The 323 invited prospects who will travel to Indianapolis for the 2016 NFL Combine represent 323 different situations and game tapes. But for one week, February 24-29, they will all be evaluated in the same environment at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The NFL Combine could be divided into four critical areas that NFL teams will focus on: agility drills, interviews, medical evaluations and verified measurements. And there are a number of prospects with a lot on the line depending on how they perform in those four categories.
Here are 12 players who need more than a passing grade during one-on-one interviews next week:
–Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State: While he has the talent to start in the NFL, Cook has received questionable reviews from scouts regarding his leadership and whether or not he can acclimate himself in a NFL locker room. Cook, who wasn’t voted a team captain as a senior and declined his Senior Bowl invite, rubs some the wrong way with his personality, and his face-to-face interviews with teams could ultimately be the difference if he’s a first- or second-round pick.
–Christian Hackenberg, QB, Penn State: As a true freshman, Hackenberg looked like a future first-rounder and some anointed him a No. 1 pick. However over the past two seasons, his game tape has been dreadful. Hackenberg didn’t receive much help from his supporting cast, but will he use that as an excuse to teams? What about the coaching staff? Who is to blame and how will he fix things in the NFL? His answers to those questions will be very interesting.
–Cardale Jones, QB, Ohio State: With his cannon arm strength and powerful build, Jones should impress in several areas at the NFL Combine. However, the most important for NFL teams will be the interview room. The physical traits are obvious, but where is Jones mentally? How will he do on the white board? Does he have the maturity and focus to digest a NFL playbook? The interview process will help reveal the answers.
–Roger Lewis, WR, Bowling Green: Once verbally committed to Ohio State, Lewis was arrested and charged with two-first degree felonies for allegedly raping a former girlfriend. The jury acquitted him on one charge and Lewis pled guilty to a lesser misdemeanor on the other charge, sidetracking his football career. He resurfaced at Bowling Green and was extremely productive, but will have questions to answer about his past.
–Demarcus Robinson, WR, Florida: A talented pass-catcher, Robinson has impressive body control and ballskills to make an impact in the NFL, but his Florida career was marred by inconsistency both on and off the field. With multiple suspensions spanning two different coaching staffs on his collegiate résumé, Robinson has strong accountability issues and teams will be asking him the hard questions.
–D’haquille Williams, WR, Auburn: Over the summer, Williams was considered one of the top-five senior wide receiver prospects by scouts, but he sabotaged his own draft stock with “mistake after mistake,” according to the troubled wide receiver. His issues stretched from the field to the locker room and then away from the football facilities, which led to his dismissal from the program in October. All things considered, Williams is lucky to have received a Combine invite.
–Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss: On the field, Tunsil is arguably the cleanest prospect in the draft. However, he hit a few speed bumps off the field, most notably an arrest last June following a domestic dispute with his stepfather. The charges were eventually dropped, but the incident led to a NCAA investigation, which found impermissible benefits and resulted in a seven-game suspension. Teams aren’t overly worried about his off-field character, but for a potential No. 1 overall pick, his interviews will be important.
–Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State: Bosa is another contender for the No. 1 overall pick with some questions to answer at the Combine. He was suspended for the 2015 season opener due to a violation of team rules, which was a failed drug test for marijuana, according to reports. After the suspension, Bosa put himself in virtual isolation this past season to avoid any other poor decisions.
–Noah Spence, DE/OLB, Eastern Kentucky: The wildcard of the first round, Spence has top-10 talent and is the top pure pass rusher in this draft class. The former Ohio State rusher enters the NFL with a buyer beware tag due to his history of drug abuse and extensive partying. Spence stayed clean the past year at Eastern Kentucky and interviewed well at the Senior Bowl, but needs to continue and rebuild his image at the NFL Combine.
–Alex McCalister, DE/OLB, Florida: The team-leader in sacks for much of last season, McCalister was dismissed from the Gators in December for an unspecified violation of team rules. He has talent, but is also highly undisciplined with evidence of poor focus on and off the field. McCalister will need to convince NFL teams he is worth the gamble.
–Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Ole Miss: Nkemdiche is a top-10 talent in this draft class, but not a top-10 football player. Aside from the effort and motivation questions, he also had a few run-ins with the law off the field and NFL teams need to figure out if Nkemdiche is trustworthy to not only reach his full potential, but also stay out of trouble.
–Rashard Robinson, CB, LSU: Based on his raw talent, Robinson is in the top-50 overall conversation and could be a lump of clay for NFL coaches to mold. But he has a history of strong accountability issues, which ultimately led to his dismissal from LSU. Although he admits to being selfish, Robinson will need to be persuasive during his one-on-one’s with NFL teams.
–Dane Brugler is senior analyst of NFLDraftScout.com, owned and distributed by The Sports Xchange, in cooperation with CBSSports.com.