Before I get started with my combine preview, I just wanted to thank the Staybridge Suites City Centre for hosting me. It's a rockin' hotel room right in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. Literally if I were to walk out the door, I would be touching Lucas Oil Stadium (home of the Indianapolis Colts) in just 100 steps. So if you're traveling to Indy, stay with Staybridge Suites City Centre.
Now to the reason I'm here, the NFL Scouting Combine! With the first group just arriving today, I figured a position-by-position overview is in order. If you have any questions about the prospects, don't hesitate to e-mail me at JoeB@wgr550.com. If you're lucky you'll get your question answered in my Mailbag column.
Quarterbacks: King of the Mountain: Matthew Stafford, Georgia
- A 3-year starter in the SEC with a rocket arm. Questionable decision making, however. Potential High Riser: Josh Freeman, Kansas State
- Draws comparison to Daunte Culpepper because of his size. A big arm, but plays poorly in bigger games. Super Sleeper : Stephen McGee, Texas A&M
- A senior quarterback flushed out because the new head coach's system didn't fit him. Has nice mobility. How did I get here?: Curtis Painter, Purdue
- Completely regressed in his senior season, and worse yet lost the confidence of his coach.
Running Backs: King of the Mountain: Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
- Burst on to the scene two seasons ago, and runs incredibly well between the tackles. Potential High Riser: Kory Sheets, Purdue
- A hard worker that never gives up on a play. Had a very nice senior bowl week. Super Sleeper: Bernard Scott, Abilene Christian
- A man amongst boys in college. Rushed for 2,210 yards and 28 touchdowns this season. Character is a concern, however. How did I get here?: Ian Johnson, Boise State
- He's a great story, but a couple players left out had better cases for an invite than Johnson. Boise State can spin it all they want, but he lost his full-time job to an underclassmen.
Fullbacks: King of the Mountain: Tony Fiammetta, Syracuse
- The only time you'll see something to do with Syracuse football being at the top of anything. Relentless blocker. Potential High Riser: Brannan Southerland, Georgia
- By high riser for fullback standards, I mean getting drafted in rounds 5 or 6. Super Sleeper: Marcus Mailei, Weber State
- By super sleeper, I mean getting drafted at all. How did I get here?: None
- Only five fullbacks were invited to the combine.
Wide Receivers: King of the Mountain: Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
- Physicality and run after the catch abilities are tremendous. There's rumblings that he could measure in shorter than 6'3'", however. Potential High Riser: Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina
- Incredible hands, NFL-ready size, and has the ability to take over games. Super Sleeper: Brandon Gibson, Washington State
- Victimized in his senior season due to the Cougars' top 4 quarterbacks going down with injury. Could be a middle round steal. How did I get here?: Quinten Lawrence, McNeese State
- Had only 8 catches his senior season. Averaged 20 yards per catch in his junior year, but only on 31 receptions.
Tight Ends: King of the Mountain: Brandon Pettigrew, Oklahoma State
- Big, physical tight end that can get it done for run blocking purposes. Very athletic as well. Potential High Riser: Shawn Nelson, Southern Mississippi
- Extremely athletic with great ball skills. If he shows a vast improvement during blocking drills, he could land in the first round. Super Sleeper: James Casey, Rice
- A little bit older (24), but has tremendous hands and is used to bringing in a lot of receptions (111 in 2008). How did I get here?: Richard Quinn, North Carolina
- At 6'6" 250 lbs., I'm assuming he's there for blocking purposes. But come on, 12 career catches?!
Offensive Tackles: King of the Mountain: Andre Smith, Alabama
- Big body, dominating technique. Good in both pass and run. A recipe for success. Potential High Riser: Tony Kropog, Tulane
- Not known by many at this point, but a solid 2nd-3rd rounder with the potential to move in to the first with a good workout, along with a run on OT's. Super Sleeper: Gus Parrish, Kent State
- A very talented blocker hidden in the depths of the MAC. Had a great game against UB late in the year. How did I get here?: None
- All the offensive tackles participating at the combine are more talented and have more potential than those uninvited.
Offensive Guards: King of the Mountain: Duke Robinson, Oklahoma
- A four year starter that anchored the line for quite some time. Really hurt OU in the national championship with penalties though. Potential High Riser: Greg Isdaner, West Virginia
- An early entry with the talent to sneak in to the early third round. Super Sleeper: Seth Olsen, Iowa
- Performed well during all-star practices. Coming off an injury. How did I get here?: Travis Bright, BYU
- Struggled during all-star practices and has an injury history. Cedric Dockery (Texas) deserved an invite over him.
Centers: King of the Mountain: Alex Mack, California
- Has enough ability to sneak in to the first round a la Nick Mangold in 2006. Potential High Riser: Eric Wood, Louisville
- Max Unger is rated higher because of his versatility, but I think Wood's got him beat. Super Sleeper: A.Q. Shipley, Penn State
- A mid to late round steal as it is. Possesses incredible tenacity. How did I get here?: Rob Bruggeman, Iowa
- Undersized and over-matched by physical defensive tackles.
