NFL DRAFT NEWS

25 takeaways from the NFL Scouting Combine

The Sports Xchange

February 23, 2015 at 10:27 pm.

Kevin White was impressive during his time at the Combine. (Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports)

Rob Rang wraps up the NFL Scouting Combine:

FIVE PLAYERS WHO HELPED THEMSELVES

Kevin White, WR, West Virginia: Alabama’s Amari Cooper may be the safest receiver in the draft, but by proving faster (4.35) and bigger (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) than the Biletnikoff Award winner, White may have erased whatever gap there was between them and perhaps cinched a top-10 selection.

Vic Beasley, DE/OLB, Clemson: The 6-foot-3, 246-pound Beasley enjoyed one of the great Combine workouts in recent memory, leading all linebackers in the 40-yard dash (4.53 seconds) and bench press (35 repetitions of 225 pounds) and finishing among the top five in the three-cone drill (6.91 seconds), short shuttle (4.15), vertical jump (41 inches) and broad jump (10 feet, 10 inches).

Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State: Any question as to the identity of the No. 1 cornerback in the draft might have been sealed in the 4.31 seconds it took Waynes to run the 40-yard dash. Fluid and surprisingly physical given his 6-foot, 186-pound frame, Waynes may have sealed up a top-20 selection.

Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State: Scouts liked the aptly named Strong’s bulked-up 6-2, 217-pound frame and his aggression in securing contested passes. However, by proving his explosiveness (4.44 seconds in the 40-yard dash) and leaping ability (42-inch vertical jump), the former Sun Devil may have sealed a spot in the first round. If so, he would be the first skill-position player from Arizona State to hear his name called in the first round since Todd Heap was picked No. 31 overall by the Baltimore Ravens in 2001.

Xavier Cooper, DT, Washington State: Though few outside of the Pac-12 knew his name prior to the Combine, the 6-3, 293-pounder turned heads in Indianapolis, clocking in at a position-best 4.86 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Cooper also demonstrated his light feet during the short shuttle and three-cone drills, perhaps moving into top-64 consideration.

FIVE PLAYERS WHO HURT THEMSELVES

Paul Dawson, OLB, TCU: No one player proved more disappointing at the 2015 Combine than Dawson. While impressive on tape, the 6-foot, 235-pound Dawson could have been timed with a sun dial in the 40-yard dash, clocking in at 4.93 seconds, and he showed very little explosiveness in the vertical jump, as well. Dawson’s 28-inch vertical jump was dead last among linebackers and was 2.5 inches less than that of Washington’s 6-2, 339-pound nose guard, Danny Shelton.

Devin Funchess, WR/TE, Michigan: After switching from tight end to receiver this past season, scouts viewed Funchess as a potential Kelvin Benjamin clone. After he was clocked at 4.70 seconds in the 40-yard dash, however, scouts now wonder if the 6-5, 232-pounder has the burst to get past cornerbacks or the strength and aggression to move back inside.

Nick O’Leary, TE, Florida State: The Mackey Award winner as the nation’s top tight end looked overrated at the Combine, turning in a relatively pedestrian 4.93-second 40-yard dash and ranking among the least impressive among his peers in virtually every other drill, as well.

Jamison Crowder, WR, Duke: Scouts anticipated that Crowder would prove quick rather than fast, but the 5-8, 185-pounder unfortunately proved neither, clocking in at a disappointing 4.56 seconds in the 40-yard dash and a shockingly slow 7.17 seconds in the short shuttle — a test designed to measure change of direction. Crowder was regarded as a possible top-64 candidate prior to the testing but almost will surely wind up a Day 3 pick now … if that.

Denzel Perryman, ILB, Miami: The increasingly pass-happy NFL could be endangering the very existence of traditional run-stuffing middle linebackers. Perryman was a standout in that role for “The U,” but his 4.78-second time in the 40-yard dash will do little to quell doubts about his ability to play all three downs in the NFL.

FIVE PLAYERS SENDING US BACK TO THE TAPE

Byron Jones, DB, Connecticut: With a Combine and world record 12-foot, 3-inch standing broad jump, Jones quite literally leaped onto the NFL radar. Jones, who also showed great agility in shuttle drills, injured his left shoulder in October, ending his second season as a starting cornerback after starting at safety in 2011 and 2012.

Chris Conley, WR, Georgia: Jones was the only Combine participant to set a world record, but Conley caught scouts’ attention with a spectacular performance of his own, clocking in at 4.35 seconds in the 40-yard dash and leading the Combine with a staggering 45-inch vertical jump. He had 36 catches for 657 yards as a senior.

