NFL Combine Thread

[bennyl08]

The combine starts tomorrow. Here's the schedule that it will follow as it relates to our Hogs.

Tuesday: Baker and Skipper arrive at the combine, orientation and interviews
Wednesday: Baker and Skipper measured, med workout. Hatcher, Morgan and Sprinkle arrive.
Thursday: Baker and Skipper do the testing and positional workout. Hatcher, Morgan, and Sprinkle measured and interviewed. Wise, Ledbetter, and Ellis arrive.
Friday: Baker and Skipper do timing drills and leave. Hatcher, Morgan, and Sprinkle do testing, interviews, and bench. Wise, Ledbetter,  and Ellis measured.
Saturday: Hatcher, Morgan, and Sprinkle do timing and positional drills. Wise, Ledbetter, and Ellis do testing, bench, and interviews.
Sunday: Wise, Ledbetter, ad Ellis do timing and position drills.
Monday is d-backs timing and position, but Collins nor Dean got invites.

[bennyl08]

In short, we won't have any numbers to report until wednesday, and that will just be the ht/wt/arm length/hand size etc... of Baker and Skipper.

[Wildhog]

In short, we won't have any numbers to report until wednesday, and that will just be the ht/wt/arm length/hand size etc... of Baker and Skipper.

The disparity between those two should be entertaining.

[ChitownHawg]

The disparity between those two should be entertaining.

Entertaining like this?

[bennyl08]

Toby Baker: 6'3 210, hands = 9.25", Arm length = 31 5/8ths ", we listed him as 6'3 215. He could have dropped some weight due to trying to improve numbers for the combine. Is still at a good size compared to other punters.

Dan Skipper: 6'10 309, hands = 10.5", arm length = 33 3/8ths inch. We listed him as 6'10 319. At 6'10, he is obviously the tallest OL player there which isn't always a good thing. At 309, there is about 1/3 of the OL group lighter than him, but at his height, I'd would expect him to be heavier. Could be deliberate to be faster and quicker at the combine. Looking at other OL players that are 6'7 and above of which there are a fair number, weights range from 350+ to under 300 with quite a few within 1% difference of his weight. So, it would seem that his weight shouldn't be a big deal.

[bennyl08]

Here's the NFL.com profile for each of our players.


Keon Hatcher: Grade 5.38 (NFL backup or special teams potential)

OVERVIEW
Hatcher was considered among the top receivers in the SEC at the start of the 2015 season, but just two games in (13-198 receiving), he broke his left foot. The Oklahoma native was a top 50 receiver prospect coming out of high school. He played in 10 games as a reserve in his first year in Fayetteville (3-21, TD), and then earned a part-time starting job in 2013 (27-346, two TD). Hatcher stepped up as a go-to guy in 12 starts as a junior, leading the team in receiving yards (43-558, six TD), which led to the high expectations going into his first senior year. His second senior year was a success, as he topped all Razorbacks in receiving yardage again (44-743, eight TD).

STRENGTHS Stout build with plenty of muscle packed on his frame. Tough player who doesn't back down from physical corners. Plus foot quickness off the line of scrimmage. Swipes and slaps away jams and redirect attempts throughout his route. Natural, fluid athlete in space. Hands were reliable this season. Can make quick, stabbing grab of the football when he finds it late. Showed great concentration to finish catches in traffic against aggressive Alabama secondary. Effective working down the field with 80 percent of his catches going for first downs. Has field awareness to gear down route and wait for the throw when working near boundary. Has history of fighting through adversity.

WEAKNESSES Needs to show better improvisation in adjusting routes. Goes where route takes him and will just bang into defenders. Plays tall through his patterns. Route work lacks crisp breaks and overall focus. HIs route fakes are unconvincing and won't get cornerbacks tilted in the wrong direction very often. Telegraphs double moves badly. Seem to be on different pages with his quarterback too often. Long speed is average and has trouble shaking cornerbacks on vertical routes. Will need to learn how to set up cornerbacks to create workable separation in NFL. Despite his size, wasn't asked to block very often for Hogs.

NFL COMPARISON Jaelen Strong

BOTTOM LINE He has good size, but not great. He's not the fastest receiver and his routes don't do their job often enough. With that said, Hatcher has something to him. He plays with good balance and strength in his routes and flashes elevated focus when finishing catches in traffic. Hatcher has the athleticism to work intermediate and deep and could become a factor after a couple seasons of seasoning.

