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Today we get our first look at Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy the two big bad ass DTs from the Big-12. Suh if you haven't been in a coma through the football season is the most talked about prospect in over a decade. Suh is going through the full workout and won't back down from anything the combine coaches throw at him. Look for Suh to solidify his status as the #1 overall pick in 2010.
Already Suh has come in and measured at 6-4 307-pounds and thrown up 33 reps in the 225-pound bench press. Today he'll step up and run the 40-yard dash and do other D-Line drills.
McCoy as well comes in very highly regarded as a DT prospect from DT factory Oklahoma. McCoy has draw favorable comparisons thus far to former Sooner and current Bears player Tommie Harris. McCoy is said to be every bit as good as Suh with a slightly better burst off the ball, but isn't quite as strong. McCoy is a bit taller 6-4 1/8 and 295-pounds. Ideal measurements for a three technique DT. McCoy threw up 10 less reps on the 225-pound barbell, only pumping out 23 reps.
But this day isn't only about these two DTs, it's about what Mike Mayock calls the deepest defensive talent draft he's seen in the last 10-years. Which may work against the Bears, or work for the Bears depending on it shakes out through the first 64 picks. The Bears as we all know by now don't have a first or second round selection unless the more recent buzz about trading Greg Olsen comes to fruition they won't have one by draft day. There is however a lot of good DE talent that may last until the third round with players like Austen Lane being one of those players who may fall the Bears' way.
Moving ahead to the 40-yard dash times for the D-Line group one,
McCoy the NFL Network shows first up running his 40-yard dash, unofficially they have him running his 40 in 4.95 which is pretty good for a DT right in that range you want to see your DTs run.
From there we get to Terrence Cody the big two gap NT defender from Alabama who has had weight concerns throughout his career. He showed up at the Senior Bowl weighing 370-pounds which immediately threw up a bunch of red flags that he was a major weight risk and didn't care about keeping his weight down. However Cody surprised virtually everyone with some great news for his combine workout weighing in at 354-pounds, which was essentially the lowest weight he played at, at Alabama.
Flipping to Cody's 40-yard dash time, however you see why a 40-yard dash time is so completely unimportant for a two-gap block eating nose tackle. Cody ran unofficially a 5.64 40-yard dash which is slower than molasses in January for a 40 time. That said no one is going to expect Cody to run 40-yards in his career to get after the QB or running back, they simply expect him to swallow up two blockers and allow the LBs to run free to make plays.
Brandon Graham DE from Michigan 6-1 268-pounds lays down a solid 40-yard dash time for a DE 4.69 unofficially. Graham also threw up 31 reps at 225-pounds and is thought of as a possible DE/3-4OLB prospect. Graham is one of the best pass rushers in the 2010 NFL Draft and looks to solidify himself as a top-15 overall draft pick.
Sergio Kindle from Texas 6-3 250-pounds DE/3-4 DE 25 reps on the 225-pound barbell, runs a nice 4.65 40-yard dash. Another one of those elite pass rushing prospects teams will snatch off the board early and often in 2010.
Carlos Dunlap from Florida one of the top pure defensive end prospects in the draft 6-foot-5 277-pounds a solid 4-3 prospect. 21 reps on the 225-pound bench press runs a blistering 4.66 40-yard dash for his size. He's definitely one of the more exciting prospects in the 2010 draft.
Jerry Hughes DE from Texas Christian, the Horned Frogs had two of the best DEs in the country on the best overall defense in the country this year and Hughes is one of the reasons why. Hughes 6-2 255-pounds 26 reps at 225-pounds goes out and runs another blistering time 4.59 unofficially for this DE/3-4OLB prospect. Hughes at one time was a RB before switching over and becoming a pass rush force for the Fiesta Bowl invited Horned Frogs.
Koa Misi from the Utah Utes another defensive end prospect out of this MWC school. Misi 6-3 256-pounds did not participate in the bench press event average time of 4.69 in the 40-yard dash.
