the combine's a-comin'

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  • #18319
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    from off the net

    ===

    Deadpool

    pre-combine top 5 at each position

    with the combine coming up I thought I would throw this out there, 1) to see ho my mind changes as we go along and 2) to give some of you bored football fans something to chew on.

    I’m looking at this from a Snead/ Fisher perspective for most of these guys. Some I add because they are just too good of a talent to ignore (see End, Defensive)

    QB – a weak class, as we already know

    1. Jameis Winston – on the field #1, off the field…
    2. Marcus Mariota
    3. Brett Hundley – I hope he throws at the combine.
    4. Garrett Greyson
    5. Bryce Petty

    RB – a really strong class

    1. Melvin Gordon – the total package
    2. Todd Gurley – the bigger total package, including injury history and current acl
    3. Duke Johnson – I like him more then most
    4. TJ Yeldon – total body of work is pretty impressive
    5. Tevin Coleman – I could see him move up my board

    WR – solid class top to bottom, lacks last years star power.

    1. Amari Cooper – #1 for me since last years draft
    2. Kevin White – I could see him challenge Copper in the next 2 months
    3. DeVante Parker
    4. Jaelen Strong – he could move either way, depending on how he tests
    5. Sammie Coates – needs to show improvement with his hands

    TE – pretty solid group, not the deepest

    1. Devin Funchess – some will disagree, but to me he is a TE only.
    2. Maxx Williams – He could be really, really good.
    3. Clive Walford – he just keeps climbing for me.
    4. Nick O’Leary – the grandson of The Golden Bear can’t be too bad right? I like his game.
    5. Jesse James – shocked he came out with his QB still in school.

    OT – I am going to rank these guys where I think they fit the best in the NFL. Could care less where they played in college.

    1. Andrus Peat – as a pure OT, he is the best all around one in this draft
    2. Erick Flowers
    3. TJ Clemmings – hurt his stock at senior bowl, someone is going to get a steal
    4. Cedric Ogbuehi – bowl game injury has him sliding
    5. Ty Sambrailo

    OG – same as OTs

    1. Brandon Schreff – could be a RT as well, but could be a punishing beast at OG for a decade.
    2. La’el Collins – I am lower on him then some. I see him in the 2nd round.
    3. AJ Cann – I’m higher on him then most
    4. Laken Tomlinson
    5. Tre Jackson

    C – no superstars, but there should be a couple of 1st year starters

    1. Cam Erving – I think this is his spot, be he could literally play anywhere on the line
    2. Reese Dismukes – maybe my Auburn homer-ism is showing. never missed a game.
    3. Hroniss Grasu – I think he is more of a zone blocking OC, so he slides to #3
    4. Andy Gallik – kinda under the radar
    5. Shaq Mason

    DT – not a strong class

    1. Leonard Williams – could be a DE or DT. He’s a beast
    2. Danny Shelton – prolly the #1 “true” DT
    3. Eddie Goldman
    4. Malcom Brown – under rated
    5. Jordan Phillips – also under rated

    DE – very impressive group (if you want to include L. Williams, move everyone down a peg)

    1. Randy Gregory – been at the top (along with Williams) since end of last draft
    2. Alvin Dupree – I like him more as a DE then Ray
    3. Dante Fowler, Jr
    4. Shane Ray – could be an OLB
    5. Arik Armstead – could also be a DT, lots of moveable pcs along the line in this years draft

    MLB – I love a lot of these guys.

    1. Benardrick McKinney – he could play inside, outside or with his hand in the dirt. the fun GW could have with this guy
    2. Eric Kendricks – he could play outside as well
    3. Denzel Perryman – another of my favorites, sideline to sideline with bad intentions, oh and can drop into coverage. his height might scare off people.
    4. Stephone Anthony
    5. Taiwan Jones – lots of love for this guy from a bunch of guys on this board

    OLB – Another decent class. Depending where some of the smaller DE guys end up playing

    1. Vic Beasley – a DE in college, he could be a terror as a LBer
    2. Shaq Thompson – a little raw, the combine and/or pro day is going to be huge for him
    3. Paul Dawson – I like him more then most, I will enjoy watching him rise up the boards
    4. Eli Harold – under rated or under the radar.
    5. Nate Orchard – another DE/LB tweener

