Here is a brief list of some defensive players who helped themselves and others who may have hurt their cause at this week’s NFL Combine.
WINNERS
1. Dontari Poe DT, Memphis – Poe is a 350 pound monster who absoultely destroyed the Combine. This big man ran a sub 5.0 forty and showed amazing agility and athleticism in the drills. Poe was once thought of as strictly a nose tackle in a 3-4 but after showing great mobility and quickness is now viewed as a guy who can play multiple positions in various defensive schemes. It would be shocking if he isn’t off the board within the first 20 picks.
2. Nick Perry OLB/DE, USC – Perry solidified himself a spot in round 1 with his strong Combine performance. He ran a 4.6 forty, benched 225 35 times, had the best vertical jump of all d-lineman, and even had the best broad jump.
3. Mychal Kendricks LB, CAL – Kendricks posted a blazing 40 time, and then went on to rip up every other drill he participated in. He was pegged by many as a day 3 prospect before the Combine but now looks like a solid second day choice.
4. Luke Kuechly LB, Boston College – No one questioned Kuechly’s on field production heading into the Combine, it was his overall athleticism and speed that worried scouts. He answered all those questions in Indy. He ran much better than anyone expected, posting a 4.58 forty, looked fluid and smooth in drills, and showed off his power in the bench press. He is now a lock to go in the top 15 with the Eagles being the favorite at this point.
5. Dwight Bill Bentlely CB, Louisiana Lafayette - Bentley has continued to work the draftseason amazingly well. He followed up a strong Senior Bowl week with a very good showing at the Combine. He ran a blazing 40 and showed well in the other drills and testing. It wouldn’t shock anyone to see him go in the second or early third round.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Melvin Ingram DE/OLB, South Carolina
Ronnell Leiws DE/OLB, Oklahoma
Andre Branch OLB/DE, Clemson
Josh Robinson CB, UCF
Jamel Fleming CB, Oklahoma
Jayron Hosely CB, Va. Tech
LOSERS
1. Vontaze Burfict LB, ASU – Burfict’s Combine couldn’t have gone much worse. He ran a 5.09 4o time which was slower than most offensive and defensive lineman. His vertical jump was a flaccid 30′. There were many rumblings that he also interviewed badly. He’ll need a great pro-day to get his stock back in the green, but as of now Burfict looks to have fallen from a potential first rounder to a probable day 3 pick.
2. Jerel Worthy DT, Michigan St. – Worthy didn’t have a great Combine. He didn’t perform near the top in any of his drills and he had a lot of extra fat on his belly in the weigh in. He’s a bit of a wild card at this point and could still go anywhere from late round 1 to sometime in round 3.
3. Michael Brockers DT, LSU- Many have Brockers pegged as a top 10 pick but his Combine did nothing to confirm such a high grade. He is a beast of a man with gangly limbs. He stood 6’5 and weighed in at 322 pounds, which was 16 pounds heavier than he was during his last game at LSU. His 5.309 40 time was just barely faster than Rich Eisen’s and he only benched 225 19 times, which many defensvie backs half his size bested. Brockers is still going to be a high pick but he’ll need to perform better at his Pro Day if he wants a sniff at the top 10.
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