[bennyl08]

Drew Morgan: Grade 5.25 (NFL backup or special teams potential)

STRENGTHS Good initial speed into his route. Very clever at setting up routes and has a good feel for using speed variance in footwork to open door to separation against man coverage. Smooth short-area quickness gets him into and out of his breaks quickly. Rarely telegraphs route intentions. Extremely tough and willing to take the licks to make catch over the middle. Adjusts to throws behind him with relative ease and can hoover the low throw without breaking stride. Shifty runner after the catch with fakes that throw tacklers way off the mark. Has feet for sudden stops.

WEAKNESSES Can be pushed around inside the route and knocked off-balance. Quality press coverage can stymie him at the line. Can't run past cornerbacks on a straight go route. Doesn't have big separation burst out of his breaks. Can improve his positioning to keep defensive backs out of the catch. Throws himself off-balance coming out of some of his route fakes. Gets open early but may not have the traits to be a consistent finisher down the field. Averaged just 10.8 yards per touch.

BOTTOM LINE Has adequate size to give a team some snaps from an outside receiver spot, but the slot may be his final home. Morgan wins with crisp routes and sticky hands and there is plenty of tape showing the toughness to finish catches despite taking big hits. Morgan has the talent to earn a roster spot and work his way up the ladder, but he needs to show off good quickness numbers and adequate speed during his combine workout.

[bennyl08]

Dan Skipper: Grade 5.1 (Better-than-average chance to make NFL roster)

Even among the big-bodied tackles in the SEC, the 6-foot-10 Skipper stands out. That size has served him well at Arkansas, where he's started each game since the midway point of his true freshman season. Skipper lined up at guard the last eight games of that season, and he also used his height to set a school record with three blocked field goals. He moved from guard to left tackle for his sophomore year, also changing his jersey number to put costly penalties in the past. Skipper started all 39 games at the left tackle spot since 2014, earning second-team All-SEC notice as a junior and a first-team all-conference nod in his senior season.

STRENGTHS Very tall for the position with decent functional athleticism. Has experience starting at both tackle spots. Has operated in a pro-style rushing attack and has experience firing off the ball and working with guards. Decent timing with his pass-pro punch. Can pull and is able to operate in space as a run blocker. While not always fluid with it, shows ability to transition from first to second block. Intelligent and aware of his responsibilities against twists.

WEAKNESSES At times, height works against him due to lack of anchor. Is consistently jolted by power players at first punch. Will default to wide, engulfing hands in pass protection, which opens his chest to bull-rushers. Rarely able to get his pad level into leveraged position due to center of gravity. Missing leg drive to consistently pop and secure his down blocks. Hand placement is spotty and he lacks power in them. As run blocker, will be unable to turn NFL defenders out of the hole with footwork and technique.

BOTTOM LINE Size will be appealing to some NFL teams as will his experience at both tackle positions. His experience in Arkansas' physical rushing attack should work in his favor, but he lacks the sand in his pants to consistently match power with power against bigger, NFL-caliber talent at the point of attack. The same height that will intrigue some teams might ultimately rob Skipper of the necessary leverage he needs at the next level. Could project as a third-day (Rounds 4-7) swing tackle prospect who will have to battle to win a roster spot.

[bennyl08]

Toby Baker: Grade 4.92 (Should be in an NFL training camp)

Despite being a star quarterback and punter in high school, Baker had to walk on at Arkansas in 2012. He redshirted that year, and played sparingly in 2013 and 2014 before finally getting his shot as a junior. In 2015, he averaged 41.2 yards a punt, forced 16 fair catches versus just two touchbacks, and place 23-of-43 punts inside the 20-yard line. Baker missed out on all-conference honors his senior year, but he finished in the top 15 nationally in punting average (44.4), with 24 fair catches and 22 inside the 20 on 57 punts (just three ending up in touchbacks).

STRENGTHS Has good size for the position. Had a 50-plus yard punt in 10 of the 11 games he kicked in this season. Had 36.8 percent of his total punts this year go 50 yards or more. Forced a fair catch rate of 42.1 percent and has not had a punt blocked over the last two seasons. Lauded for his mental toughness and attention to details by the coaching staff.

WEAKNESSES Has a low percentage of punts inside the opponent's 10-yard line over last two seasons. Will need to expedite his snap-to-punt time as it is a little below the NFL average. Hang time can use improvement.

