*Jamel Dean – Noteworthy
The NFL Combine is one of those mental tests of patience for the few hundred players in Indianapolis this week. There are early wake-up calls, long lines at medical tests on top of the stress that comes with a public job interview. Former Auburn cornerback Jamel Dean, however, was loving it. “It’s a wild experience for me,” he said with wide eyes Sunday. “This is something I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid. Now I’m actually living it.” The age of televised NFL Combines lined up perfectly with Dean’s rise in the game. After opting to leave a season early for the big leagues, a date with Indianapolis was set. “Yeah, I grew up watching the Combine because I was always a fast guy,” Dean said, “and I wanted to see what a fast 40 looked like.”
The target is a low 4.3 in the sprint he’s been mentally repping his whole life. With the national TV cameras and all 32 NFL teams watching every step, there’s some pressure involved. “I’m going to be nervous at first,” Dean said. “But once I start getting in my rhythm of my warm up routine, man, it will be like I’m just out here competing.” The 40 he remembers best was former LSU defensive back Patrick Peterson’s in 2011. The former Tiger clocked a 4.34 weighing 220 pounds. “I’m going to try and get it,” said the 206-pound Dean. – Birmingham News
Dontavius Russell – Noteworthy
Dontavius Russell didn’t offer too many interesting answers Saturday at the NFL scouting combine. But he did provide a revealing response when he was asked about his hobbies. Seemed a fitting reply for a guy who was a meat-and-potatoes player during his four seasons on The Plains. In 53 games, Russell posted only six sacks as he spent the majority of his snaps occupying blockers and allowing his teammates to get the glory. “He’s an unselfish player.,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said last year. “He takes on double-teams, he keeps people off linebackers and second-level guys. He’s a very good athlete. Just from a coach’s standpoint, he’s just so consistent. You can always count on him doing his job.”
And like Malzahn, Russell doesn’t say much. His responses are clipped. “Not to be disrespectful,” he said Saturday, “but it’s an interview.” Within minutes, it became clear Russell would rather focus on football and the work he must get done in Indianapolis than his media obligations “I think a lot of people want to be in the spotlight, so to speak,” he said. “It could also harm what you do schematically sometimes, so I feel like you have to have the mindset to go and do your best in what I was assigned to do.” – Birmingham News