Here are a few notes from the first couple of days of the combine.
The quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers had their drills today, and there’s a lot to report from those, which we’ll have later on today. But, until then, here are a few morsels to chew on.
Keller Makes His Case
Coming into the combine, Purdue tight end Dustin Keller’s skills as a pass-catching tight end were no secret, as he was the Boilermakers’ second-leading receiver this past season with 68 receptions, 881 yards, and seven touchdowns.
But, he wasn’t rated as one of the top tight ends on the board, thanks in part to his size and questions about whether or not he can block well.
There are still going to be some skeptics regardless, because some people are hung up on numbers, but after being the best of the tight ends on Saturday, Keller’s stock is certainly be on the up and up.
He ran in the low 4.5s in both of his 40 attempts, and he also had a terrific 38-inch vertical jump, both of which topped the tight end group. More importantly for Keller, he helped answer some questions about all-important upper body strength by benching 225 pounds 26 times, which put him second among the tight ends.
Keller also topped the charts in the broad jump and the 20-yard shuttle, and was one of the top performers in the 60-yard shuttle and the 3-cone drill.
With his great day, he’s no doubt not only moved into first-day contention, but maybe even higher on the board for teams looking for a quick, reliable, pass-catching tight end to beef up their offense.
One other thing that may help Keller’s stock even further is that USC’s Fred Davis (a few dropped passes in the catching drills) and Notre Dame’s John Carlson (4.89 40 – he did redeem himself in some of the other events) were far from perfect. Can he jump past either of those guys to go in the first couple of rounds, or at least be one of the first three or four tight ends selected? He certainly took the steps towards making that happen yesterday.
Keller wasn’t the only tight end who helped his cause, as Tennessee’s Brad Cottam continued his upward movement by running a 4.63 in the 40 (not bad for a 6’8, 270 pound guy), Cal’s Craig Stevens boosted his stock by posting great numbers in some of the drills (40 – 4.59, bench press – 27 reps), and Kentucky’s Jacob Tamme had a good day overall. Stevens and Tamme might have had the best days next to Keller’s, and that’s good especially for another under-the-radar guy like Stevens, whose stock will also rise quite a bit.
Dorsey Dropping?
Glenn Dorsey’s injury issues have been well-documented already, but is there a chance that they could cost him on draft day?
The LSU defensive tackle isn’t working out at the combine after the death of his grandmother, but he did have a physical in Indianapolis and was sent to the hospital for more tests.
The problem that might be of biggest concerns, according to NFLDraftScout.com, is a stress fracture in Dorsey’s right tibia that he suffered in 2006.
That’s a long time ago, right? But, it’s not the easiest of injuries to heal.
This past season, Dorsey dealt with back pain and a sprained right knee. There’s no doubt he can play through pain, and play well, but it might make Miami/St. Louis/Oakland nervous that he’s not the most durable of players.
Leading Linemen
Michigan’s Jake Long is the top-rated offensive lineman, and he helped back up his credentials by doing 37 reps in the bench press, which is the best total of the first few days thus far.
Long also had one of the best vertical jumps among O-linemen (27.5 inches), and he also was third-best in the 3-cone drill, posting a time of 7.44 seconds. He did, however, not have the greatest time in the 40 (5.2 range), but he didn’t run as poorly as Pittsburgh’s Jeff Otah did.
There were several other impressive linemen:
Virginia Tech’s Duane Brown was among the top performers in the 40 (5.08), vertical jump (27.5 inches), 3-cone drill (7.58 seconds), and the 20-yard shuttle (4.52 seconds). Could he slide into the first day? It’s quite possible.
Rutgers’ Jeremy Zuttah was the only offensive linemen who ran under five seconds in the 40, as he ran a 4.99, and he also finished second to Long in the bench press category with 35, had a vertical of 26.5 inches, and a 20-yard shuttle time of 4.54 seconds (4th). Zuttah was looked as a latter rounds guy coming into the combine, but may have moved himself into early second-day status on Saturday.
Texas A&M center Cody Wallace finished tops in the vertical (30.5 inches) and broad (9’5”), tied for fourth in the 3-cone drill (7.45), and tied for fifth in the 20-yard shuttle (4.55).
Arizona State center Mike Pollak, the top-rated center in our rankings, was a top performer in five categories: 40 (5.02 – 3rd), bench press (29 – tied for 9th), broad jump (9’2”), 3-cone drill (7.49 seconds – 8th), and first in the 20-yard shuttle (4.47 seconds). Pollak could very well be selected as a high as the second round.