BOTTOM LINE Baker has enough leg strength to give him a shot to earn an NFL roster spot, but he will have to improve his directional kicking and accuracy on touch punts to be considered the total package.

[bennyl08]

Deatrich Wise Jr: Grade 5.46 (NFL backup or special teams potential), that grade runs from 5.2 to 5.49, so he was right on the cusp of being chance to become NFL starter

Deatrich Wise, Sr. was a ninth-round pick in 1998 by Seattle and also played in the Canadian Football League. Junior wasn't a starter until his senior year, and then he only did so in the opening eight games as he dealt with a hand injury suffered in the opener along with other injuries that limited his snaps later in the year. He did produce in that role, however, ending up with 49 stops, 5.5 for loss, and 3.5 sacks for the season. Wise got on scouts' radars by racking up eight sacks and two forced fumbles as a reserve in 2015. He also played regularly off the bench in 2013 (one start, 17 tackles, three TFL, two sacks) and 2014 (one start, 13 tackles, three TFL, two sacks).

STRENGTHS Uncommon arm length (35 inches) with enormous hands. Terrific power in his punch and is able to jolt tackles with it. Uses brute force to set a strong edge. Can rag-doll blockers with stack-and-jerk upper body power. Effective use of arm length to keep blockers out of his frame. Heavy tackler engulfing ball carrier with full weight of his frame. Uses long strides to gain ground up the field as pass rusher. Powers through contact when he's at the edge. Legitimate bull-rush potential when pad level is good. Has frame that will accept more mass. Quick getting hands into passing lane when rush stalls. Deflected six passes over last two seasons. His "try-hard" is never in doubt. Has experience as a five-technique in Arkansas' defensive front.

WEAKNESSES Production fell well below expectations. Lost early down reps during senior season. Heavy-stepper with excessive stride length for short-area movement. Lacks lateral quickness and ability needed in twist games as rusher. Painfully slow to restart engine after changing direction. Below average reactive quickness allows running backs to dart past him. Tackling range has limitations. Hands have power but not suddenness. Won't get many quick wins at point of attack in the backfield. Pad level rises as rep rolls on. Upfield rush doesn't threaten the edge. Tackles drop early anchors to counter his power. Needs active feet after contact. Lacks edge rush ability to stay outside on third downs.

NFL COMPARISON Malliciah Goodman

BOTTOM LINE Slow-twitch power player with rare physical attributes but a lack of functional athleticism to chalk up a stat sheet. Might have been miscast as a 4-3 defensive end considering his lack of quickness and rush talent. But his length and power at the point of attack could make him an attractive Day 3 (Rounds 4-7) draft option for 3-4 teams looking for a two-gapping defensive end with the traits to bounce back from a disappointing senior season.

[bennyl08]

Jeremiah Ledbetter: Grade 5.0 (50-50 Chance to make NFL roster)

Ledbetter's father, Weldon, was a running back at Oklahoma from 1979 to 1982 and was drafted by Tampa Bay in the seventh round of the 1983 draft. He redshirted one season and played two more at Hutchinson Community College, finishing his career there as a second-team junior college All-American in 2014 with 24.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks. Ledbetter stepped into the lineup right away for the Razorbacks, making 55 tackles, 7.5 for loss, and two sacks. He topped the squad with 5.5 sacks in his senior season, and was credited with 49 total tackles, 7.5 for loss.

STRENGTHS Compact, powerful frame. Explodes into blockers with good hip torque and consistently wins the battle of low-man at the point of attack. Has the arm length of an offensive tackle. Early with his punch and lands with good placement. Gets quick arm extension and is able to control the point of attack when asked to two-gap. Stronger than size would dictate and can handle himself against single blocks. Does his part to eat blocks when asked to in Arkansas scheme. Has power to drive through a guard's edge once he makes his way up the field.

WEAKNESSES Has physical limitations that could mitigate his effectiveness. Will need substantially more mass to handle duties as an NFL three-technique. Can be uprooted by down blocks and double teams and driven out of his gap. Lacks initial upfield explosiveness teams look for from penetrators. Could be a man without a clear-cut position. Struggles to get to blocker's edge as a rusher. Needs to find more pass rush. Will need to improve hand fighting for faster wins to compensate for his average athleticism.

BOTTOM LINE Ledbetter's game is built for the interior line, but he lacks the desired mass to hold his ground against NFL power and he's not as explosive off the snap as teams would like to play in the gaps. Ledbetter's long arms and power at the point of attack might make him a candidate to play base end for a team looking for strength on the edge, but the lack of foot quickness and ability to threaten the edge as an interior rusher could limit his draft value.

[bennyl08]

Brooks Ellis: Grade 4.92 (Should be in an NFL training camp)

The Razorbacks kept one of their best talents in-state when they signed Ellis, a two-time state Defensive Player of the Year and state champion. He impressed the coaches enough to get into the starting line-up for the final four games as a true freshman (33 tackles, two for loss) and racked up 10 tackles against LSU in the season finale. He made plays regularly as a sophomore starter (72 tackles, 5.5 for loss, two interceptions, five pass break-ups), and then led the Razorbacks with 102 tackles in 2015 (eight for loss, 1.5 sacks, three PBU). Ellis, a pre-med major with a 3.8 grade point average, was tops on the team again as a senior (83, seven TFL, six PBU).

STRENGTHS Instinctive with a technician approach. Scrapes with squared shoulders and quality pad level. Slides from gap to gap, mirroring ball carrier, and is careful not to overshoot his pursuit. Plays with an authoritative punch and good arm extension when attacking blockers. In constant movement on balls of his feet and rarely caught flat-footed. Maintains vision beyond the blockers in front of him. Reliable and aware. Productive tackler who also shows an ability to squeeze receivers from zone coverage. Has three years of coverage experience on special teams.

WEAKNESSES Slow-twitch athlete. Lacks suddenness of movement and instant burst to overcome mistakes. Margin for error is slight. Tape reveals a lack of functional speed to chase runners to the perimeter. Misses tackles that appear to be in his grasp due to lack of close-out burst. Will have issues maintaining coverage against NFL running backs in space.

SOURCES TELL US "You like so much of what you see, but once you see him open up and run, it just becomes hard to put a draftable grade on him. He's a camp body in my opinion, but I think he's a good college player." - Area scout for NFC team

BOTTOM LINE There are so many things to like when you watch the tape. He's smart, instinctive, productive and technically sound. However, his lack of functional NFL speed will be very difficult to overcome. If Ellis tests well, he could work himself into Day 3 (Rounds 4-7) consideration. Back end of the roster might be the best he can hope for due to his lack of recovery ability and raw athleticism.

[bennyl08]

Jeremy Sprinkle: Grade 5.7 (Chance to become an NFL starter), highest graded player

One of the perks of going to a bowl game is getting a "gift bag" from the game sponsor. The Razorbacks went to the Belk Bowl this year, and as a bonus, got $450 to spend at a Belk department store the week before the game. Unfortunately, Sprinkle tried to take more than that amount from the store, and was cited with shoplifting the extra items and suspended for the game. He had played well in his senior year, however, making 33 catches for 380 yards and four scores in 11 starts for Razorbacks. In fact, Sprinkle has been a productive player ever since his freshman year (two starts, catching four passes for 68 yards). He caught seven passes for 84 yards as a sophomore and started seven games, making 27 receptions for 389 yards and six touchdowns (tops for SEC tight ends).

STRENGTHS Combination tight end who doesn't have to leave the field. Has arm length and base to help in pass protection. Effective blocker willing to do the physical work. Snaps into down blocks and secures. Strong hands lead to sustained blocks. Able to engage and sustain against safeties in space. Long frame with room to carry more weight. Has arm length and hand size of an NFL offensive tackle. Big, presentable target over the middle. Plus red-zone worker. Sells blocks on delayed-release play-action. Burrows into holes of zone and protects passes with his frame. Goes down to pick low throws off top of grass. Sneaky build-up of speed in routes. Long strides eat up ground as route progresses. Can pull away from linebackers on intermediate routes. Uses height, arm length, and high-point technique to go way up the ladder and over top of defenders. Nasty stiff-arm after catch. Above-average body control for size.

WEAKNESSES Needs more work on arm day in the gym. Upper-body thickness hasn't caught up with frame yet. Feet a bit heavy out of release and into routes. Legs and arms flail away into some of his breaks. Below-average at utilizing route leverage to create additional throwing room for quarterbacks. Needs to adjust crossing routes to keep defenders on his hip. Lacks short-area quickness to make defenders miss after catch. Needs to work back to ball more often. If block assignment vacates, he doesn't find new work. Instincts as blocker need work as he appears lost at times. Hand placement is average. Ankle injury limited his effectiveness for about a month.