    CB – underwhelming class, combine is going to be huge for a lot of these guys, good or bad

    1. Trae Waynes – 6′-1″, so if he runs fast he moves up
    2. Jalen Collins – 6′-2 ish – if he runs fast…
    3. Kevin Johnson – hope he shows up at the combine with more weight
    4. PJ Williams – slid down the list as the season wore on
    5. Alex Carter – he could move up, like top 2 or 3 up

    S – I’m grouping them together, since that is what the Rams do

    1. Landon Collins – more in the box then cover S, if he runs slow, he is going to slide
    2. Cody Prewitt – needs to get better in coverage, but I like him in the Rams scheme
    3. Derron Smith – a ballhawking FS
    4. Gerod Holliman – another ballhawk
    5. Damarious Randall – another fs/ss type that would fit the Rams scheme

    I’m leaving Punters and Kickers out of it, as well as fullback. Jalston Fowler is a very good one, if you are looking for one.

    #18322
    Avatar photowv
    Participant

    I kinda doubt they stay at 10.

    Priority needs: QB and OLinemen.
    Secondary needs: LB, CB, Free Safety, maybe WR, maybe DT.

    Just doesnt seem like any of the OLinemen are
    all that special to merit a Tenth pick. Seems
    like they can get quality OLinemen lower in the
    first round. Also, doesnt seem like any of the QBs
    are ten-spotters. So why stay at 10?

    Just seems like a trade-up,
    or trade-down, is more likely-than-not,
    to me.

    Also, seems more-likely-than-not that they
    dont pick many ‘raw’ project-type-players in this draft.
    One would think Fisher has to feel like its time to be in “win now” mode.

    w
    v

    #18338
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    Just seems like a trade-up,
    or trade-down, is more likely-than-not,
    to me.

    Yeah I agree.

    #18391
    sdram
    Participant

    http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/nfl-draft-scout/25067278/nfl-combine-prospects-with-the-most-to-gain-or-lose

    NFLDraftScout.com
    2015 NFL Combine: Prospects with the most to gain or lose
    By Dane Brugler | NFLDraftScout.com Senior Analyst
    February 12, 2015 7:00 pm ET

    When high school students apply to college, they rely on their grade point average and extracurricular activities, but that’s not quite enough. Admissions departments need SAT and ACT scores, or in other words, they want to know how students test. High school transcripts and grades aren’t on the same level around the country with different curriculum in different parts of the country. But standardized testing puts all students on a level playing field.

    That’s the NFL Combine.

    The 323 invited prospects who will travel to Indianapolis for the 2015 NFL Combine represent 24 college conferences, 115 NCAA teams and 323 different situations and sets of game tapes. But for one week, Feb. 17-23, 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 tests and drills, one-on-one interviews, medical evaluations and verified measurements. Below is a look at notable prospects with the most to gain or lose in each category.

    AGILITY TESTS AND DRILLS

    WR Phillip Dorsett, Miami (Fla.)
    Entering the NFL Combine, Dorsett is the favorite to burn up the track and run the fastest 40-yard dash at Lucas Oil Stadium. He claims that “anything under 4.3” is his goal.

    WR Sammie Coates, Auburn
    Coates will win the weigh-ins with his chiseled frame for the position and he has a good chance to win the workouts as well. He has above average top-end speed with the long strides to get vertical in a hurry and will create buzz with his 40-yard dash.

    WR Devin Smith, Ohio State
    Not only is Smith fast, but he has the lower body explosion that will test well with the vertical and broad jump tests. He was the state of Ohio’s long jump champ out of high school, also running a 10.56 100-meter dash.

    WR Mario Alford, West Virginia
    With Kevin White’s breakout season in 2014, Alford went somewhat overlooked, although he led the Mountaineers in yards per catch (14.5) and touchdowns (13), using his speed and change of direction skills to stretch the field as a receiver and return man.

    OT T.J. Clemmings, Pittsburgh
    A good-sized athlete at 310 pounds, Clemmings started his career on defense as a pass rusher before moving to the offensive line in 2013. He is still raw in several areas, but there is no questioning his athleticism and movement skills.

