Since nobody is interested in hearing my breakdown of every player, so I'm simply going to mention observations from watching individual drills by group. Day 3 is the “front 7” day at the combine seeing the defensive lineman and linebackers. A number of the players in the respective groups appear to have the flexibility to play at multiple positions, which is especially important with the wide variety of sets seen by individual teams in the NFL these days.
Defensive Line
40 yard dash
The full 40 isn't too meaningful to these guys beyond pride, but the 10 yard split is more crucial here than with any other position. At this point even most of the DTs run sub 5. Some of the players put down 10-yard splits in the low 1.6s, including Sam Acho at 1.60s dead, Chris Carter at 1.62s, Marvin Austin at 1.63s and Ryan Kerrigan 1.65s. For reference, yesterday's average 10-yard split was 1.63s. It's worth mentioning that Dontay Moch ran a 4.44 with 1.61 10-yard split, which would be right at home at safety, quite impressive for a guy that played DE at Nevada.
Bench Press
Like the offensive lineman, the bench is unlikely to build your draft stock, but a poor showing could be disastrous or signal a need to move to LB. Stephen Paea deserves mention here with his unbelievable 49 reps, which is the best total this millennium at the combine by any player at any position. He also out lifted all other players this year by 11 reps, barring an absurd total by a DB tomorrow.
On-field Drills and Footwork
The players in this years class seem more athletic than I can every remember. The 300+ pound D-tackles can now run like OLBs a decade ago. Most of the defensive ends move around like LBs, which is probably good because they will likely need to drop into coverage at some point with all of the new NFL schemes.
Other notes
Ryan Kerrigan needs a haircut. This year's class at DL looks spectacular, which is good news for a lot of teams. I wouldn't be surprised if 1/4 of this season's 1st round was composed of guys that played as down lineman in college. Both Nick Fairley of Auburn and Marcell Dareus of Alabama look like top end Dts, but teams will likely be looking at them as the next Suh. I'm not sure either is quite at that level, but they could have a Gerald McCoy type impact as rookies. One of the drills required the lineman to drop back into coverage and try to catch a pass, which showed that hands is a rare skill at this position.
Linebackers
40 yard dash
This event certainly matters more for linebackers than for DLs, especially for coverage guys, OLBs in the 4-3 and middle linebackers in the Cover 2. Martez Wilson from Illinois was the only man to break 4.5 today, just barely, with 4.49 which is surprising given his impressive size, 6'4” 250lb. Von Miller of Texas A&M (4.53) and the undersized Brian Rolle of Ohio St. (4.56) were the only others to break 4.6 among the LBs. Rolle is only 5'10”, 229lbs which means he'll need to prove that he has elite instincts and solid tackling ability if he's ever going to start at the NFL level.
Footwork, Coverage and Mobility
Nobody really jumped out at me in this set of drills, except for Akeem Ayers of UCLA. He possessed the quickness and agility of much smaller player than his 6'3” 254lb frame would suggest. Von Miller obviously has talent, but he seemed to be pressing all day. When he just calms down and plays his game, he is clearly one of the best if not the best LB prospect in this draft. A few of the smaller LBs looked like safeties with their mobility, but none of them possess the speed to match up against pro receivers downfield. Guys that meet this criteria are Mike Mohamed of Cal, Adrian Moten of Maryland and Lawrence Wilson of Connecticut.
Other notes
Mark Herzlich was a top notch prospect before cancer, now that he's recovered, he no longer looks like a first round talent. Despite that he'd probably be one of the best reaches a team could possibly make because he leads this group in intangibles. The natural leadership and camaraderie of LBs as a group was clear throughout the afternoon. More than any other group, these guys were rooting each other on, high fiving, and generally enjoying football. Due to an injury, Clay Matthews younger brother, Casey was unable to participate in the combine. Luckily for him his bloodlines will likely get him drafted earlier than a guy with the same skills, but with a different name.
Defensive Line
40 yard dash
The full 40 isn't too meaningful to these guys beyond pride, but the 10 yard split is more crucial here than with any other position. At this point even most of the DTs run sub 5. Some of the players put down 10-yard splits in the low 1.6s, including Sam Acho at 1.60s dead, Chris Carter at 1.62s, Marvin Austin at 1.63s and Ryan Kerrigan 1.65s. For reference, yesterday's average 10-yard split was 1.63s. It's worth mentioning that Dontay Moch ran a 4.44 with 1.61 10-yard split, which would be right at home at safety, quite impressive for a guy that played DE at Nevada.
Bench Press
Like the offensive lineman, the bench is unlikely to build your draft stock, but a poor showing could be disastrous or signal a need to move to LB. Stephen Paea deserves mention here with his unbelievable 49 reps, which is the best total this millennium at the combine by any player at any position. He also out lifted all other players this year by 11 reps, barring an absurd total by a DB tomorrow.
On-field Drills and Footwork
The players in this years class seem more athletic than I can every remember. The 300+ pound D-tackles can now run like OLBs a decade ago. Most of the defensive ends move around like LBs, which is probably good because they will likely need to drop into coverage at some point with all of the new NFL schemes.
Other notes
Ryan Kerrigan needs a haircut. This year's class at DL looks spectacular, which is good news for a lot of teams. I wouldn't be surprised if 1/4 of this season's 1st round was composed of guys that played as down lineman in college. Both Nick Fairley of Auburn and Marcell Dareus of Alabama look like top end Dts, but teams will likely be looking at them as the next Suh. I'm not sure either is quite at that level, but they could have a Gerald McCoy type impact as rookies. One of the drills required the lineman to drop back into coverage and try to catch a pass, which showed that hands is a rare skill at this position.
Linebackers
40 yard dash
This event certainly matters more for linebackers than for DLs, especially for coverage guys, OLBs in the 4-3 and middle linebackers in the Cover 2. Martez Wilson from Illinois was the only man to break 4.5 today, just barely, with 4.49 which is surprising given his impressive size, 6'4” 250lb. Von Miller of Texas A&M (4.53) and the undersized Brian Rolle of Ohio St. (4.56) were the only others to break 4.6 among the LBs. Rolle is only 5'10”, 229lbs which means he'll need to prove that he has elite instincts and solid tackling ability if he's ever going to start at the NFL level.
Footwork, Coverage and Mobility
Nobody really jumped out at me in this set of drills, except for Akeem Ayers of UCLA. He possessed the quickness and agility of much smaller player than his 6'3” 254lb frame would suggest. Von Miller obviously has talent, but he seemed to be pressing all day. When he just calms down and plays his game, he is clearly one of the best if not the best LB prospect in this draft. A few of the smaller LBs looked like safeties with their mobility, but none of them possess the speed to match up against pro receivers downfield. Guys that meet this criteria are Mike Mohamed of Cal, Adrian Moten of Maryland and Lawrence Wilson of Connecticut.
Other notes
Mark Herzlich was a top notch prospect before cancer, now that he's recovered, he no longer looks like a first round talent. Despite that he'd probably be one of the best reaches a team could possibly make because he leads this group in intangibles. The natural leadership and camaraderie of LBs as a group was clear throughout the afternoon. More than any other group, these guys were rooting each other on, high fiving, and generally enjoying football. Due to an injury, Clay Matthews younger brother, Casey was unable to participate in the combine. Luckily for him his bloodlines will likely get him drafted earlier than a guy with the same skills, but with a different name.
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