SOURCES TELL US "I think Sprinkle is a much better blocker (than Michigan's Jake Butt) and he's got more of an NFL body type." -- NFC South regional scout

NFL COMPARISON Larry Donnell

BOTTOM LINE True "Y" tight end with outstanding length and a frame that can handle more weight. Has the toughness to be an NFL blocker, but might need to add more upper- and lower-body strength before he's ready. He's a big, reliable target in the red zone and underneath against zone, but needs a longer runway to create separation in his routes. Sprinkle isn't great in any one area, but he's good in most and should be a safe pick and quality starter in the league.

[Peter Porker]

Toby Baker: 6'3 210, hands = 9.25", Arm length = 31 5/8ths ", we listed him as 6'3 215. He could have dropped some weight due to trying to improve numbers for the combine. Is still at a good size compared to other punters.

Dan Skipper: 6'10 309, hands = 10.5", arm length = 33 3/8ths inch. We listed him as 6'10 319. At 6'10, he is obviously the tallest OL player there which isn't always a good thing. At 309, there is about 1/3 of the OL group lighter than him, but at his height, I'd would expect him to be heavier. Could be deliberate to be faster and quicker at the combine. Looking at other OL players that are 6'7 and above of which there are a fair number, weights range from 350+ to under 300 with quite a few within 1% difference of his weight. So, it would seem that his weight shouldn't be a big deal.

Skipper has short arms.

[bennyl08]

Skipper has short arms.

Compared to other tackles, not really. Proportionally, yes. I counted 22 of the 48 OL there with arms longer than him. So, he's on the upper half. His arm length isn't a strength as one would expect with his height, but it isn't a liability either.

[alohawg]

Thanks benny.

[hogginbama]

Thanks for the update. One of the perks of being stationed in Indianapolis is getting to go down to the stadium for photos of the guys coming and going. Have my fan pass for the "combine experience", which is a first this year. If I get any good photos I will be sure to share with you guys.

[bennyl08]

Thanks for the update. One of the perks of being stationed in Indianapolis is getting to go down to the stadium for photos of the guys coming and going. Have my fan pass for the "combine experience", which is a first this year. If I get any good photos I will be sure to share with you guys.

Sweet. I feel like I'd try and put on an NFL team polo, start murmuring things about players and see if I can trick people into thinking I'm a scout.

[hogginbama]

Sweet. I feel like I'd try and put on an NFL team polo, start murmuring things about players and see if I can trick people into thinking I'm a scout.

Now that is an idea that I could almost try out.

[Peter Porker]

Compared to other tackles, not really. Proportionally, yes. I counted 22 of the 48 OL there with arms longer than him. So, he's on the upper half. His arm length isn't a strength as one would expect with his height, but it isn't a liability either.

Is the 48 OT or all of the OL together? compare to other OTs. I'm curious.

[FANONTHEHILL]

Is the 48 OT or all of the OL together? compare to other OTs. I'm curious.

48 OL total.
Tackles, guards and centers in the OL group together.

That's not that many when you think about the vast number of OLinemen out there.  Helps explain why so many Undrafted Free Agent OL end up getting a shot.

[bennyl08]

Is the 48 OT or all of the OL together? compare to other OTs. I'm curious.

Fair point as I imagine longer arms are more desirable for a tackle than inside.

That said it's hard to definitively say who might be a tackle or a guard. Alvin Bailey was a guard but has started playoff games as a LT. Kirkland played some LT in college but is obviously a guard.

Further, we already know he isn't likely to be a high tier LT in the NFL. Body measurable typically serve two purposes. First, there is the threshold values. If the OL is less than 300, qb shorter than 6'2, hands under 9". After that, it doesn't really matter until you get into elite status. I.e. arms that are 35 inches or more or trying to decide which top 15 WR to draft.

[bennyl08]

Jeremy Sprinkle has met with the Texans. (senior bowl)

Dan Skipper has met with Miami (who recently moved on from Albert IIRC).  (E-W game)

SD Chargers (I refuse to call them by their current geographical name) have met with Wise Jr. (E-W game)

[bennyl08]

Keon Hatcher: 6'1"  212, 9.5" hands, 32" arms. We listed him as 6'2 207, so he's a bit shorter, but has also added some muscle.

Drew Morgan: 6' 190, 9.5" hands, 30 3/8" arms. We listed him as 6' 193, so he's shed a bit of weight. I am surprised that he is as tall as we listed him.

