1. Keith Rivers, 6’2, 241, USC: Rivers didn’t run or participate in any of the other drills on Monday due to an ankle issue, but he did do the bench press, and had a solid 24 reps.
The ankle should be fine for USC’s Pro Day on April 2, and it should also be just fine when he walks up on the stage as the first linebacker off the board on April 26.
2. Dan Connor, 6’2, 231, Penn St.: Connor didn’t take part in any of the drills, and went home early, thanks to the flu.
Connor will have his Pro Day on March 18. He could go as high as the top 15, or last until the end of the first round, depending on the direction the likes of Detroit/New Orleans/Buffalo go with their first pick.
3. Jerod Mayo, 6’2, 242, Tennessee: Mayo solidified his place as the #3 linebacker on the board with a solid showing at the combine. Though he put on some weight, he ran faster than his listed low time on NFL Draft Scout, with a 4.54 in the 40. And, it looks like that weight that he put on was muscle, as he had a very, very impressive 32 reps in his bench press. He could very well sneak into the bottom of the first round depending on how things shake out with Connor, but he won’t last beyond the early part of the second round.
4. Curtis Lofton, 6’0, 246, Oklahoma: The 4.77 that he ran in the 40 isn’t as good as you would like, but it won’t be enough to knock him out of the second round, or from this spot, since several of the guys below him didn’t really do much to jump above him.
5. Xavier Adibi, 6’2, 232, Virginia Tech: Adibi, like a few of the other linebackers on this list, didn’t have his running shoes on, as he ran only a 4.69 40, when you would have expected a time in the 4.5 range. He missed an opportunity to jump into first-round status, but won’t fall further than the latter part of the second round.
6. Philip Wheeler, 6’2, 248, Georgia Tech: It was a mixed bag for Wheeler, who followed the trend by running a pretty sub-par 40 (4.73), but he did solid in some of the other drills. He could have locked down a second-round spot at the combine, but didn’t quite do that.
7. Erin Henderson, 6’3, 244, Maryland: Henderson ran a 4.73 40, did 23 reps in the bench press, and had a vertical jump of 31 inches. Didn’t really hurt or help his stock one way or another, and still looks like a second-round guy, or at worst, early third.
8. Shawn Crable, 6’5, 245, Michigan: Crable went in the defensive line group, and ran a solid 4.64 in his 40. Even better, he had 29 reps in his bench press. He’s solidified his place in the first three rounds, and may well jump into the second half of the second round.
9. Beau Bell, 6’1, 244, UNLV: Some of the other top linebackers may have needed to follow Bell’s lead, as he didn’t run. He did post a solid number in the bench press, with 25 reps. Not being able to really showcase himself in front of the scouts as much as possible at two key times (Senior Bowl & combine) hurts him, so it’s imperative that he takes advantage of his Pro Day (March 31) to assure himself of a place in the first day, and possibly move himself back into second-round status.
t10. Jonathan Goff, 6’2, 245, Vanderbilt: Goff had a great day all across the board, and really helped his stock by finishing among the top linebackers in every single drill.
Marcus Howard, 6’0, 237, Georgia: Howard, like Crable, did his drills with the defensive linemen, and posted the best 40 in the group with a stellar 4.47. Howard also had 27 reps in the bench press, which further aids his push for a first-day spot. He and Goff are two guys who could very well wind up getting picked as high as late in the second round or early in the third, if some of the guys above them don’t separate themselves from the pack at their respective Pro Day workouts.
Dropped Out
Ali Highsmith, 6’0, 230, LSU (9): The 4.29 he posted in the 20-yard shuttle? Good. The 4.96 that he ran in the 40? Bad.
Highsmith’s great athleticism put him into elite status picked the worst time for that athleticism to go on a vacation. He was a potential first-round guy heading into the combine, but his stock is tumbling now. But, he has a month to regroup and refocus for his Pro Day on March 26, so don’t stick the fork in him yet.
Others of Note: Tavares Gooden, Miami, Gary Guyton, Purdue, Geno Hayes, Florida State, Stanford Keglar, Purdue, Ben Moffitt, South Florida
