Combine thread

[Icness]

I'm taking the 200-mile trip down US 31 to Indianapolis once again for the Combine. I will use this thread to post more "insidery" stuff than I care to put in the daily blogs that will be on the front page here. Read that as:
Come here for better dirt on free agency, trades, and what teams are serious about what players.

I do not place much stock in the actual physical portions of the Combine unless the numbers are very surprising one way or the other. I do pay a great deal of attention to interviews, and I'm lucky enough to get to sit in with a team while they do them for a couple of days. If you want to ooh and aah over 40 times, go ahead but I will not bite.

Precursor thoughts:
The Combine workouts are more important for three players than any others IMO: Jermaine Gresham, Terrence Cody, and Colt McCoy. I've heard that in training Gresham can't break 4.8 in the 40. It's one thing to be a little on the slow side, it's another when some tackles are faster than you. Cody is all about weight; if he's under about 355 he's probably a 1st rounder but if he's still right at 370 he's not drafted in the top 50. McCoy has to show his shoulder is fine and his accuracy is fine when he throws it as hard as he can, something he has not shown in games.

The three players that everyone will go ape over for workout numbers that truly don't mean a thing: Taylor Mays, Dezmon Briscoe--if he runs the 4.38 he claims he's doing in training, and Patrick Robinson. Lack of football IQ is a very tangible ceiling.

Once again everyone will go crazy over the cocktail sauce at St. Elmo's. Once again I'll be dining one night with a current Dir. of Player Personnel and another with an agent at different places than that overhyped place. And once again I will "volunteer" to head to a strip club to see if any players or coaches are there. Hey, the days in the Combine themselves are tortuously boring, gotta unwind a little...

[Flaming Mo]

Looking forward to your reports, have a good time...

And great point about the 40 times and all that stuff, people are way to concerned with such stuff.

[asdf1223]

Good stuff man. Could you do a ceiling/floor for bunch of high profile prospects? You usually mention it during your reports mock drafts etc.. but i would love to see a compilation. Also some free agent predictions?

[JustBlaze]

Thanks Icness.

I'm looking forward to reading it

[BigBurd]

I'm excited to see the updates!

[Goon_Slapper]

Thanks for posting all of this. I look forward to reading it.

Do certain teams take a lot of stock in the Combines? Meaning, does a players draft status change with a particular team if they go lights out at the combine (i'm guessing certain teams do this, but not all)?

I read on one of the websites that one particular team has 90% of the draft board lined up, and the combine wont mean too much, other than the interviews. They feel that they have enough game film on the players to have a good feeling on their draft board. It sounds like this is your approach too. I would think that most teams would have this philosophy, but I'm guessing this doesn't happen all the time.

I'm hoping the Bills stick with the "known" players and gets a LT in the first.

[hermes]

And once again I will "volunteer" to head to a strip club to see if any players or coaches are there. Hey, the days in the Combine themselves are tortuously boring, gotta unwind a little...

someone has to take one for the team

[Icness]

Thanks for posting all of this. I look forward to reading it.

Do certain teams take a lot of stock in the Combines? Meaning, does a players draft status change with a particular team if they go lights out at the combine (i'm guessing certain teams do this, but not all)?

I read on one of the websites that one particular team has 90% of the draft board lined up, and the combine wont mean too much, other than the interviews. They feel that they have enough game film on the players to have a good feeling on their draft board. It sounds like this is your approach too. I would think that most teams would have this philosophy, but I'm guessing this doesn't happen all the time.

I'm hoping the Bills stick with the "known" players and gets a LT in the first.

Great question. I can only speak for the teams that I "know" their boards, and it's about half and half. It's not that the boards are set and the Combine pointless, but it means a lot less to some teams than others. As an example, I know when Bruce Allen (now with the Skins) was running the Bucs he used the Combine to reinforce opinions and make sure the players checked out medically and met some physical baselines based on position. I suspect most teams do that.

Then there are teams that are looking for athletes to "wow" them in Indy. Most of those teams wind up picking higher in the draft, and often. A lot of teams like to see how the small-school players and lesser knowns handle the exposure and running with the big dogs, both physically and socially. I know New England places a great deal of emphasis on that. The pre-Hurney Panthers were noted for delving deep on that. You see that come out in later-round picks or maybe when they snatch a guy like that a round or two earlier than expected, a la Vollmer last year.