Jerry Lovelocke, QB, Prairie View: Lovelocke was a surprise invite to the Combine after throwing for just 16 touchdowns (against nine interceptions) in 2015, but the 6-4, 248-pounder quietly turned heads while throwing alongside Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. In a weak senior crop of quarterbacks, a team could be intrigued enough to gamble a late-round selection on Lovelocke’s upside.

Jeremy Langford, RB, Michigan State: After Langford rushed for 2,944 yards over the past two seasons in East Lansing, scouts knew he could run. Few, however, anticipated that he would run faster than any other back in the class, clocking in at 4.42 seconds at a rock-solid 6-foot, 208 pounds.

Ben Heeney, ILB, Kansas: Heeney was often characterized as a “try-hard” type with limited athleticism despite earning consensus first-team All-Big 12 honors last season with 127 tackles, including 12 tackles for loss. After ranking among the swiftest inside linebackers tested this year in the 40-yard dash (4.59), short shuttle (4.00) and three-cone drill (6.68), however, the 6-foot, 231-pounder may have tackled himself a draft selection.

FIVE MOST INTRIGUING PLAYERS

Randy Gregory, DE/OLB, Nebraska: The lanky defender has the raw tools to excite scouts but came in much lighter than expected at 6-5, 235 pounds. He claims that he can add (or drop) weight quickly, and he may need to do so to convince clubs he can remain at defensive end.

David Johnson, RB, Northern Iowa: Johnson followed up a sterling week at the Senior Bowl by finishing among this year’s most explosive running backs in several drills, including the 40-yard dash (4.50 seconds) and vertical jump (41.5 inches) at 6-1, 224 pounds. A former wide receiver, Johnson also may be the draft’s most reliable pass-catcher among running backs.

Ali Marpet, OG, Hobart: Like Johnson, Marpet followed up a terrific week at the Senior Bowl with a very impressive performance in Indianapolis, clocking in at 4.98 seconds at 6-4, 307 pounds. It isn’t often that a Division III player is selected with a top-100 pick, but that may be where Marpet is headed.

Owa Odighizuwa, DE, UCLA: There may not be a more imposing physical specimen than the 6-3, 267-pound former Bruin, who enjoyed a spectacular Combine performance, demonstrating explosiveness in the 40-yard dash (4.62) and vertical jump (39 inches), as well as agility in the shuttle drills (7.36 in the three-cone). Odighizuwa comes with medical questions, however, as he underwent surgeries on both hips.

J.J. Nelson, WR, Alabama-Birmingham: Clocked at a blistering 4.28 seconds in the 40-yard dash, Nelson was the fastest of this year’s Combine participants. He looks more like a track star in shoulder pads than a traditional wide receiver at a spindly 5-10, 156 pounds, but he caught the ball well during drills in Indianapolis.

FIVE MOST IMPORTANT PRO DAY DATES

Georgia, March 18: No team will select Bulldogs star RB Todd Gurley in the first round without first investigating his surgically repaired knee. Gurley hasn’t committed to working out at the Bulldogs’ scheduled Pro Day but is expected to attend. If doctors can evaluate him then or during the Combine recheck, he has a shot at ending the two-year absence of backs in the first round.

Missouri, March 19: A foot injury kept DE Shane Ray, a projected top 10 pick, from participating at the Combine, but the Southeastern Conference’s sack leader is expected to star in the 40-yard dash and vertical jump once he gets his opportunity.

Colorado State, March 23: The Rams’ workout could be surprisingly well-attended by NFL teams as it will feature QB Garrett Grayson, who currently checks in at No. 5 on NFLDraftScout.com’s passer rankings. Grayson missed the Combine workout due to a hamstring pull.

TCU, March 27: Several Horned Frogs defenders looked faster on tape than they did at the Combine, including one-time projected top-100 prospects Paul Dawson (OLB), Chris Hackett (FS) and Kevin White (CB). All three may need to boost their numbers after disappointing workouts in Indianapolis.

Washington, April 2: Illness prevented star pass rusher Hau’oli Kikaha from participating in drills at the Combine. Kikaha led the nation with 19 sacks in 2014 but is viewed by some as a ‘tweener. CB Marcus Peters is also scheduled to work out on campus, which is noteworthy in itself after he was kicked off the team in November.

Rob Rang (@robrang) is a Senior Analyst for www.NFLDraftScout.com, a property of The Sports Xchange distributed in partnership with CBSSports.com.