1. Tavon Austin- West Virginia- Wide Receiver
The speedster ran an official 4.34 40 yard dash after unofficially being clocked in the 4.2 range. While the official high of the day (4.27) came from track star Marquise Goodwin out of Texas, Austin impressed the scouts with his hands. While Austin isn't projected to go in either of Mel Kiper's or Todd McShay's first round, chatter has begun about Austin. What was supposed to hold Austin back is his small frame. 5 feet 8 inches and only 173. While I think he'll fit perfectly in the slot, Tavon had many doubters. That all changed Sunday. Austin caught the ball beautiful only to augment to the already great speed. Scouts instantly moved him up their draft boards, including John Clayton from ESPN who claims Austin might slip into the first round. Possible suitors for Austin could be New England or his hometown Baltimore Ravens. New England could be satisfied to replace pending free agent Wes Welker with some newer legs while Baltimore could look to sign defensive players over Jacoby Jones. Austin works well in the return game as well which is only a plus. Austin impressed and that is why he ranks number 1 on today's list.2. Geno Smith-West Virginia- Quarterback
You might think I'm a West Virginia fan at this point but I am not. I'm just impressed by both guys out of this University. As he declined from Heisman Front Runner to just about no one during the College Football Season, Geno Smith gained a ton of doubters. Then, to much surprise, rumors this weekend began to swirl that Geno could be taken first overall to the Kansas City Chiefs. While I don't believe this, the question must be asked-Why did Geno impress today-Simply because of his speed. While it was known Smith had valuable speed, he clocked in at an unexpected 4.59 highest in the draft class. In today's evolving quarterback class, speed is almost a necessary element. Cam Newton, RGIII, Russell Wilson are all revolutionizing the game and the Quarterback needs speed more than ever these days. Smith may have boosted his draft stock but will it be enough to get to the top?
You might be thinking-Matt Barkley? He didn't he attend this weekends combine. While this is true, multiple reports have come out stating that Barkley will make it nowhere past the 7th spot in the draft owned by the Arizona Cardinals. While Barkley is still recovering from injury, this is major news. Pre-season the Trojans were Number 1 and Barkley was supposed to be the #1 pick after receiving the Heisman. Everything went wrong, yet Barkley might be lucking out. In a draft filled with needs at Quarterback, a weaker Quarterback class might be doing better than expected. While Barkley has time to impress at the USC Pro-day, apparently he's done enough to be a top 10 pick.
Others:
Terron Armstead-ran a 4.71 as an Offensive Lineman
Cordarrelle Patterson- Rated as the top wide receiver only impressed with his great frame and blazing speed
Top 5 projected pick- Star Lotulelei- out of Hawaii has been removed from the Combine list for Monday. The defensive tackle has been diagnosed with poor deficiency in one of his ventricles. The condition is not life threatening but he is in no shape to participate. Lotulelei's draft stock shouldn't fall much unless worse reports come out.
No comments:
Post a Comment