    DE/OLB Vic Beasley, Clemson
    A former tight end, Beasley moved to pass rusher and was a nuisance for opposing blockers, running circles around offensive tackles with quickness and closing burst. His exact size dimensions will be important as well, but it’s his speed numbers that will receive the headlines.

    DE/OLB Bud Dupree, Kentucky
    Similar to Beasley, Dupree started at tight end before moving to defense, using his athleticism to launch off the line of scrimmage to penetrate the backfield. And similar to Beasley, he should turn heads in every drill for a 265-pounder.

    DE Danielle Hunter, LSU
    A unique specimen, Hunter has a tall, long frame with a quick ignition out of his stance and light-footed movements. He is very much a work-in-progress as a pass rusher, but Hunter’s workout results will show why scouts are highly intrigued with his athletic upside.

    DL Arik Armstead, Oregon
    A freakish two-sport player in college, Armstead suited up for the Ducks on the football field and basketball court his first two years at Oregon before deciding to focus on football. At 6-7 and 295 pounds, Armstead will test off the charts for an athlete his size.

    LB/SS Shaq Thompson, Washington
    Thompson played on both offense (running back) and defense (linebacker) for the Huskies with versatile athleticism and skills for a 230-pounder. That quickness and agility will likely stand out during drills at Lucas Oil Stadium.

    CB Ronald Darby, Florida State
    Darby led his high school to the Maryland 3A state championship in track, winning the 100- and 200-meter dashes, also earning a gold medal in the relay at the 2011 World Youth Championships in France. Simply put, this kid can fly.

    CB Nick Marshall, Auburn
    Auburn’s starting quarterback the last few seasons, Marshall is making the transition to cornerback and will be an enticing prospect with his size (6-2, 205) and athleticism. But his 40-yard dash will be important to show his long-speed in order to match up with NFL wide receivers.

    ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEWS

    QB Jameis Winston, Florida State
    Winston’s off-field transgressions have been well documented and he better be ready to answer the myriad of questions that NFL teams have for him. Clubs have only have 15 minutes to interview each prospect so Winston can expect the tough questions to come early and often.

    RB Thomas Rawls, Central Michigan
    A Michigan transfer, Rawls was arrested for stealing a 62-year old woman’s purse at a casino last April, which raises a number of obvious concerns. Before transferring to CMU in 2014, he managed only 333 rushing yards in three seasons in Ann Arbor and couldn’t set himself apart in a crowded Michigan backfield.

    RB Mike Davis, South Carolina
    Although injuries played a significant part in his struggles, Davis seemed to have “Clowney Syndrome” in 2014, showing up with some bad weight and spotty effort. Davis’ older brother (RB James Davis) went through this process a few years ago and will be able to offer him insight.

    RB Karlos Williams, Florida State
    Although he wasn’t formally charged, trouble seemed to follow Williams this past year as he was investigated for domestic abuse and his part in a drug deal gone bad. It was a very disappointing year for Williams both on the field and off.

    WR Dorial Green-Beckham, Oklahoma
    Another player with a well-known rap sheet, Green-Beckham hasn’t been seen on the field in over a year and teams will be interested to probe his mindset and attitude. There might not be a more talented prospect in this draft class but his flags are bright red.

    WR DaVaris Daniels, Notre Dame
    Entering the 2014 season, Daniels was expected to be the No. 1 receiver for the Irish after 49 catches, 745 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior. But he decided to cut ties with the program after he was one of five Notre Dame players suspended last season for academic impropriety.

    OT Tayo Fabuluje, TCU
    Fabuluje is a talented blocker, but he enters the NFL with several question marks. He sat out three seasons with multiple transfers on his résumé, bouncing between TCU and BYU, and his fluctuating weight has also been a concern with questionable practice and conditioning habits.

    OT Donovan Smith, Penn State
    Although he appeared to flip the switch at the Senior Bowl, Smith left Happy Valley with a poor reputation as a worker. He has “lazy tendencies” according to several NFL scouts and his work ethic and football character will be heavily scrutinized.

