NFL Combine - Sunday (WR, RB, QB)

Braylon Edwards didn’t participate in any of the on-field workouts, but he did make an appearance on the bench press. Edwards threw up 23 reps in a shocking display for the top rated WR. 23 is a number some tight ends will struggle to reach.

Edwards is nearly everyone’s #1 wideout. Here are three other receivers who looked real good during their combine workouts:

I’ve read that some people really like Troy Williamson as a late first round pick, but other than his size, I didn’t see a whole lot from him on Sunday that separated the 6′1, 203 pounder that much from the rest of the pack of speedy WRs. His moves were smooth and he made good cuts, but Williamson needed an extra step to break down into his turns and his hands were just okay. I didn’t see much of him in college, so maybe he’s got more to offer.

The Georgia duo of Reggie Brown and Fred Gibson both looked like good first day picks. Brown will be a solid deep threat in the NFL with his 4.51 speed and 41.5 vertical leap. I also like that Brown led the 20 yard shuffle because it shows that he has the kind of quickness to get into the secondary with a double move before his quarterback has to get rid of the ball.

Gibson didn’t crack the top 5 in any category except for his 38.5 inch vertical. He’s not an elite skills guy but he does have good potential. Mike Mayock noted that he’s reminded by Gibson of Michael Jenkins, last year’s 1st round pick to the Falcons who played sparingly in 2004. At the same time, I was thinking that Gibson looked very thin, like Todd Pinkston thin. But the Jenkins comparison will do as well. Either way, the team that picks the 6′4, 195 lbs Fred Gibson probably shouldn’t look for immediate production from him.

On NFL Total Access, Mike Williams admitted that he only changed his mind to run in the 40 because of the poor reaction he got from teams when he said that he wasn’t going to run. Williams borrowed a pair of size 13 cleats from a friend and went out onto the track to run a 4.6, 40. Some have said wondered if that’s too slow for a top 25 pick but, to me, that’s exactly what his ceiling needed to be. I think Williams did just enough to prove that he belongs in the first round. His size (6′4, 229) and hands are exceptional and a 4.6 time is just enough to keep him on the field. Williams will work out on March 10th in Tampa and will probably come through with a 4.5 time.

I don’t get too excited about a receiver just because he runs a sub 4.4 - 40, but as a kick returner speed like that is a weapon. There are at least 4 receivers in this draft that should at the very least provide their team with an immediate playmaker at kick returner. Roscoe Parrish, Jerome Mathis, and Courtney Roby impressed all with their times. But even though his 40 time (4.63) wasn’t great, Chad Owens is the one I’m looking at. The Hawaii WR is as quick as anyone and his size, 5′7 - 183 lbs, makes him even more difficult to catch. Consider also that Parrish is two inches taller and 15 pounds lighter than Owens. In 2004, Chad caught 17 TD passes and added 5 more on special teams. Mathis, Parrish, and Roby will probably be drafted earlier because of their 40 times, but that just makes Chad a pretty good value.

Finally, the receiver everyone is talking about is Matt Jones:

A couple of more notes about the backs. Carnell Williams ran on Sunday (4.5) and looked much bigger than I thought. By now, everyone has reported that Cadillac showed good enough hands and ran good enough routes to solidify his top 10 status. I still wonder about his durability. In college, he seemed to be the kind of back that always was nicked up; always playing at 85%.

I mentioned earlier that I liked the 5′6 Darren Sproles. He ran a top 40 (4.46) and benched 225 pounds 23 times (Sproles only weighs 187 lbs). He has short, powerful legs and turns corners just as fast as he runs straight ahead. He won’t fit into every team’s system, but Sproles is a tough and effective runner who shares an obvious comparison to Warrick Dunn.

Mayock has compared Virginia RB Alvin Pearman to Mewelde Moore because of Pearman’s multiple abilites. They both are similar sized backs with similar 40 times, but I think Moore runs with a little more fluidity. Still, Pearman benched 24 reps and looks strong . He’s a good value for anyone looking for an immediate backup.

A lot of backs chose not to work out. Marion Barber, Cedric Benson, Ciatrick Fason, Frank Gore, Cedric Houston, Ray Hudson, and Vernand Morency all declined to participate in the running drills.

I like that Adrian McPhearson still has a will to compete. I like that he spent most of his two years out of the NCAA in the arena league. I like that he looked the reporter directly in the eye when answering the question about his troubled past. I wonder about Adrian’s accuracy, though. I see him becoming something like Quincy Carter on the field, and hopefully not like Carter off of it. McPherson’s 40 time (4.72 from Sunday) is probably closer to a high 4.5. It was also impressive that he benched 22 times but I do worry that he had one of the smallest hand sizes (9 inches) of all the quarterbacks.

Charlie Frye was moving up draft boards after a strong Senior Bowl, but I think he will need some time to adjust to the next level. Frye may end up a good NFL quarterback but if he doesn’t sit for at least his first season, the former Zip will make a lot of mistakes as a rookie.

Jason Campbell probably hurt himself by not working out at in Indy. His pure athletisicm would have had people talking about him, instead of Adrian McPherson. From what I saw of Campbell this year, I wonder if his type of leadership will be successful at the pro level. Think, Aaron Brooks.

Ryan Fitzpatrick aced the Wonderlic (50 out of 50) in just 9 minutes. Reports are that he checked his answers twice and turned in the test with 3 minutes remaining in his allotted time. Ryan also looked good on the Indy turf. He’s got decent footwork, and enough of an arm to keep a job in the NFL.

The Network didn’t show a lot of coverage of the QBs, but here is one guy I’m interested in seeing more: