Combine Review

The 2012 NFL Scouting Combine has come to and end. And even though the Combine isn't the end all be all, it is still a place where prospects can enhance or hurt their stock. Here are a few players who either improved or hurt their stock.

Improved
Stephon Hill WR Georgia Tech
Even before the Combine came Stephon Hill's name was being toss around as a possible sleeper WR. Well you can throw the sleeper tag out the window now because everybody knows who he is after running a 4.36 40 at 6'4 215lbs. Hill was hidden in Paul Johnson's triple offense, so not too many people knew about him. This will force teams to take a closer look at him. Now Hill will more than likely debut in a lot of 1st round Mock Drafts, but let's hold off on that. Hill has probably gone from a 5th round territory to the 2nd or 3rd rounds.

Dontari Poe NT Memphis

Poe was another player whose stock was starting to grow before the combine. Poe was being compared to Browns DT Phil Taylor. But after dominating the Combine we are starting to see Poe compared to Haloti Ngata, and rightfully so. Poe ran a 4.98 40 at 346lbs which is just incredible. Add in that Poe put up 44 reps in the bench press and it has people seeing that his speed and strength wasn't just a product of playing against lesser competition. Poe stock is so high that he is even being considered a top 10 prospect now.


Kendall Reyes DT UConn
After a strong Senior Bowl, Reyes continued his positive roll and is continuing to move up the draft boards. At the Combine Reyes ran a 4.95 40, 36 reps on the bench, and 34 in vertical leap all of which were amongst the top 10 for DTs. During position drills Reyes showed good feet and a powerful punch on the bags. He's locked up his status as a 2nd round pick. But don't be surprised if he goes in the late 1st round. He'll be coveted by both 4-3 and 3-4 teams.

Luke Kuechly LB Boston College
Going into the combine there wasn't a lot of expectations from Kuechly. He was known for his instincts and that couldn't be measured in this setting. However Kuechly impressed everybody by running a 4.58 40 and jumping a 38 in vertical leap. Both of those drills really improve the perception that he isn't an explosive talent and cements his status at a top 15 prospect.

Bruce Irvin LB West Virginia
Although he was listed as a defensive lineman because he played DE at West Virginia, but Irvin projects better as an outside linebacker. And his Combine performance proves it. He ran the 2nd fastest 40 time (4.50) of all linebackers. He was also a top performer at the vertical leap (33.5) and the 3 cone drill (6.70 fastest of all DL and LB). What makes his performance even better is that he looked very natural in the LB drills. That should make him a good candidate
to be a 3-4 OLB or even now a 4-3 SLB. Irvin reminds me a lot of Von Miller in the type of player he is. With this performance Irvin probably moved himself into the 2nd round territory.

Alfonzo Dennard CB Nebraska
Dennard has long thought to be the 4th best CB in the draft, but a hip injury limited his abilities in the Senior Bowl and now everybody has dropped him. But at the Combine Dennard really showed well and should return himself into that late 1st/early 2nd round range. Dennard finished as a top performer in the 40, vertical, and broad jump. While also looking very solid in position drills. Dennard also looked to have the best hands of all the DBs, never dropping a pass.

Jayron Hosley CB Virginia Tech
An injury really set back Hosley at the beginning of the year, but with his performance at the Combine Hosley was able to remind everybody why he was considered a fringe 1st round pick. Hosley ran a 4.44 40 and looked very fluid in position drills. Teams that play a lot of man to man coverage will really like him. He's probably locked his spot in the top part of the 2nd round.

Harrison Smith S Notre Dame
I'd have to say I'm a little late to the Harrison Smith party. Smith has been talked about a lot lately and some have even listed him as a 1st round pick. Now I don't see him at that level, but his combine really showed what he is capable of. Smith ran a good 4.57 time and showed very good range during position drills. He's more of a SS, but he showed he has the ability to play some FS too. Smith should be off the board somewhere in the top half of the 2nd round.

Hurt
Kendall Wright WR Baylor
When you are thought to be one of the fastest guys in the draft and you go out and run a 4.61 40, that can't be good. Now it's not time to overreact and have him sliding too far down. Wright still has a lot of good firm and looks fast there. However the talk of him going to Jacksonville at #7 is probably out of the question. More than likely Wright will go at the end of the 1st round where he should have gone to begin with. A good pro day can recapture his claim to the #2 WR spot in the draft, but we'll have to wait to see.

Mahamed Sanu WR Rutgers
Nobody was expecting Sanu to run a sub 4.4 40 at the combine. However when his high was 4.67 it definitely wasn't good. This may cause some teams to drop him or back off, but they shouldn't be too surprised. Sanu isn't a burner, but is a good route runner who uses quickness and change of direction well. Plus he has good hands so that shouldn't affect him too much. This reminds me a lot of Damian Williams from a couple of years ago. Good route runner who ran a slow 40 time. Now in year 2 he is contributing.

Dwayne Allen TE Clemson
At one point Dwayne Allen was considered the far and away best TE in the draft. However his stock was sliding and a poor showing at the combine doesn't help. His first stumble was running a 4.89 40. Adding in that he didn't look too athletic in drills and that doesn't look good for a TE who many thought was more of a receiver than a blocker. He'll need to really improve at his pro day if he still wants to be taken in the first three rounds.

Vinny Curry DE Marshall
For a guy that was considered a speed rusher, Curry didn't exactly show very well. His 4.98 was bested by Dontari Poe's 4.96 and he weights 346lbs. Curry also looked stiff in the drills which will cause some teams to question whether he is a 4-3 DE only. Curry was thought to be a good late 1st round DE to either a 4-3 or 3-4 team. However now he looks to be a 4-3 only and very well could be on the board still in the late 2nd or early 3rd. He is going to need a good pro day to put some of these questions to rest otherwise he'll go lower than many expected.

Vontaze Burfict LB Arizona State
Where do I start? Was it his 5.09 40? Or how about how he threw his former coaches at ASU under the bus? Either way you slice it, Burfict is in complete free fall mode. He won't likely be drafted in the first two rounds. Heck there is a chance he goes undrafted. Would that really surprise you? Sure wouldn't to me.

Leonard Johnson CB Iowa State
A lot like Mahamed Sanu, many didn't expect Leonard Johnson to run a low 40 time. So somewhere in the 4.5s and he would have been fine. However running a 4.71 and that raises a few eyebrows. Add in that Johnson really didn't wow anybody with his performance in the position drills and it's easy to believe that he could slide down into the bottom of the 3rd round. It's too bad because some "experts" were thinking was one of the top 5 CBs in the draft. Probably not anymore.