    DE Frank Clark, Michigan
    A mid-round prospect based on his play, Clark was arrested and dismissed from the program last November for a domestic abuse incident. It was just the latest strike for the former Wolverine who has a long rap sheet including a second-degree conviction for felony home invasion. It’s hard to see Clark getting drafted, but any hopes at damage control will start at the Combine.

    LB A.J. Johnson, Tennessee
    A player known as the leader and lifeblood of the Volunteers’ defense the past few seasons, Johnson was indicted by a grand jury this week in a rape case. According to his attorney, Johnson plans to surrender and it is unknown if he will be able to participate in Indianapolis.

    CB Marcus Peters, Washington
    The interview process is crucial for Peters, who was dismissed from the Washington program in early November for multiple verbal and physical run-ins with the coaching staff. He hasn’t received high marks from the current Huskies coaches or the former staff, bringing up strong concerns regarding his attitude and maturity.

    CB P.J. Williams, Florida State
    A New York Times article broke the story that Williams was involved in an Oct. 2014 hit-and-run accident, but he somehow avoided charges. The story didn’t receive a lot of traction, but it will be a topic that is frequently brought up when teams sit down with the possible first rounder.

    MEDICAL EVALUATIONS

    QB Connor Halliday, Washington State
    In Mike Leach’s air-raid offense, Halliday was on pace to shatter several passing records in 2014 before a broken tibia and fibula against USC in November ended his college career. He has been the forgotten man in this quarterback class, but positive reports from the Combine could change that.

    RB Todd Gurley, Georgia
    Gurley is a special talent and should snap the two-year drought of first round running backs, but his draft projection is up in the air after tearing his ACL last November. Nonetheless, as long as his rehab proves to be on track when trainers examine his knee in Indianapolis, Gurley should still hear his name in the top-32 picks and be ready for game action in August.

    RB T.J. Yeldon, Alabama
    Yeldon battled through nagging ankle and hamstring issues in 2014 and had his least productive season in 2014, never quite looking like himself. NFL teams will want to know if the medical staff in Indianapolis finds any long-term damage that will be a concern for his pro future.

    WR Dres Anderson, Utah
    Scouts haven’t seen Anderson, who is the son of former NFL receiver Flipper Anderson, on the field since October when he suffered a knee injury that prematurely ended his time at Utah. He isn’t expected to be ready to run in Indianapolis, but teams will soon receive an update on his rehab process.

    WR DeVante Parker, Louisville
    Parker is arguably the most talented receiver in the 2015 draft class, but durability concerns are an issue after several college injuries, including surgery on his left foot that sidelined him for the first seven games of his senior season.

    WR DeAndre Smelter, Georgia Tech
    At 6-3 and 222 pounds, Smelter has an enticing skill-set for the NFL, but he suffered a torn ACL in the regular season finale against Georgia. NFL teams will have an opportunity to find out how his knee rehab is progressing while at the Combine.

    TE Jeff Heuerman, Ohio State
    Although he started 14 games in 2014, Heuerman managed only 17 catches and was limited most of the season with a stress reaction to his surgically repaired foot from March 2014. If healthy, Heuerman is in the discussion to be the top senior prospect at his position.

    OT Cedric Ogbuehi, Texas A&M
    After a senior season where it appeared he was playing not to get hurt, Ogbuehi unfortunately suffered a torn ACL in Texas A&M’s bowl game. His lower body movement skills are first round worthy, but now his draft projection is a question mark.

    OG Arie Kouandjio, Alabama
    Like his younger brother Cyrus last year, the medical portion of the Combine might prove to be more important for Kouandjio than any drill or interview. He started the last 27 games for Alabama, but underwent multiple knee surgeries to both knees as an underclassman.

    C Hroniss Grasu, Oregon
    There is no questioning his toughness as Grasu played through several injuries in 2014 despite not being at 100% health. But his medical evaluation will better detail the damage and whether or not any issues are worrisome long-term.

    DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa, UCLA
    A possible first round prospect, Odighizuwa should test off the charts in Indianapolis, but his medical reports will be even more imperative for his future after a pair of hip surgeries in 2013, one on the left side and one to his right hip.

    DT Leonard Williams, USC
    Williams, who is NFLDraftScout.com’s No. 1 rated player in the 2015 NFL Draft, played through two torn labrums in 2014. He might not be able to lift at the Combine due to the shoulder rehab, but more importantly, the medical examinations will be able to tell how serious the issue is.