[bennyl08]

Did Skipper skip the Bench Press? I can find bench numbers for many of the OL players, though about 1/4 seem to not have numbers.

Also, haven't seen anything on Toby Baker's bench #'s though I'd be surprised if any of the specialists participate in that.

[bythelake]

Benny, thanks for info. Keep it coming as I'm way too lazy.  Thanks.

[Wildhog]

When do they run?

[bennyl08]

When do they run?

Depends on the individual. Some prefer to run in the morning to start off their day. I'm more of a late night exerciser. Others like to do things in the afternoon.

[bennyl08]

When do they run?

Friday: OL, RB, ST do timing drills
Saturday: QB, WR, TE
Sunday: DL, LB
Monday: DB

[Wildhog]

Friday: OL, RB, ST do timing drills
Saturday: QB, WR, TE
Sunday: DL, LB
Monday: DB

Thanks

[longpig]

Just saw that Big Dan Grizzly Mountain Outdoors Skipper DNPed bench today.

[bennyl08]

Jeremy Sprinkle: 6'5 252 10.75" hands, 34.5" arms

Sprinkle is the highest graded of our draft picks and I think it will be between him and Wise Jr for the first hog drafted. Even without seeing any of his testing numbers yet, just those numbers alone tells some of the story on him. Long arms for a big catching radius. Big hands that will hold on to the ball. Good height and weight with the NFL talking about he can handle more body mass with his frame even. He's one of the most balanced TE's in the draft this year as well and one of the better blockers. If he can run a decent forty time and do well in the other timing drills, he could move up the boards a bit.

[bennyl08]

Just saw that Big Dan Grizzly Mountain Outdoors Skipper DNPed bench today.

So did Fournette who I was also hoping to see on the bench today. Skipper came in lighter than we listed him, so he could be trying to be as fast and agile at the combine, then rest on those numbers and work on strength for the pro day.

No idea if that is what he is doing. Seems to me like still benching and thus showing your improvement from combine to draft would be good, but, again I don't know if that is his strategy at all, maybe NFL teams will simply look at the combine numbers and ignore pro days if things were repeated.

[ChicoHog]

The common denominator on all the players that benny listed is lack of athleticism (compared to the top prospects).  Hatcher, Morgan, Skipper, Wise, Ledbetter and Ellis were all good college players but you can only do so much with your god given ability.  Kudos to all of them for fine college careers and I loved watching them play.  I hope some of them can make an NFL roster regardless if they get drafted or not. 

Sprinkle is probably the one guy who has the athletic ability to succeed at his position at a higher level.  I don't know why a punter has to be real athletic.  As long as he can boom the ball and hit some coffin corner punts it should not matter if he can run fast. 

[bennyl08]

The common denominator on all the players that benny listed is lack of athleticism (compared to the top prospects).  Hatcher, Morgan, Skipper, Wise, Ledbetter and Ellis were all good college players but you can only do so much with your god given ability.  Kudos to all of them for fine college careers and I loved watching them play.  I hope some of them can make an NFL roster regardless if they get drafted or not. 

Sprinkle is probably the one guy who has the athletic ability to succeed at his position at a higher level.  I don't know why a punter has to be real athletic.  As long as he can boom the ball and hit some coffin corner punts it should not matter if he can run fast.

Hunter Henry lacked athleticism compared to top end TE's. Alex Collins and JWill paled in comparison to Knile. People thought our WR's were lacking in talent and speed in the early Bielema years but Javontee Herndon so far has had a better NFL career than receiver save for Wright from the Petrino era. That 2013 group included Hatcher, Herndon and Morgan, not to mention other NFL'ers like Henry and Brandon Allen as well as AJ Derby, though he was a QB at the time.

There are about 110 schools that don't have players that match up with the top athletic players at the combine. Most of the schools that do have one of those top athletic players barely have anybody else on their roster that the NFL would even call to be a camp body much less at the combine. Only a very small handful of schools do have topofthetop talent at multiple positions. Simply being at the combine puts you among the top 10% of all FBS level players.

Plus, I think people are going to be surprised how explosive Wise Jr is and how fast Hatcher is.

[Oklahawg]

Plus, I think people are going to be surprised how explosive Wise Jr is and how fast Hatcher is.

Better to surprise at camp because you have something they didn't expect vs under-perform or under-impress.

