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NFL Combine Thoughts
Ken via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
So, the NFL Combine is finally over. I also understand that the Buckeyes had quite a few players invited to the combine; 14 to be exact. I’ll look at some of the Buckeyes’ Combine performance and offer brief thoughts on what it means in regards to the upcoming NFL Draft, April 28-30.
Joey Bosa
Let’s get this out of the way.
From Bleacher Report’s Ian Wharton:
Short-area quickness and lower-body explosion are the most important traits for a pass-rusher. Bosa excelled in the drills that test those physical capabilities. The three cone, short shuttle and broad jump are what evaluators pay attention to for these traits.
Wharton nailed it with this assessment. Defensive line ply is about short-track agility and quickness. There tends to be a lot of ‘wash’, a lot of clutter that defensive linemen need to work their way through/around. The drills indicate that Bosa can do this. The game film confirms that he has done this.
About that 40-yard time, again from Wharton:
While his 40 time wasn’t elite, a 4.86 at his size is nothing to brush off. Bosa has the production, disruption ability and athleticism to be a long-term impact starter. That’s worth a top-five pick.
Listen, if you are an NFL general manager and you are relying on your d-linemen making plays 40 yards downfield, you have way bigger issues to address. Joey will be fine; his body of work at Ohio State speaks for itself. He’ll be a high draft pick.
Darren Lee
We know that Darren Lee is a play-maker. We know he is fast. The Combine showed us just how fast he is. Sub-4.5 (4.47 to be exact) was his recorded speed. That was the fastest of the linebackers. He also (for linebackers) had the top result in he broad jump and placed 5th in vertical leap. OK, so now we know that Darren is very athletic. Again, fans have reference to lee’s game film to show how he put his athleticism to use. It’s kind of like a dog chasing a car; one he’s caught it, what does he do with it? Darren knew exactly what to do with the cars he caught at Ohio State.
In Mondays’ Script Ohio, Joe Dexter brought up the intriguing possibility, or at least potential, of the roster flexibility that Darren could provide an NFL team. We’ll go with his position as a weak-side linebacker, just to get this story set up. Joe suggested the possibility that Darren could also be a serviceable strong safety. Think along the lines of a Donnie Shell, or a Troy Polamalu. Only much bigger.
My goodness…
Ezekiel Elliott
Zeke didn’t wear himself out at the Combine; he ran the 40 yard dash, vertical leap and broad jump. He was so-so in leaping and jumping, but acquitted himself well in the sprint, running it in 4.47. He did fine in the pass catching drills and with no “blocking” drills didn’t get a chance to show probably one of his best attributes, an absolutely cut-down blocker.
No matter, there is ample game film of what he can do with/without the ball in his hand.
Of interest, to me at least, was some follow-up to Ezekiel’s post-MSU game commentary on OSU’s play calling. From the Detroit Free Press:
But the former Buckeyes running back said Thursday at the NFL combine that he has “grown up a lot since” telling reporters he “deserved” the ball more.
“That was a great learning moment for me,” Elliott said. “I was emotional, but I think what teams want is a competitor, and that’s what I am and that’s where it all came from.”
I think this outspokenness is a tempest in a teacup. After all, Zeke was not wrong. All the evidence in the world supported that statement. The venue in which he said it may not have been exactly right, but that hardly qualified Elliott to have to stand in the ‘splaining docket on character issues. Too bad the Browns have too many glaring needs.
Cardale Jones
Not bad comp numbers as far as it went, it just didn’t go far enough. Due to hamstring injury, Cardale did not participate in throwing drills. With limited career game rep experience, showing off his arm (strength and accuracy) would have been a nice benefit for Cardale and for NFL staffers. The lack of participation may not have necessarily hurt him, but this now puts a lot of pressure on a very good performance on March 11th (OSU Pro Day) in Columbus.
Nick Vannett
Nick didn’t run, but evidently showed good skills in receiving drills. We know that Nick can block, defensive linemen around the country can attest to that. This was a good sign that Vannett showed well with the receiving drills at the Combine, since he didn’t have as many receiving “drills” at Ohio State as we’d have liked. All that Nick needs to do is run a “position-decent” 40 time at Pro Day. Nick demonstrated at the Combine that when given an opportunity, he is a good receiver. He has plenty of game film to make his case that he is a good blocker. For any team looking for a versatile tight end/H-back, Nick’s your guy.
Eli Apple
Eli didn’t dawdle in his 40-yard time; at 4.44 it was the 10th fastest time recorded.
Per Michelle Bruton, again of Bleacher Report;
Given his experience playing in both man and zone coverages, and his athleticism and physicality, Apple seems like an obvious target for the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 25 overall.
In addition to Eli being athletic (we’ve seen the games) and fast (see 4.44) it seems that he’s benefited from Ohio State’s mix of coverages. Eli will able to slide easily into the either/or of (man/zone) coverages. And, could it be that another Ohio State defender goes to the Steelers?
The post NFL Combine Thoughts appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...