Geno Atkins thought of as a pure three-technique DT has only improved his stock since the Senior Bowl week. 6-foot-1 293-pounds for a DT his stock will only rise after laying down a BLAZING, jaw dropping 4.75 40-yard dash. That's one of the most impressive 40-yard dash times I've seen a DT run in my time covering the scouting combine. That's flat MOVING....
The next player to be high lighted is a sort of an under the radar guy who started all four years at the whip linebacker position at Arizona State. Dexter Davis a player I know well having followed his development as a two-star recruit from Thunderbird high school in Phoenix, AZ to his signing with the Sun Devils. Davis is another one of those hybrid DE/3-4 OLB prospect came in at 6-1 244-pounds and runs a 4.56 40-yard dash. Davis finished with 31 career sacks and his stock dropped after only managing three sacks as a senior. Davis however had two seasons of double digit sack totals as a sophomore and junior before the drop off as a senior. A mid to late round prospect that could help his stock with a good combine.
Prospects that Bears fans may be interested in following starting with Greg Hardy DE from Ole Miss 6-4 281-pounds runs a respectable 4.87 40-yard dash time. Hardy's larger size for a DE may price him out of the DE sweepstakes for the Bears or may put the Bears in position to grab him as a swing guy, DE/DT prospect.
Austen Lane from Murray State 6-foot-6 277-pounds does nothing to hurt his stock runs a normal 4.83 40-yards. Doesn't hurt his stock doesn't help it should help to keep him in the Bears' draft range of the third round.
One of the most impressive things about this group of defensive linemen is they all seem to be athletes, there seems to be only one big out of shape looking guy and that's Cody from Alabama. Everyone else looks quick, strong, athletic and in some cases even fast. The emphasis on weight and strength training in the college ranks is evident by how in shape these prospects are. There's a difference just from five years ago until now and you can actually see the difference.
The punch and shed drill is up next and the guy that looks the best out of the group I've seen right now is Austen Lane. He seems to follow directions the best with punching the standing dummy hard and then avoiding the cut block
Running through many of the drills Everson Griffen seems to be struggling the most out there, he doesn't look as in control of his body to be playing the OLB spot. Mayock says he looks like he could stand up as a conversion 3-4 OLB, but to me Griffen looks very stiff and unathletic. Probably the most unathletic of all the DEs. He's built well and he ran a good 40-yard dash time but he just looks to be laboring through the drills and not giving an all out effort the way you would expect. Griffen is doing a lot of frustrated yelling and grunting rather than staying focused and completing the drill.
Sergio Kindle looks good, Graham as well, Dexter Davis looks the best of all the mid round prospects but is hurt by his size as a DE. 6-1 244-pounds is more of a LB. He looks good as a LB or DE but will likely line up as a OLB in the NFL. Greg Hardy looks a bit worn down by his injuries, there are flashes but he's not competing with the higher level prospects.
McCoy as expected looks good for a big DT, so does Alualu from Cal he played a lot of DE but at 295-pounds he looks like he would be better off inside as a three technique.
One of the most difficult aspects of filling out the 3-4 defense is finding legitmate two gap five technique DEs. So many of the DEs are those hybrid version one gap type DEs that finding the Richards Seymour type players are hard to do.
First appearance by Lovie Smith and Rod Marinelli who are scouting out the defensive players. Very typical that defensive minded coaches are so focused on the defenders in this draft. Both with notebooks having obvious player conversation about who and what and when. You can tell they're formulating who they like and don't like and what each player has done well.
Second group of D-Linemen are on the field running through their 40-yard dash times. Earl Mitchell DT from Arizona 6-2 315-pounds runs a 4.77 40-yard dash. Blazing fast for a big DT prospect like that I'd bet that Ndamukong Suh won't be running a 4.7 range 40-yard dash.
Second group of D-Linemen are on the field running through their 40-yard dash times. Earl Mitchell DT from Arizona 6-2 315-pounds runs a 4.77 40-yard dash. Blazing fast for a big DT prospect like that I'd bet that Ndamukong Suh won't be running a 4.7 range 40-yard dash.
Ndamukong Suh just looks the part, eye ball test passed with flying colors....nothing you don't like about him. He runs a 4.98 40-yard dash unofficially.
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