[bennyl08]

Better to surprise at camp because you have something they didn't expect vs under-perform or under-impress.

No.

Best to not surprise at all but to play fast on tape and test fast at the combine. 2nd best is to test fast at the combine and make scouts re-evaluate your tape and then see you did in fact play faster than they realized at first glance.

If you wait to surprise at a camp, you may find that you never get that phone call after going undrafted in the first place, and if you do find yourself in camp, the team is going to be much less likely to part ways with you quickly the more they invest in you. You sell out and put everything you have to getting drafted as early as you can. If you end up being a top talent guy, your second contract is going to be just as high if you are undrafted as it would be if you were a first round pick. However, you want to get paid during those early years because most players don't last too long and you are going to get more chances to become that top talent the earlier you are picked.

[WBOBO]

Skipper has short arms.

I would love to see him in Cowboy uni.

[31to6]

Jeremy Sprinkle: 6'5 252 10.75" hands, 34.5" arms

If he can run a decent forty time and do well in the other timing drills, he could move up the boards a bit.

I think he also benefits from HH's early success. Hunter's showing up in the NFL ready to contribute early is very helpful to show that our offense with it's complex blocking schemes and all the roles we expect TE's to fill prepares them for the NFL. Lots of college teams send "pass catching" TE's with great athleticism to the draft. Sprinkle has that level of athleticism plus productivity in a pro-style offense.

A team who is on the bubble between two players in terms of film and measurables will choose the one who they think can contribute immediately.

[hogfan14]

Skipper ran a 5.42 on his first attempt

[bennyl08]

Skipper: 5.42 looks to be official 40 yard dash. That wasn't the slowest time, but it was among the slower ones. However, we knew coming in that speed and quickness wasn't Skipper's strongest.
26" vertical, while technically this ranks in the bottom half, it isn't by much. Almost all the the OL fall between 24 and 28" verticals.
8'1" broad jump. The broad jump is definitely on the bad side of things though. Plenty of OL that were quite a bit ahead.

Skipper's unofficial 10 yard split was 1.87 seconds which is more important for an OL and also ranks in the back third or so.

Some good news for Skipper: He ran the 3-cone in 7.61s which was 9th best. The worst time was about 8.4 and the best was 7.29 with the large majority below 7.8. This shows good hip flexibility and bend which is important for an OL player.

His 20 yard shuttle was 5.01. That isn't a good time as the average was around 4.75. However, you expect the shuttle to be faster than the forty time, so him being .4 faster is good. Shuttle tests your lateral quickness and ability to abruptly change direction. IMO, 10 yard split for suddenness and the 3 cone to test hip flexibility and ability to rotate motion without slowing down are the most important timing drills. Skipper did great with the 3-cone, not so great on the split.

[Peter Porker]

Look them up. Please stop calling 4.5s slow or expect high school kids to run 4.3s.

McCaffrey and Cook both ran 4.49 forties. They dominated college football.

[RME]

Things that make you go "ha" side-note: Everyone's favorite forgotten son, Jermaine Eluemunor, is competing this week. His NFL comparison? Alvin Bailey.

[bennyl08]

Jeremiah Ledbetter: Measured in at 6'3 280, with 34.25" arms and 10 " hands. We listed him at 6'3 280.

Deatrich Wise Jr: 6'5 274, 35 5/8ths " arms and 10.5" hands. Nobody had longer arms than Wise. That body size is pretty much what you would cook up in a lab if you were designing a DE. We listed him at 6'5 271 this season though he was 280 2 seasons ago.

Brooks Ellis: 6'2 240, 31.75" arms, 9.75" hands. We listed at 6'2 245, so presumably he dropped weight to be faster for the testing.

[hawginbigd1]

This is your personal mission in life?

[ricepig]

Slow track, like running in mud........

[hawgfan4life]

Keon Hatcher: Grade 5.38 (NFL backup or special teams potential)

Despite his size, wasn't asked to block very often for Hogs.

I don't know what this person watched when he evaluated Hatcher, but Keon Hatcher blocked his A$$ off when a play was coming into his area.  He is one of the best blocking receivers we have had at AR in years.  I

[hawginbigd1]

Interesting lowest grade goes to the HV hero.

[bennyl08]

For it to be a deep year at RB, I feel like this is one of the slower years for backs. Only 3 players faster than 4.45.

[bennyl08]

Interesting lowest grade goes to the HV hero.

Punters don't typically grade very highly.