Johnathan Abram – Noteworthy
Defensive backs were in action Monday at the NFL Combine, but two of the top safety prospects were sidelined. Nasir Adderley of Delaware missed the on-field workouts due to a lingering high ankle sprain. Deionte Thompson of Alabama couldn’t participate either, still recovering from wrist surgery after a weightlifting accident last month. That opened the door for Mississippi’s State safety Johnathan Abram to steal the show with one of the fastest 40-yard dash among defensive backs – 4.45. Abram is known as one of the draft’s biggest hitters, so it’s key for him to show his coverage speed. Abram was forced to sit out the Senior Bowl because of a shoulder injury, but he made the most of his return. Expect Abram’s draft stock to rise after what he did in Indianapolis at the Combine, and on the field for Mississippi State. – BaltimoreRavens.com
Montez Sweat – Noteworthy
Sweat, the former Mississippi State defensive lineman, made his workout look like it was, well, no sweat. The 6-foot-6, 260-pound Sweat was clocked at 4.41 seconds in the 40, the top speed by a defensive lineman since at least 2003 and faster times than those posted at the combine by Amari Cooper, Julio Jones or Odell Beckham Jr. Sweat also finished fourth among edge players in the broad jump (11 feet, 2inches) and three-cone drill (7 seconds flat) and was sixth in the vertical jump (36 inches). The only question might be his strength. He did 21 reps on the bench press, 12th at his position. But the NFL’s official Twitter account was impressed with what it saw. “Something special out of Starkville,” Sunday’s post read. Now team officials will spend the next six-plus weeks picking apart game film and combine performances, attending pro day, doing additional background and medical checks while bringing in players for formal interviews before making draft-weekend decisions. – AP College Football
Montez Sweat – Noteworthy
While Montez Sweat was busy wowing NFL executives with his record time on the 40-yard dash on Sunday, he was also spending some time explaining the start of his college career that included being dismissed at Michigan State in the spring of 2016. A three-star recruit out of Stone Mountain, Ga., Sweat was suspended for a violation of team rules by coach Mark Dantonio just two games into Michigan State’s 2015 season, one that included a Big Ten championship and a trip to the College Football Playoff. As spring drills commenced a few months later, Dantonio said Sweat was “in limbo” before it was announced a few days later that Sweat and defensive tackle Craig Evans had left the program.
“My time at Michigan State, I was definitely just, I started off kind of young and immature,” Sweat said on Saturday. “Obviously, I was dismissed but I’ve grown from that so much. I just want to keep on building on that and show teams I’ve matured a lot. “Coming into college I was young, 17 years old. Every year I’ve matured and obviously when I got dismissed it was a big blow. It just helped me a lot to grow up.” After a year at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi, Sweat ended up at Mississippi State, where he recorded 10.5 sacks in 2017 and 12 in 2018. That performance has him pegged as a first-round pick, likely in the top half of the first round. – Detroit News