    DT Jordan Phillips, Oklahoma
    Few human beings at 6-6 and 330 pounds can move like Phillips, but his medical reports will be crucial to his draft grade. He started the first four games in 2013 before he was out for the remainder of the season due to back surgery, which addressed a nagging issue. Phillips stayed healthy in 2014, but his back durability needs thumbs up from trainers before a team drafts him.

    CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon
    Durability was never an issue for Ekpre-Olomu after starting 40 consecutive games for the Ducks, but he suffered a serious knee injury during practice a week prior to the Rose Bowl. Ekpre-Olomu isn’t considered an elite athlete at the position so his knee rehab will be closely inspected.

    DB Byron Jones, Connecticut
    A good-sized cornerback prospect, Jones was lost for the season in October after a left shoulder injury required surgery. He didn’t participate in the Senior Bowl, but hopes to be healthy enough to compete during NFL Combine drills.

    VERIFIED MEASUREMENTS

    QB Marcus Mariota, Oregon
    With 27 career fumbles and concerns about his grip and ball control as a passer, Mariota’s verified hand size will be a much anticipated number. Smaller hands (9 inches or smaller) don’t preclude a quarterback from playing at a high level in the NFL, but it might help explain some of Mariota’s struggles.

    RB Duke Johnson, Miami (Fla.)
    One of the several underclassmen running backs in the second round discussion, Johnson’s lean body type leads to durability concerns, holding your breath after every hit. Is his frame maxed out at 205 pounds?

    OL Brandon Scherff, Iowa
    The Hawkeyes’ left tackle has the skill-set ideally-suited to bump inside to guard, similar to Zack Martin a year ago. And if Scherff’s arms measure under 33 inches, that might confirm it for several teams.

    WR Rashad Greene, Florida State
    There is no questioning Greene’s toughness and receiving skills, but does he have the frame to ever carry 190+ pounds of good weight?

    CB Kevin Johnson, Wake Forest
    A healthy scratch from the Senior Bowl, Johnson is an impressive player with natural cover skills and above average height for the position. But he has a pipe-cleaner frame with very lean limbs so teams will be eager to get his exact measurements.

    DT Michael Bennett, Ohio State
    One of the unsung heroes of the Buckeyes National Title run, Bennett was a consistent inside penetrator down the stretch for Ohio State in 2014. But his lack of size might limit him at the next level to a three technique role in a four man front.

    DE Mario Edwards, Florida State
    Edwards was already a big player when he arrived at Florida State around 270 pounds, but he seemed to be carrying some bad weight on his frame as a junior last season. Lining up as a defensive end for the Seminoles, he might eat his way into a new position at defensive tackle if his weight continues to increase north of 300 pounds.

    #18536
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    Monday Morning Quarterback

    Mon Feb. 16, 2015

    Welcome to the Combine

    A blip on the NFL calendar a decade ago, the annual showcase of prospects has turned into a money-making circus watched by millions. Draft guru Mike Mayock explains the popularity boom and shares five storylines he’ll follow in Indianapolis

    By Peter King

    http://mmqb.si.com/2015/02/16/nfl-combine-mike-mayock-draft-prospects/5/

    It’s that time of year—the 2015 football season is about to begin.

    Over the past decade or so, since the NFL combine has gotten so much traction in this football-crazed country, I always think of combine week as the beginning of the new season. There will be medical meetings and competition committee meetings early in the week in Indianapolis, and then on Wednesday, coaches and GMs and scouts will gather to begin the process of medical exams, player interviews and on-field workouts for the 323 college prospects at the combine. Those workouts will be Friday through Monday this year, starting at 9 a.m. ET daily, beginning a day earlier than usual in the NFL’s attempt to—guess what—improve TV ratings.

    It’s always amazed me how combine-nutty so many people inside and outside the sport are. But ratings and the audience were up 60 percent in 2014 over 2010 numbers on NFL Network, and the ratings have climbed on ESPN too. The other day I asked NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock, the cornerstone combine expert in the business, why he thinks the four-day event has become such an extravaganza.