Defensive Ends: King of the Mountain: Brian Orakpo, Texas
- Barely beats out Everette Brown for these honors. Potential High Riser: Robert Ayers, Tennessee
- He's been making waves since the season ended and that could translate in to a Day One pick. Didn't start before 2008, however. Super Sleeper: Lawrence Sidbury, Richmond
- I just have a good feeling about his pro potential when I'm watching him during practices and games. How did I get here?: Derek Walker, Illinois
- The second best defensive end on a poor defense. Jeremy Lomax (Georgia) deserved an invite.
Defensive Tackles: King of the Mountain: B.J. Raji, Boston College
- Might as well just name it "Mount Busari" because no one is going to take him off this perch. Busari is his real name, if you were wondering. Potential High Riser: Fili Moala, USC
- I'm getting some flack for liking this kid so much, but I think he's just a solid defensive tackle that has nice speed and will fit right in to a 4-3 scheme. Super Sleeper: Terrance Taylor, Michigan
- One of the few bright spots on a really, really bad Wolverines team. How did I get here?: Khalif Mitchell, East Carolina
- Had to transfer away from North Carolina to get some playing time, and ended his final season on the injured list.
Outside Linebackers: King of the Mountain: Aaron Curry, Wake Forest
- The first of a few Wake Forest defenders that will be selected come draft day. Top 5 pick. Potential High Riser: Clint Sintim, Virginia
- An outside linebacker that played in the 3-4 scheme in college. With so many teams switching to that style of defense, there might just be a considerable market for Sintim. A 2nd rounder as of now. Super Sleeper: Zach Follett, California
- A hard-worker with the knack for making big plays. How did I get here?: Moise Fokou, Maryland
- Fokou is on the wrong side of the 7th round to undrafted territory as of now.
Inside Linebackers: King of the Mountain: Rey Maualuga, USC
- The buzz on the street is that maybe he's lost a little of his explosiveness. I'll believe it when I see it. Potential High Riser: Gerald McGrath, Southern Mississippi
- Always around the football during his junior season. Led the team in tackles by a wide margin. Super Sleeper: Scott McKillop, Pittsburgh
- Under the radar type that quite simply made plays on a consistent basis. A Jordan Dizon-esque player. How did I get here?: Morris Wooten, Arizona State
- To be fair, Wooten was never even on my radar. A shock of an invite.
Cornerbacks: King of the Mountain: Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State
- He's been ready for the NFL since the end of his junior year. Potential High Riser: Sean Smith, Utah
- He and Paul Kruger (defensive end) were the leaders of the Utes' defense in their unblemished campaign. Has the speed and the smarts. Must work out well to jump in to the end of the first round. Super Sleeper: Coye Francies, San Jose State
- Turned some heads at the senior bowl practices. A tall (6'0") and physical corner. How did I get here?: Ladarius Webb, Nicholls State
- Although undersized, Tony Carter (Florida State) played well enough in three years of starting to warrant an invitation.
Safeties: King of the Mountain: Rashad Johnson, Alabama
- Probably the weakest position in the draft, but Johnson could sneak in to round one. Potential High Riser: Louis Delmas, Western Michigan
- Great in finding the football, but has the tendency to commit too early. Super Sleeper: Jamarca Sanford, Mississippi
- A nice strong safety that played very well against the most NFL-ready conference in all the land. How did I get here?: Jerald Martin, Troy
- I consider myself to be well-educated with draft prospects. But I've never even heard of this kid. I hope he proves me wrong.
And finally, the "So my NFL Scouting Combine invitation got lost in the mail, right?" Team:
These are all players I think warrant draft consideration.
QB: Willie Tuitama, Arizona (Runner up: Brian Johnson, Utah) HB: Marcus Thigpen, Indiana (Runner up: Devin Moore, Wyoming) FB: Willie Tau'ufo'ou, California (Runner up: Brock Bolen, Louisville) WR: D.J. Boldin, Wake Forest (Runner up: Greg Carr, Florida State) TE: Ryan Purvis, Boston College (Runner up: Darius Hill, Ball State) OT: Fred Roland, Duke (Runner up: Michael Tepper, California) OG: Cedric Dockery, Texas (Runner up: Jeff Byers, San Jose State) C: Blake Schlueter, TCU (Runner up: Ryan McDonald, Illinois) DE: Jeremy Lomax, Georgia (Runner up: Eric Moncur, Miami) DT: George Hypolite, Coloardo (Runner up: John Gill, Northwestern) OLB: Maurice Crum, Notre Dame (Runner up: Brian Toal, Boston College) ILB: Frantz Joseph, Florida Atlantic (Runner up: Jamar Chaney, Miss St.) CB: Tony Carter, Florida State (Runner up: James Williams, Southern Conn.) S: Anthony Reddick, Miami (Runner up: Reshad Langford, Vanderbilt)
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