2013 NFL Draft Scouting Combine Prospects - Weigh-Ins and 40 Times:
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2013 NFL Draft Scouting Combine Field Workout Recap:
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2013 NFL Draft Scouting Combine Weigh-In Recap:
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2013 NFL Draft Scouting Combine Bench Press Analysis:
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2013 NFL Draft Scouting Combine Stock Report:
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By Charlie Campbell.
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This is the 2013 NFL Combine Field Workout Recap for the defensive backs. Follow me
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The top defensive back in the draft, Alabama’s DeMarcus Milliner, cemented his status as an early selection with a tremendous time in the 40-yard dash. In his two 40s, he had unofficial times of 4.31 and 4.38 with a 10-yard split of 1.49 seconds. One of the few questions about Milliner was his straight-line speed, and he more than adequately addressed that concern. Milliner dropped a few passes in the field work and didn’t move nearly as well. However, his tape from Alabama illustrated good ball skills and movement ability. Milliner stands a good shot of going in the top five and looks like a lock for the top 10.
Texas’ Kenny Vaccaro, the consensus top safety in the 2013 NFL Draft, had an underwhelming Combine performance. He ran more slowly than expected with a 40 time of 4.63 seconds. His bench press total (15) was also less than ideal. On the other hand, Vaccaro looked good in the field drills. His feet were great and he was agile with the ability to flip his hips. Even though Vaccaro didn’t excel at the Combine, it probably won’t hurt him significantly.
On the heels of a great Senior Bowl, Washington cornerback Desmond Trufant made himself some money with an electric time in the 40-yard dash. He recorded the third-fastest time for a defensive back at 4.38 seconds. The 6-foot, 190-pound corner has man-coverage skills and is gritty, confident and physical. Trufant had solid numbers on the bench press (16 reps), vertical leap (37.5 inches) and broad jump (10-5). His tremendous Combine performance should confirm a first-round grade and could prompt some team to take him in the top half.
N.C. State’s David Amerson really helped himself at the Combine. The big corner had a great sophomore season in 2011, but struggled as a junior. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder addressed any speed concerns with an unofficial 4.38 time in the 40-yard dash. He had a solid time of 1.52 seconds in the 10-yard split. Amerson’s good Combine illustrated size and speed. His ball skills are well-known, so he could find some teams reevaluating his ranking.
Florida State’s Xavier Rhodes is another corner who set himself up for more money in the NFL. There were concerns that the 6-foot-2, 210-pound corner lacked speed and the ability to turn and run with wide receivers. The first question was laid to rest when he ran the 40 in 4.43 seconds with a sparkling 10-yard split of 1.47 seconds. That was tied for the second fastest time for a corner in the first 10 yards.
Rhodes did well in the other tests including the best vertical leap (40.5) among the defensive backs and tied for the best broad jump (132) among the cornerbacks. Rhodes doing well in the field drills seemed to answer the second question. This Combine performance could help a team to pull the trigger on him in the first round next April.
Mississippi State’s Johnthan Banks, on the other hand, had a disastrous Combine. Banks is a big, physical corner with ball skills. However, there were speed concerns and he justified those with an ugly official time of 4.61 second in the 40-yard dash. The big corner also had a slower 10-yard split of 1.59 seconds. Additionally, Banks did poorly on the bench press with 10 reps and did not stand out in the field drills. The Combine performance could cause some teams to drop Banks’ status and view him as only a zone corner in the NFL.
Banks’ teammate at Mississippi State, Darius Slay, had a fabulous Combine. He turned in the fastest 40 time for any defensive back at 4.36 seconds and 1.52 seconds in the 10-yard split. Slay also did well in the field drills. The 6-foot, 192-pounder was fluid and moved well. This Combine performance could help teams to reevaluate Slay and move him up their draft board.
Florida safety Matt Elam ran well with an unofficial 40 time of 4.46 seconds (4.54 officially) with 1.57 seconds in the 10-yard split. He also did well in the field work. The 5-foot-10, 208-pounder had a solid Combine to confirm his status as a late first-round or early second-round pick.
There were a ton of eyes on former LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu. He faced a ton of questions to answer in the interview rooms about his litany of off-the-field issues. As if that weren’t awkward enough, Mathieu put up a mere total of four reps on the bench press, but he bounced back with a time of 4.50 in the 40-yard dash.
Mathieu had a mixed outing in the field drills as well. There were some plays where he looked agile and fluid, while there were others where he looked stiff. Mathieu (5-9, 186) is a known commodity as a player, and his performance in the team interviews should have the biggest impact on his draft status.
Syracuse safety Shamarko Thomas shined as one of the stars of the Combine. He had a solid collegiate career and followed that up with a good week at the East-West Shrine. Thomas tied as the fastest safety in the 40-yard dash with an official time of 4.42 seconds with a superb 10-yard split of 1.50 seconds. He then led all of the defensive backs with 28 reps on the bench press. Thomas also tied for the lead in the vertical (40.5) and finished second in the broad jump.
His peformance in Indianapolis definitely earned him the title of workout warrior. Thomas’ athletic upside could cause him to rise higher later this spring.
Connecticut’s Dwayne Gratz was another corner who stood out. His official 40 time was 4.47 seconds. The 5-foot-11, 201-pounder did well in the bench press and the field drills, too. There were other corners who earned more acclaim, but Gratz’s good Combine performance could help him to be a second-day pick.
California defensive back Steve Williams was one of the workout-warrior stars on Tuesday. The 5-foot-9, 181-pounder was thought to have a record-setting 40 time of 4.25 seconds, but the official time was deemed 4.42 seconds. He tied with Miami’s Brandon McGee for the fastest 10-yard split of 1.46 seconds. Williams’ explosion was also on display with a vertical leap of 40.5 inches, which tied for first. His impressive day could prompt teams to reevaluate where they have him on their draft boards.
A safety who failed to help his stock was Oklahoma’s Tony Jefferson. It is a crowded safety class, and he should have returned to school. There have been rumors about him being a poor practice player and trainer in the weight room. Those concerns weren’t eased at the Combine.
Jefferson had a slow 40 time of 4.75 seconds with a 10-yard split of 1.61 seconds. It was the second-slowest 40 and third-slowest 10-yard burst; he plays faster than that. Jefferson did not participate in the broad jump or vertical leap because of an injury. The Combine didn’t help Jefferson at all, and may have hurt him.
Boise State cornerback Jamar Taylor helped himself with a good Senior Bowl and kept up the momentum at the Combine. He did well on the bench press with 22 reps and finished fourth in the 40 with a time of 4.39 seconds. His 10-yard split was tied for second at 1.47 seconds. Taylor (5-11, 192) showed nice athletic ability in the field drills. He did his part to confirm a second-day grade.
There are a few other defensive backs who are worth mentioning. Miami cornerback Brandon McGee, Illinois cornerback Terry Hawthorne, Southeast Louisiana cornerback Robert Alford, Georgia Tech’s Rod Sweeting and Georgia safety Shawn Williams all performed well at the Combine. They all proved that they have speed and athleticism.
Back to the 2013 NFL Draft Scouting Combine Page.
2013 NFL Draft Scouting Combine Prospects - Weigh-Ins and 40 Times:
QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | LB | DB
2013 NFL Draft Scouting Combine Field Workout Recap:
QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | LB | DB
2013 NFL Draft Scouting Combine Weigh-In Recap:
QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | LB | DB
2013 NFL Draft Scouting Combine Bench Press Analysis:
RB | TE | OL | DL | LB | DB
2013 NFL Draft Scouting Combine Stock Report:
QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | LB | DB
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