    “I have figured it out finally,” Mayock said from his home outside Philadelphia, taking a break from tape-watching and working the phones on prospects. “The first year we did the combine, it was me and Paul Burmeister, nobody else. My dad is a college offensive line coach, and so we do the first day, and it’s all the offensive linemen, and I call home to talk to my dad, to see what he thought of it. He said, ‘Son, after the first seven minutes, I had to turn that s— off.’

    “So, I thought people would never watch it. But with that as a backdrop, I think there’s three things that have gotten people into it over the years. One: There’s a crossover audience, of college football fans and pro football fans. The college football fans want to see how their guys are doing matched up against the best guys from around the country. The pro football fans want to be introduced to the players they’re going to be watching. Two: NFL fans, especially fantasy football fans, want to compare one receiver to another, or one quarterback to another. I’m amazed how much I hear that from fans. Three: I think people love to see players without helmets and pads on. To see a 270-pound man run a 4.6 40-yard dash, viscerally, is a really cool thing to see.”

    “The first year we did the combine, I called my dad to see what he thought,” Mayock says. “He said, ‘Son, after the first seven minutes, I had to turn that s— off.’”

    I asked Mayock for the storylines he’ll be watching.

    1. Who will challenge Chris Johnson’s combine-record 4.24-second 40-yard dash?

    “Three wide receivers have a different gear,” Mayock said. They are:
    Phillip Dorsett, considered one of the fastest prospects in the draft, also ran track at Miami. (Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)Phillip Dorsett, considered one of the fastest prospects in the draft, also ran track at Miami. (Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

    • Phillip Dorsett, Miami, 5-10, 183. “The first time I put in tape of him, all I could think of was Mike Wallace running around the Senior Bowl,” Mayock said. “He was under the radar until people saw him run. I asked him his goal for the combine, and he said, ‘4.3 or better.’ You know, 4.3, 4.28 is world-class speed.”

    • Devin Smith, Ohio State, 6-3, 190. Smith may have been the biggest playmaker in the country in 2014, with 33 catches for a 28.2-yard average and 12 touchdowns.

    • Sammie Coates, Auburn, 6-2, 213. “Biggest of the three, a real specimen,” said Mayock. “I don’t think he catches the ball as naturally as the other two. I want to see how naturally he can catch it.”

    2. Which of the big guys will shine athletically?

    “In 2011,” said Mayock, “J.J. Watt was 291 pounds, ran his 40 in 4.91, jumped 37 inches, and his short-shuttle/three-cone times were consistent with the wide receivers and defensive backs. To me, that performance was freakier than Chris Johnson running a 4.24. There’s one of those at most combines. Who’s it going to be?”

    Two candidates: Arik Armstead, a 6-7, 297-pound defensive end from Oregon, and Jordan Phillips, Oklahoma’s 6-6, 336-pound nosetackle. “I can’t wait to see them run 10-yard dashes [the first 10 yards of their 40s],” Mayock said. “That’s the important time for those guys.”

    3. Who are the boom-or-bust guys in this draft?

    Phillips, for one. Said Mayock: “Back surgery two years ago, only started 16 games in college, but he’s a dancing bear, and he’ll probably go in the first round.” Then there’s the “poster child for boom or bust—Dorial Green-Beckham,” Mayock said. Green-Beckham played two seasons at Missouri, was arrested on marijuana charges twice at Missouri, was dismissed from the team in April 2014, transferred to Oklahoma, was not granted eligibility for the 2014 season, then declared for the draft last month. At 6-5 and 225 pounds, he can run a 4.4 40-yard dash, and some team just might risk a low first-round pick on him. “I watched every target to him in 2013, and he has no idea what he’s doing, but he changes games,” said Mayock. Finally, another tall pass-catcher, the 6-5, 230-pound Devin Funchess of Michigan. Might be a big receiver, a la Kelvin Benjamin, or an athletic tight end who can put on 15 pounds. We’ll see.

    4. Who is an intriguing player NFL teams just can’t figure out?

    The LB Who Couldn’t Hit

    Washington’s Shaq Thompson spent the past three seasons proving he’s capable of just about anything on the football field; he’s a likely first-round pick in this year’s draft. But the first time he went pro, as a centerfielder, he proved to be anything but a can’t-miss prospect, Emily Kaplan writes.