[studcrackers]

any chance the cowboys trade up for a safety? id love to land earl thomas

the 2 guys that interest me right now is thomas and pouncey from florida. unless of course the idaho guard falls to us (id say unlikely but perhaps teams shy away from a guard in the 1st)

[Celtics_Champs]

Love the combine. Lots of people say it's over-rated but I tune in every year and watch. Addicting.

[Liqourish]

Hey Ice, any word on why DT Arthur Jones isn't going to work out at the combine? They said he's not injured and is "100% healthy".

[Icness]

http://www.realgmfootball.com/src_encro ... on_friday/

Additional notes:
I erred in the notes there on JPP not facing any draftable tackles in the Big East, forgetting Anthony Davis of Rutgers. If any of y'all are among the emailers that called me on it, thanks

Dez Bryant did himself no favors by signing with agent Eugene Parker, he of the notorious rookie WR holdout history. The personnel people on the team I'm working with automatically downgrade every one of his clients for the trouble in negotiations and I know they're not alone.

I was taken aback by how physically big Sam Bradford is, much bigger in person than on film. I'm less concerned about his durability, although he does seem kind of tight muscled.

Once again the Tebow circus is embarrassing. Everywhere he goes a train of cameras and reporters follow along. It's like he's a reality TV show. I hung out for a bit with Dan Lefevour and all sorts of media people wandered by and didn't even look at him.

I'm not able to watch any of the actual on-field workouts, I'll be sitting in on team interviews today. Sadly I cannot divulge the interview Q & A's (stupid contracts!) but it's a lot better than watching guys in glamourized spandex running around doing nothing important.

[Celtics_Champs]

I hope Vladimir Ducasse has a nice showing. You never see a Umass guy get drafted early.

Edit: Wow, Bruce Cambpell has been beasting at this combine. Fastest 40 for a line man, and jumped outta the sky on the vertical drill.

[Rafael122]

Campbell just screams BUST to me.

[Celtics_Champs]

Campbell just screams BUST to me.

Maybe. I'm not saying draft this guy cause of what he did at the combine, but damn that's impressive.

[Mike Hunt]

I only saw him running as they were switching to commercial but that Veldheer guy is huge and looked very fluid running.

Campbell was very impressive.

They talked up Okung's athleticism, but he sure didn't look pretty running (hunched over in a funny manner), though his times were still reasonable. In all other (relevant) areas he looked fine though (in no way did he seem to hurt his draft stock).

[Icness]

Just sent in the notes for today, check the main page later on.

Stuff not in those:
--everyone expects the Chargers to work out a long-term deal with Sproles and that they didn't tag him because they want him to see for himself that he's not going to get that kind of $$. Interesting strategy, reminds me of Carlos Boozer and my Cavaliers a few years back. Hopefully Chargers fans don't feel that pain!

--Indianapolis has the worst radio stations of any big city I've ever been to. We've got more variety and better flow in Grand Rapids. Man I miss my Sirius...had to drive my wife's car down here.

--the Anquan Bolden trade talks are getting warmer. No idea where though, just hearing a lot of chatter that he won't be back in Arizona and they sure as hell aren't just giving him away.

--Unofficial poll of some media people and some coaches who would bite on Philly's QBs:
9 think Kolb next year
7 think McNabb
and 2 said both. The more I hear, the more I believe they're going to deal McNabb...but that's just a gut feeling, not based on anything factual.

--Mel Kiper is not here, and there is clearly a lot of bad blood between NFL Network and ESPN people. Not necessarily the talking heads, but the behind-the-scenes crew and the execs clearly are not friendly.

[Rafael122]

I watched some of the OL at the combine, doing cones and stuff. Is it the clothes they were wearing, is it just me...or do these linemen look small? The only guy that I said "man, he's huge" was Trent Williams. Everyone else looked like they weigh 280 pounds.

[Mike Hunt]

I was glad to hear that everybody seems to think LeFevour's making a mistake in not throwing at the combine. I just don't understand. He has the chance to be seen by all the teams in the league, but instead, will likely only draw a fraction of them to his pro-day. I can understand not throwing if you've got something to lose but the guy's not being graded very high. I would have loved to have seen him throw.

[studcrackers]

jeff, there is a internet myth that john clayton has a ponytail, can you confirm or deny?