After a long day at the combine, I think we need a little recap of which of these massive offensive linemen really had a great day and made a name for themselves.

In my eyes, no tight ends really vaulted themselves any higher or lower based on their workouts, and Tridon Holiday ran the fastest time for a special teamer…because he was the only one.

So, with that, we’ll focus in on the offensive lineman and who really moved, both up and down, on draft charts.

Biggest Star

Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland

If you watched any of the Combine today or saw any of the results, you likely noticed Bruce Campbell’s shear dominance in these “Underwear Olympics”. And, I’ll say that I agree that most of the drills run at the Combine are aimed at positional players.

But, when a 6’7, 300+ pound guy can run a 4.85, have a 32 inch vertical leap, and still showcase some impressive strength with 34 reps at the bench press, it’s hard to ignore.

Many scouts will say, and to an extent I agree, that Campbell didn’t show that athletic domainance any Maryland and was more imposing than consistent. Still, he played well enough in my eyes to generate 1^st-2^nd round interest.

And with this outstanding showing at the Combine, he only rose on my board, albeit just a little. Keep in mind, regardless of what some scouts say draft projection wise, it only takes one.

Some scouts had Mark Sanchez as a 3^rd round grade, and Josh Freeman as a 4^th round grade. Both played fairly well in their rookie year and both were 1^st rounders. Campbell secured a Top 20 pick in my eyes, and I feel that Al Davis is salivating at the idea of adding both an athletic freak to his collection as well as actually filling a need for once.

Other Winners:

John Jerry, OG/OT, Ole Miss

-I was never excited about Jerry as a prospect, figuring he was an oversized guard with slow feet. But, although it doesn’t mean much, his 5.15 forty-time made me watch him a little closer. He showed good enough feet to have a chance to play right tackle in the pros.

Selvish Capers, OT, West Virginia

-Being arguably the most pro-ready zone blocker in this draft, Capers showed good explosion and athletic ability. Though he may not be a left tackle in a zone scheme, his 8’10 broad jump shows he can still get off and onto his blocks in a hurry.

Biggest Loser

Ciron Black, OT, LSU

While guys like Adam Ultoski and Jeff Byers struggled all day among better and more fluid athletes, no offensive tackle may have fallen lower on my board based on his combine performance than Ciron Black.

Again, it’s hard to put much of any credence into offensive tackles’ forty-times, but when a projected offensive tackle runs near a 5.5, you have to take notice. I figured that Black, a more power offensive lineman, built for a power running team, would at least impress in the bench press.

But he posted a very average 23 reps. And, worst of all, in sliding drills, he looked completely unbalanced and showed scouts that he may not be able to handle faster defensive ends, regardless of technique improvement.

Black, in my books, fell from a possible right tackle mauler in the NFL to an oversized guard who will need the right system and good coaching to stick in the NFL.

Comments (6)

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

Add Comment