    Washington outside linebacker/inside linebacker/strong safety/running back Shaq Thompson. Our Emily Kaplan profiled him last week, and the interesting thing is that Thompson played professional baseball, ignominiously, in the Red Sox system before turning his full attention to football. This ignomiously: He was 0-for-39 as a professional hitter, with 37 strikeouts. “I didn’t know that!” Mayock said. “That’s a great story!”

    “I’ve talked to six or eight evaluators in the last few days about Thompson,” said Mayock. “Two like him as a running back, two as a safety, and most as a linebacker.”

    Thompson actually could be one of those hybrid safety/linebackers that Todd Bowles used with such great impact in Arizona last year—strong safety on first down, a nickel linebacker rushing some and covering some on second and third downs.

    5. A chance to see through the fog at quarterback.

    Mayock: “It’s not a good quarterback class. I’m scared to death of Jameis Winston off the field, and I’m scared to death of how many interceptions he throws. He threw seven interceptions against Louisville and Florida, and could have been 12 or 13 if the other teams could catch the ball. But most quarterbacks come out of the spread now, and they’re projections, like Marcus Mariota. I love so much about Mariota, but he is a projection. I’m much more comfortable projecting Winston, even with the interceptions, because he was a pocket guy at Florida State. And his ability to win games in the second half is mind-boggling.”

    As for who’s number three, Mayock says, at least today, that would be UCLA’s Brett Hundley or Baylor’s Bryce Petty. “I have significant concerns about both of them,” he said. “I like Petty’s arm, accuracy and size, but he has no idea how to play in the pocket, from what I saw.”

    I plan to have a few further thoughts on Winston, who is entering a vital week for his draft status, in my Tuesday column.

    Washington’s Danny Shelton is drawing comparisons to space-eating Raven Haloti Ngata. (Getty Images/AP) Washington’s Danny Shelton (right) is drawing comparisons to space-eating Raven Haloti Ngata. (Getty Images/AP)

    Mayock likes comparing players he’s seeing now to players he’s seen in the past. NFL Network has cataloged all players at the combine since 2003, and when an apt comparison surfaces from something Mayock sees or from the composite workout of a player, that comparison will be illustrated on air.

    A few comparisons Mayock sees now, before the workouts:

    Defensive tackle Leonard Williams, USC :: Richard Seymour.

    Nose tackle Danny Shelton, Washington :: Haloti Ngata.

    Safety/linebacker/running back Shaq Thompson, Washington :: Deone Bucannon.

    Outside linebacker Dante Fowler, Florida :: Justin Houston.

    Wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, Miami :: Mike Wallace.

    It should be an illuminating week in Indianapolis. For The MMQB, I’ll be there, along with Jenny Vrentas, Robert Klemko and Emily Kaplan, and videographer John DePetro. Andy Staples also will be there, working on a couple of things for The MMQB, SI and SI.com. And photographer Todd Rosenberg will be with us, capturing the players and the flavor of the combine. Follow along here, and on Instagram and Twitter.

    * * *
    Requiem for a heavyweight.

    Dave Goldberg died last week at 73. There’s a good chance you didn’t know Goldberg, even if you were a big football fan. That’s because, most often, Goldberg’s best stories would appear in your hometown newspaper without his name on them, because he wrote for the Associated Press. Such as this preview of the Super Bowl 27 years ago:

    SAN DIEGO (AP)—For the second straight year, the Super Bowl comes down to John Elway against the world, the world this year being the Washington Redskins rather than the New York Giants. Is there anyone else on the Broncos besides their quarterback?

    That’s called “foreshadowing.” Goldberg was good at that.

    Washington 42, Denver 10.

    Today, Twitter has become the wire-service feed. I follow writers for all NFL teams, as well as national writers and multimedia people. So for the past six years, that has become my Associated Press. But for years, and through the 25 years he was the AP’s lead pro football writer (1984-2009), Dave Goldberg and his APbrethren were my news feed for the NFL. I knew he would give me the facts I needed to know, laced with some smart leanings, but never a hit-over-the-head opinion, because that’s not what wire services did. They reported facts. Then you decided what you thought about the facts. Remember those days?

