Combine Rise or Fall

The combine is over and free agency has started. Whether we like it or not the combine is held in the highest regard when it comes to scouts. A player can have a good college career but a poor combine and his college career is forgotten for a while. Its time to look back at who helped their draft stockand whose draft stock fell. We will start by looking at the players that had a poor combine and who really hurt their draft stock. Jonathan Dwyer, the Georgia Tech running back, did not show a great quickness and had trouble catching passes out of the backfield. Dwyer also ran 4.6 40 yard dash time which really hurt. Dwyer is looking at being drafted in the second or third rounds of the draft. Florida cornerback Joe Haden also did not have a good combine. Haden ran a 4.57 40 yard dash time. Sadly the 40 yard dash is held in high regard and a poor 40 time at the combine hurts your draft stock. Without a great showing at his pro day, it looks like Haden is going to possibly drop out of the top 10.
There are 3 players that really helped their draft stock a lot. The first is the relatively unknown tight end out of Pittsburgh, Dorin Dickerson. Coming into the combine Dickerson was projected as a day 3 pick. At the combine Dickerson out ran all the tight ends and even most of the running backs and wide receivers. Dickerson showed awesome athleticism. If Dickerson would have come out of a championship contender team he would probably be the number one tight end off the board. As it stands right now Dickerson is a lock for a day 2 appearance. The second player that helped their draft stock is University of Southern California safety Taylor Mays. At last years draft Mays was projected as a top 5 pick, he decided to stay and finish his career at USC. Mays had a very poor year and after a bad senior bowl. Before the combine Taylor Mays was looking as a round two pick. However, after much controversy at the combine Mays has emerged again as a first round pick. Mays was clocked at a variance of times from 4.19 to 4.24 but when it was time for the official run Mays was recorded at 4.43, which was still the fastest time of all defensive backs. The controversy just continued for Mays. Mays then ran against Clemson wide receiver Jacoby Ford, who ran the fastest combine time of a 4.28, and was step for step until Mays beat Ford. Nevertheless Mays showed a great athleticism and a passion for the game which should put Mays back into the first round. The final player that really helped their draft stock was Maryland Offensive Tackle Bruce Campbell. On film Campbell still has a lot to learn but he is a physical freak who has a lot of potential. Campbell showed that at the combine this year. Campbell showed that he is one of the most athletic offensive tackles to ever enter the NFL. Campbell wowed everyone at the combine when he ran a 4.85 40 time, a sub 5 time for an offensive tackle is virtually unheard of. With such a great combine look for Bruce Campbell to be wearing black and silver next year after he is drafted number 8 by the Oakland Raiders.

Check back in a few days for my day one mock draft that is updated with the recent signing and post combine hype. I will do one more mock draft after this one to reflect all of free agency as well as different players pro days.