Ken via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
So, the NFL Combine is finally over. I also understand that the Buckeyes had quite a few players invited to the combine; 14 to be exact. I’ll look at some of the Buckeyes’ Combine performance and offer brief thoughts on what it means in regards to the upcoming NFL Draft, April 28-30.
Joey Bosa
Let’s get this out of the way.
From Bleacher Report’s Ian Wharton:
Short-area quickness and lower-body explosion are the most important traits for a pass-rusher. Bosa excelled in the drills that test those physical capabilities. The three cone, short shuttle and broad jump are what evaluators pay attention to for these traits.
Wharton nailed it with this assessment. Defensive line ply is about short-track agility and quickness. There tends to be a lot of ‘wash’, a lot of clutter that defensive linemen need to work their way through/around. The drills indicate that Bosa can do this. The game film confirms that he has done this.
About that 40-yard time, again from Wharton:
While his 40 time wasn’t elite, a 4.86 at his size is nothing to brush off. Bosa has the production, disruption ability and athleticism to be a long-term impact starter. That’s worth a top-five pick.
Listen, if you are an NFL general manager and you are relying on your d-linemen making plays 40 yards downfield, you have way bigger issues to address. Joey will be fine; his body of work at Ohio State speaks for itself. He’ll be a high draft pick.
Darren Lee
We know that Darren Lee is a play-maker. We know he is fast. The Combine showed us just how fast he is. Sub-4.5 (4.47 to be exact) was his recorded speed. That was the fastest of the linebackers. He also (for linebackers) had the top result in he broad jump and placed 5th in vertical leap. OK, so now we know that Darren is very athletic. Again, fans have reference to lee’s game film to show how he put his athleticism to use. It’s kind of like a dog chasing a car; one he’s caught it, what does he do with it? Darren knew exactly what to do with the cars he caught at Ohio State.
In Mondays’ Script Ohio, Joe Dexter brought up the intriguing possibility, or at least potential, of the roster flexibility that Darren could provide an NFL team. We’ll go with his position as a weak-side linebacker, just to get this story set up. Joe suggested the possibility that Darren could also be a serviceable strong safety. Think along the lines of a Donnie Shell, or a Troy Polamalu. Only much bigger.
My goodness…
Ezekiel Elliott
Zeke didn’t wear himself out at the Combine; he ran the 40 yard dash, vertical leap and broad jump. He was so-so in leaping and jumping, but acquitted himself well in the sprint, running it in 4.47. He did fine in the pass catching drills and with no “blocking” drills didn’t get a chance to show probably one of his best attributes, an absolutely cut-down blocker.
No matter, there is ample game film of what he can do with/without the ball in his hand.
Of interest, to me at least, was some follow-up to Ezekiel’s post-MSU game commentary on OSU’s play calling. From the Detroit Free Press:
But the former Buckeyes running back said Thursday at the NFL combine that he has “grown up a lot since” telling reporters he “deserved” the ball more.
“That was a great learning moment for me,” Elliott said. “I was emotional, but I think what teams want is a competitor, and that’s what I am and that’s where it all came from.”
I think this outspokenness is a tempest in a teacup. After all, Zeke was not wrong. All the evidence in the world supported that statement. The venue in which he said it may not have been exactly right, but that hardly qualified Elliott to have to stand in the ‘splaining docket on character issues. Too bad the Browns have too many glaring needs.
Cardale Jones
Not bad comp numbers as far as it went, it just didn’t go far enough. Due to hamstring injury, Cardale did not participate in throwing drills. With limited career game rep experience, showing off his arm (strength and accuracy) would have been a nice benefit for Cardale and for NFL staffers. The lack of participation may not have necessarily hurt him, but this now puts a lot of pressure on a very good performance on March 11th (OSU Pro Day) in Columbus.
Nick Vannett
Nick didn’t run, but evidently showed good skills in receiving drills. We know that Nick can block, defensive linemen around the country can attest to that. This was a good sign that Vannett showed well with the receiving drills at the Combine, since he didn’t have as many receiving “drills” at Ohio State as we’d have liked. All that Nick needs to do is run a “position-decent” 40 time at Pro Day. Nick demonstrated at the Combine that when given an opportunity, he is a good receiver. He has plenty of game film to make his case that he is a good blocker. For any team looking for a versatile tight end/H-back, Nick’s your guy.
Eli Apple
Eli didn’t dawdle in his 40-yard time; at 4.44 it was the 10th fastest time recorded.
Per Michelle Bruton, again of Bleacher Report;
Given his experience playing in both man and zone coverages, and his athleticism and physicality, Apple seems like an obvious target for the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 25 overall.
In addition to Eli being athletic (we’ve seen the games) and fast (see 4.44) it seems that he’s benefited from Ohio State’s mix of coverages. Eli will able to slide easily into the either/or of (man/zone) coverages. And, could it be that another Ohio State defender goes to the Steelers?
The post NFL Combine Thoughts appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...