Combine: Day One News & Notes

-- The 2009 NFL Draft featured 42 players who were selected (256 players total were picked) that were not chosen to participate in last year's NFL Scouting Combine... last year's draft had the most non-combine players selected since 2003 when a total of 43 players were taken who failed to receive invites to Indianapolis.

-- NFL evaluators have been told that Notre Dame junior quarterback Jimmy Clausen and Tennessee junior defensive back Eric Berry, a pair of possible Top-10 selections, may come up "Short" when it comes to the weigh-in portion of the NFL Combine... Clausen may be under 6030 while Berry could be below 5110.

-- With many of the top signal callers opting not to workout because of injury or opting to wait for their Pro Days the quarterbacks who could benefit the most this weekend are Cincinnati senior quarterback Tony Pike, West Virginia senior quarterback Jarrett Brown, Mississippi junior quarterback Jevan Snead and Troy senior quarterback Levi Brown.

-- Teams will be paying close attention to the weight of Georgia Tech junior running back Jonathan Dwyer... those who are highly interested in his abilities hope to see a leaner 225-230 pound range back show up to
Indianapolis... if he were to be too much north of 235 pounds it will create some questions about his work ethic and ability to be an every-down guy at the next level.

-- Wayne State senior running back Joique Bell has big expectations for his workout... according to several sources close to the Harlon Hill Award winner he hopes to break the 4.5 mark at nearly 225 pounds. Others that could surprise with eye-opening 40-times at the running back position include; Fresno State's Lonyae Miller, North Dakota State's Pat Paschall, Marshall's Darius Marshall and Virginia fullback Rashawn Jackson.

-- Notre Dame junior wide receiver Golden Tate could post one of the fastest 40-times amongst this year's crop of wide outs... Ohio U. senior wide receiver Taylor Price, South Florida junior wide receiver Carlton Mitchell, Clemson senior wide receiver Jacoby Ford and Connecticut senior wide receiver Marcus Easley could all easily break the 4.4 barrier on at least one of their 40-yard dash attempts... however, LSU all-purpose back/receiver Trindon Holliday or Kansas State wide receiver/return man Brandon Banks should
battle for 40-yard dash supremacy at about 4.28.

-- Meanwhile, several area scouts expect one of Oklahoma State junior wide Dez Bryant, Illinois junior wide receiver Arrelious Benn, Kansas junior wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe or Tulane senior wide receiver Jeremy Williams to run slower-than-expected times in the 40-yard dash.

-- Hillsdale senior offensive tackle Jared Veldheer, Maryland junior offensive tackle Bruce Campbell, Iowa junior offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga, West Virginia senior offensive tackle Selvish Capers and Virginia Tech
offensive tackle Ed Wang are all capable of running below 5.00 and as fast as 4.90 in the 40-yard dash and each will weigh over 300 pounds.

-- Abilene Christian senior offensive tackle Tony Washington may have the most crucial interviews of any prospect attending this week's NFL Combine as the 6060, 305 pound, Division II All-American was unable to attend any of the post-season all-star games due to the numerous restrictions surrounding a past conviction that has yet to be completely identified by members of all 32 teams... he has 2nd or 3rd round talent, but he has his work cut out for him this week as more than a few teams are unsure how or if he can fit into
their future plans because of the lengthy restrictions that could follow him for the rest of his life.

-- Idaho senior offensive lineman Mike Iupati has a chance to post one of the top numbers in terms of total reps of 225 pounds in the bench press portion of the workout... sources close to the standout linemen say he
should hit in the high-30's without maximum effort.

-- Last year former Florida tight end Cornelius Ingram dropped to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 5th round (#153 overall) because he was coming off a pair of knee injuries... he suffered another major knee injury this
past summer and some believe that evaluators will take a very close look at Oklahoma tight end Jermaine Gresham's medical file and that he will likely be asked to come back to the medical re-check in early April so that all 32 teams can get as sure a read on the status of his right knee... he is expected to fully participate in the on-field workouts and aiming for 4.70 range in the 40-yard dash at 6060, 258 pounds.

-- USC junior defensive lineman Everson Griffen, Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham and Murray State defensive end Austen Lane, each expect to run 4.65 or better in the 40-yard dash... keep an eye on Louisiana-Lafayette senior defensive lineman Hall Davis and Nevada junior defensive end Kevin Basped who could both move into 3rd-4th round consideration with impressive workouts this weekend.

-- With all the DT talk surrounding Ndamukong Suh vs. Gerald McCoy, a number of others could push their way up the draft board based on their workouts this weekend... expect to see strong performances from Central Florida senior defensive tackle Torell Troup, UCLA junior defensive tackle Brian Price, Purdue senior defensive tackle Mike Neal and LSU nose tackle Al Woods

-- TCU linebacker Daryl Washington has the potential to outshine morehighly-acclaimed players like Alabama's Rolando McClain and Florida's Brandon Spikes when he times in the 4.5 range in the 40-yard dash.

-- Texas junior defensive back Earl Thomas has the ability to come out of the NFL Combine as a sure-fire Top-20 draft choice and by next week could be right on the heels of Tennessee junior defensive back Eric Berry and Florida junior cornerback Joe Haden for the title of first defensive back selected come April's draft.

-- Florida State senior cornerback Patrick Robinson almost certainly will post solid workout numbers, but keep a close eye on his positional workout as many evaluators are not in love with his instincts, foot-work and ability to find the ball when it is in the air.

-- Alabama senior cornerback Javier Arenas and Kentucky senior cornerback Trevard Lindley are two highly-acclaimed veteran defenders who may struggle with their 40-times... however, if he is 100% and able to workout expect to be impressed by the workout numbers turned in by Maryland senior cornerback Nolan Carroll and UTEP senior cornerback Cornelius Brown, who should run in the 4.4 range with 40" vertical at 5110, 195 pounds.

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Please contact Rick Serritella for all inquiries: ric@nfldraftbible.com**

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