lot.

Purdue’s Ryan Kerrigan, an undersized lunch pale type of player, may not test out the best, but his play on the field speaks for itself.

I’m hoping we can get a look at Kerrigan and Missouri’s Aldon Smith doing some linebacker stuff this week. I want to see what they look like moving laterally.

Smith could be the defensive prospect with the most to gain from the Combine. The sky is the limit for the super-athletic end/linebacker tweener.

A good amount of focus will obviously be on North Carolina’s Robert Quinn, whose sky high stock took a hit when he was suspended for his entire junior year.

I see so many people still rating Quinn as a top ten prospect. You might want to tone that down a bit. Let’s see what kind of shape he’s in and how he performs in drills before we get too crazy.

Danny’s Top 10 DE Prospects
1. Da’Quan Bowers, Clemson
2. Cameron Jordan, Cal
3. Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue
4. Aldon Smith, Missouri
5. J.J. Watt, Wisconsin
6. Robert Quinn, North Carolina
7. Cameron Heyward, Ohio State
8. Adrian Clayborn, Iowa
9. Allen Bailey, Miami
10. Pernell McPhee, Mississippi State

Linebackers

The 3-4 defense is slowly changing the game of football.

We witnessed it in this past Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 3-4 defense is predicated on pressure and both the Packers and Steelers are lucky enough to have some of the best rush linebackers in the entire league lining up on the outside.

3-4 outside linebackers who can get to the quarterback and cause pressure are becoming a valuable commodity in today’s NFL.

This year’s linebacker class happens to offer up an elite prospect who fits the bill in the form of Texas A&M’s Von Miller.

It was obvious Miller was the best prospect down in Mobile at the Senior Bowl and it’s very likely that he’ll end up being the first senior off the board.

Miller seems to be the only likely top ten linebacker pick though.

The other linebackers with first round potential are UCLA’s Akeem Ayers and Georgia’s Justin Houston.

Ayers is a tremendous athletic specimen who should test through the roof.

Expect Ayers to gain a lot of buzz if puts up the numbers he’s capable of.

Nevada’s Dontay Moch, who will probably be working out with the defensive ends but will play 3-4 OLB in the pros, is my pick for fastest 40 time.

One guy who I like but might not put up the biggest combine numbers is Michigan State’s Greg Jones.

Jones, a versatile linebacker who would look great on a team like New England, is more in the Brandon Spikes mold, a great on the field player but not exactly a workout warrior.

Danny’s Top 10 LB Prospects
1. Von Miller, Texas A&M
2. Akeem Ayers, UCLA
3. Justin Houston, Georgia
4. Martez Wilson, Illinois
5. Greg Jones, Michigan State
6. Bruce Carter, North Carolina
7. Dontay Moch, Nevada
8. K.J. Wright, Mississippi State
9. Brooks Reed, Arizona
10. Mason Foster, Washington

Cornerbacks

We know LSU’s Patrick Peterson and Nebraska’s Prince Amukamara are the two premier players of the 2011 cornerback class.

What we don’t know is who the third best cornerback is.

There’s four possible prospects who are next in line after Peterson and Amukamara come off the board - Colorado’s Jimmy Smith, Miami’s Brandon Harris, Utah’s Brandon Burton and Texas’ Aaron Williams.

Smith, a tall, long, athletic corner, has the best chance out of the four to differentiate himself in workouts.

Right now, it’s difficult to get a good gauge on the stock of the three other big underclassmen, Burton, Williams and Harris.

All three are capable of going in either direction.

My small school combine sleeper: Richmond’s Justin Rogers

If Patrick Peterson does indeed run at the combine, I can’t imagine any other corner there who could beat his time.

Danny’s Top 10 CB Prospects
1. Patrick Peterson, LSU
2. Prince Amukamara, Nebraska
3. Jimmy Smith, Colorado
4. Brandon Burton, Utah
5. Aaron Williams, Texas
6. Brandon Harris, Miami
7. Kendric Burney, North Carolina
8. Justin Rogers, Richmond
9. Johnny Patrick, Louisville
10. Ras-I Dowling, Virginia

Safeties

For starters, there is no Eric Berry or Earl Thomas in the 2011 safety class.

Sorry fans of teams in desperate need of safety help, there aren’t any elite prospects this year. There might not even be a safety worthy of a first round pick.

The top guy right now is Rahim Moore of UCLA, who is a borderline first round talent that will probably have his stock overvalued a bit because of the lack of depth at the position.

Moore is a fundamentally sound defender and a great athlete who could start in the NFL for ten years, but he isn’t a true difference maker you would want out of a first round player.

Florida’s Ahmad Black and Oklahoma’s Quinton Carter are the top two senior safeties at this point. Carter has it all in front of him. He has a chance to really move up boards with a strong performance at the Combine.

Black might have a tough time overcoming the concerns about his size just with his pure workout numbers. He’s more a game field player than he is a t-shirt and shorts type prospect.

After the big three, it gets a bit hazy.

Guys like Clemson’s DeAndre McDaniel and Joe Lefeged out of Rutgers enter the conversation, but there are also a few juniors like West Virginia’s Robert Sands, Florida’s Will Hill and Iowa’s Tyler Sash, who are relatively unknown commodities at this point.

All three could solidify their draft positioning with solid workout numbers.

Danny’s Top  10 S Prospects
1. Rahim Moore, UCLA
2. Quinton Carter, Oklahoma
3. Ahmad Black, Florida
4. Robert Sands, West Virginia
5. DeAndre McDaniel, Clemson
6. Deunta Williams, North Carolina
7. Joe Lefeged, Rutgers
8. Tyler Sash, Iowa
9. Will Hill, Florida
10. Jaiquawn Jarrett, Temple