    Goldberg never minded. Like so many of his colleagues with the wire services, he never got in it to see his name in the newspaper. He got in it to cover the big story, and the mundane story. That’s what reporting is. And he was terrific at it. I’d see him over the years alone with the biggest newsmakers in the game, in a sidebar after a press conference with Paul Tagliabue, walking down the hall with Jerry Jones at a league meeting, sidling up to Peyton Manning after a game. And he did it fast, and with smart, good writing. When I’d cover a big 1 p.m. Giants game back in the ’80s for Newsday, Goldberg would write his AM game story and his “PM-er,” the story for the Monday afternoon dailies with quotes, and he’d waltz out of the press box by 6:30 or so, done for the day, and I’d read his stories late night and invariably I’d wish I had one of his quotes or factoids in what I’d written as a beat man.

    As he got older, Goldberg became one of the wise owls in the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection meetings. Unemotional, fact-based, very smart. He wouldn’t rail at much, really. But he did not like clichés. At all. Such as this one: future Hall of Famer. “Future Hall of Famer,” he’d grouse. “If every guy who was a future Hall of Famer became a real Hall of Famer, we’d have to put 50 guys in every year!”

    I’ll really miss the guy.

    * * *
    The new NFL chief health and medical adviser to make her debut at the combine.
    Dr. Nabel (Steven Senne/AP)Dr. Elizabeth Nabel (Steven Senne/AP)

    Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, appointed by the NFL last Monday to be the league’s first chief health and medical adviser overseeing all league medical affairs, will be at the combine to meet with the league’s various medical committees and trainers and executives. Nabel will continue as president of Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and as a professor of medicine at Harvard.

    As to why the position isn’t a full-time job, the NFL’s senior vice president of health and safety policy, Jeff Miller, said: “We were looking for a consultant. We have found that mode works very well for us. In this case, she will begin to listen and learn at the combine. She’ll evaluate the work for our medical committees. She’ll study our concussion protocols. She’ll form opinions on what we can do better … Basically, we haven’t had one person to look at the whole of what we are doing to make our game as safe as possible, and we think she is an outstanding person to do that.”

    Miller said Nabel’s name came up often as the league looked for a medical expert with a diverse background in a very complicated field—as well as someone accustomed to being a boss of smart and high-achieving people. “You don’t get to run Brigham and Women’s if you don’t know how to herd cats,” NFL consultant and brain-trauma expert Robert Cantu told the Boston Globe.

    “She runs one of the finest hospitals in the world,” said Miller. “She has the breadth of experience we wanted, and so much perspective on modern health care. She uses her strategic sense to move health care forward.”

    One immediate focus for Nabel, at least in the eyes of fans and teams, will be to examine the league’s concussion-diagnosis protocols and see if the NFL has it right. In the Patriots’ Super Bowl victory, Julian Edelman returned to play despite appearing shaken up after a fourth-quarter collision. He has declined comment about it since the game, including to The New York Times on Sunday. But with the emphasis on head trauma and long-term effects of hits to the head, there should be a crystal-clear policy on when players can return, and what precisely constitutes a concussion or a hit severe enough to bar a player from returning to a game. The policy has gotten better, but the cloudiness of the Edelman story makes it obvious the league still has a job to finish there.

    * * *
    We’re having a Tweetup in Indianapolis this week.

    A Tweetup, for those who haven’t been to one, is an informal meeting of people who, theoretically, have encountered one another on Twitter. For the past six years in Indianapolis, some of my readers/followers/hecklers have come to a public place or bar when the combine is in town, and I’ve brought some of my media friends, and we talk football for a while. This year, we’re changing things up a bit.

    Where: Sun King Brewing Co., 135 North College Ave., Indianapolis (about seven blocks from downtown).
    When: Friday, 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
    Tickets: $10. Yes, this used to be free. We decided to charge this year, with all ticket money going to Thrive360 (formerly Kids Against Hunger of Central Indiana), a group that packs meals for the needy and the hungry. You must be 21 or older to attend. Beer will be sold at the event. Buy your tickets here.

    Follow me on Twitter, and when I know more details about the event, I’ll pass them along. Hope to see you there.

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