2014 NFL Combine: Monday Recap

Defensive Linemen:

As if an entire summer and a challenging season weren't enough, Monday's session at the Scouting Combine provided the largest platform yet for members of both sides to air their grievances in regard to super-freak defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. It's hard to imagine a 6'5, 266 pound defensive lineman running a 4.53 40 (with an equally impressive 1.56 10 yard split) and jumping a 37.5" vertical and only holding serve. However, with Clowney's athleticism so well-documented, his performance before half the national left their house for work accomplished just that. Then came the backlash. Criticisms of his average 21 reps on the combine (Robert Quinn had 22 and seems to be doing fine in the NFL) kicked off the show a day early. Questions of his work ethic, maturity, and leadership potential sought to undermine his collegiate body of work. Though teams have a better pulse of his character through interviews and thorough research, it's hard to imagine him slipping past the first team willing to set aside their need for quarterback.

Not far behind Clowney, Pittsburgh's Aaron Donald put on quite a show this morning in his own regard. At 6'1 and 285 pounds, Donald is an interior linemen drawing a flurry of comparisons to Geno Atkins. With a 4.68 40 and an unbelievable 1.59 10 yard split (the average for safeties since 2000 at the Combine is 1.58), there's reason behind it. Donald also posted a 7.11 3-cone time that ties for 5th best among defensive tackles over the same time span. Though his size presents some limitations based on scheme, his disruptiveness and productivity in college should translate to the pro system. Building off of an impressive Senior Bowl performance, Donald has the type of potential around which a scheme can be defined.

I was also impressed by North Carolina's Kareem Martin. With 19 sacks and 25 run stuffs over his career as a 3-year defensive starter, he measured in at 6'6 and 272 pounds with 35" arms. His length and ability against the run made him a solid mid-round prospect, but after running the 40 in 4.72 seconds and an elite get-off at 1.53 seconds over 10 yards, he should climb over the coming weeks. At 7.20 seconds in the 3-cone, he shows ample flexibility and change-of-direction to succeed at the next level. Punctuating his week with a 35.5" vertical and a 10'9" broad jump, Martin is an intriguing prospect with lower body explosiveness. Similarly, Bloomsburg's Larry Webster also highlighted the morning's sideline drills combining impressive length and athleticism. At 6'6 and 252 pounds, his future is a little less definitive at the next level, but his 4.58 40 (1.57 10 yard split), 36.5" vertical, and 10'3" broad jump give upside to teams looking for a raw project pass rusher.

Heading in the opposite direction, Michael Sam failed to build a case for himself as an immediate starting-caliber prospect. Though an SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Sam's lack of explosion (4.91 40, 25.5" vertical) and limited change-of-direction ability (7.80) will give pause to teams in the draft. Sam has potential as a situational pass rusher off the bench, but will now likely have to wait until at least day three to find a home.

Linebackers:

At linebacker, Buffalo's Khalil Mack kept the momentum building in the right direction after a successful season at school. Mack's numbers across the board from sprints to jumps to change-of-direction finished near the top of the pack justifying his standing as a top prospect in this year's draft. His combination of explosiveness, closing speed, and balance suggest that he will be a disruptive pass rusher at the next level. And despite giving two inches to UCLA's Anthony Barr, Mack's 33 ¼-inch arms are only a ¼-inch shy of Barr's. Though Barr generally gave a couple tenths and inches to Mack in most of the drill's his 6.82 cone drill—the most important of the Combine tests for a pass rusher—ranks 11th among outside linebackers since 2000. In comparison, his time falls short of Von Miller's 6.70, on par with DeMarcus Ware's 6.85, and a hair better than Clay Matthew's 6.90.

From a pure athleticism standpoint, Boston College's Kevin Pierre-Louis made noise. At 6'1, 232, he ran a 4.51 40, 4.02 short shuttle, and a 6.92 3-cone, which demonstrates his potential as a 3-down linebacker at the next level. In the right scheme, Pierre-Louis's skillset will be heavily coveted. Ohio State's Ryan Shazier also demonstrated his explosiveness with a 42" vertical and 10'10" broad jump that set the pace in each of those drills today. Though he didn't run the 40 yard dash, his movement numbers were also among the best at his position.

At inside linebacker, I was excited to see Chris Borland and CJ Mosley, though both were relatively quiet today, doing nothing to make waves. Mosley has the size of an inside linebacker at 6'2, 234 and the frame and quickness to add weight as necessary. Today, he didn't do anything to shine and elected not to run a 40, but moved neither up or down with his performance in Indy. Borland's 4.83 40 was a little disappointing, but shouldn't detract too much from the player we saw at Wisconsin. Other linebackers with a similar frame to run a similar time include Stephen Tulloch, Curtis Lofton, and Lofa Tatupu. Given his other measurements coming in slightly above average, his performance at the Combine shouldn't hurt his draft stock.

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