Combine Offense Winners and Losers

First the Offense

1. LOUIS VASQUEZ, OL, TEXAS TECH- The guy dominated the weight lifting portion of workouts. He played too much in college to be considered a workout warrior so his work on the bench press won’t go unnoticed.

2. JOHNNY KNOX, WR, ABILENE-CHRISTIAN- Any time a receiver runs a forty yard dash in the 4.4 range or faster, they are going to get some hype. Congrats to this small school guy for getting himself on the minds of scouts.

3. CEDRIC PEERMAN, RB, VIRGINIA- The running backs group was obviously slower forty yard dash-wise than people hoped for.  He ran the fastest of any back their and that will easily improve his stock at least to a degree.

4. LYDON MURTHA, OL, NEBRASKA- This guy got a late invite to the combine and really showed off his athleticism. He is near the top of most of the top performer lists for the drills he participated in at Indy.  Now he might switch to tight end I’ve heard. At any rate he definitely put himself into position to be drafted which wasn’t the case previously.

5.  JARED COOK, TE, SOUTH CAROLINA- He led the tight ends in forty yard dash times with a real solid 4.5. This time moves him up a lot. He will probably get drafted on the first day for sure.

6. SHAWN NELSON, TE, SOUTHERN MISS- He had a great Senior Bowl and was able to keep the momentum going with a strong combine. He was second in the forty times and also moved himself into the first day of picks.

7. DARRIUS HEYWARD-BEY, WR, MARYLAND- Ran a rediculous 4.3 in the forty. With Crabtree getting hurt, Darrius is hoping to vault himself up draft boards. He will definitely not go past the second round at this point.

8. PAT WHITE, QB, WEST VIRGINIA- Some on-lookers said he was the most impressive QB at the combine. I won’t go that far but running a 4.5 forty and not looking out of place during the passing drills is a definite plus. He plans to workout at his pro-day both as a WR and a QB. Good thinking champ. This kid is going to find a way to make an impact for a team at the next level.

9.  STEPHEN MCGEE, QB, TEXAS A&M- He ran a 4.7 and looked decent throwing.  He fits a play-action rollout system really nicely in my eyes. Despite getting hurt during the year, he has done enough to get some looks once more.

10. MARK SANCHEZ, QB, USC- Though his passing performances during the drills weren’t jaw-dropping, it was his interviews with teams that really set him up nicely for draft day. There were possible questions regarding his character and leadership but it seems they were likely answered for several teams.

11. PATRICK TURNER, WR, USC- He did not run the forty but looked really smooth in receiving drills. He demonstrated good hands and as good of footwork as many of the smaller receivers who will likely be slot guys. Turner has the height as everyone knows, but with a good pro day 40 time, he will really improve his value even more.

12. JASON SMITH, T, BAYLOR- Everyone knows he is athletic because he is a former tight end. He needed to demonstrate the strength of an NFL offensive lineman. He did that by tying for fourth overall in the bench press category for o-linemen at the combine. He’s set himself up to be a top ten choice at this point.

13. AARON KELLY, WR, CLEMSON- He might have shed the possession receiver label a little by running a decent forty. He is stuck in a good group of receivers though and probably will get picked up in the third or fourth round.

LOSERS ON OFFENSE

1. JAISON WILLIAMS, WR, OREGON- Really fought the ball instead of smoothly making catches. Has good size and might have to switch to tight end. Will probably get picked up late now.

2. DERRICK WILLIAMS, WR, PENN STATE- Was expected to look really fast. I mean he was Mr. do everything in college including returning kicks and punts. Instead ran rather slow in the 4.6s and hurt his stock some.

3. MOHAMED MASSAQUOI, WR, GEORGIA- So much for me giving him props for looking smooth in Senior Bowl workouts before getting hurt and helping his stock. He ran in the 4.6 range and definitely dropped his stock now.

4. NATE SWIFT, WR, NEBRASKA- I loved this guy on film and hoped he could put in an ok forty to get himself drafted late. Instead he ran in the 4.6 range and did not distinguish himself. I thought he looked ok in receiving drills but he did not do enough to definitely get drafted.

5. ANDRE SMITH, T, ALABAMA- As everyone knows, he left the combine and the Indy officials were going crazy. This is because the officials were responsible for him, and he was eventually found at the airport in Georgia. Wow this guy is really hurting his draft stock. He went from definite top five to way later in the first round. Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe both have moved ahead of him position-wise.

6. BRANDON PETTIGREW, TE, OKLAHOMA STATE- Ran a forty in the 4.8 range. This shows he will not be able to run  a successful seam route at the next level which is not a good thing. He was ranked as the best tight end by far. Now Cook and Nelson among others are starting to gain ground. Basically Pettigrew can catch and block but not run well while others can catch and run but not block as well.

7. CHRIS WELLS, RB, OHIO STATE- Ran a 4.59 forty, which is not great. Could have made himself the top running back prospect with a nice workout. Now the running back ratings are cloudy.

8. NATE DAVIS, QB, BALL STATE- Maybe I am crazy but he looked a lot faster while playing.  He ran a 4.9 forty which might hurt his stock because he doesn’t have great size.

9. RASHAD JENNINGS, RB, LIBERTY- I was excited to see the small school prospect perform. He first ran a solid forty in the 4.4 range I believe. Then his next run was in the 4.7 range. Scouts asked him to run again because of the huge difference in times. His third run was again in the 4.7 range so that hurts him some.