While the jury might still be out on Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, he's made an interesting first impression that will surely stick with scouts. At the very least, he's given himself something to build upon, unlike Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett, who torpedoed his stock with his curious approach at his combine news conference.
The participants in Indianapolis still have some workouts and interviews to conduct, and they'll continue to set the stage for the final two months of the pre-draft process. At this point, let's check out who is having the best and worst week in Indy.
Winners
Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder
The Senior Bowl MVP has had a spectacular offseason, and he worked out well at the combine. At worst, Ponder will be a late first-rounder or early second-rounder, but if he keeps this momentum rolling, he could be the first quarterback taken in the draft.
Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert
Basically by default, Gabbert will keep his perch as the top quarterback on most draft boards, but it's mostly because of what Mallett and Newton did. Gabbert isn't perfect, and he'll have to be better than steady to keep that spot on the quarterback totem pole. Otherwise, teams may instead fall for the hard-charging Ponder or the intrigue of Newton.
USC tackle Tyron Smith
With 29 bench reps, Smith has kept his strong month going. There's a good chance he's become the top tackle in the draft.
Oregon State defensive tackle Stephen Paea
He broke the combine record with 49 reps on the bench press, which obviously legitimizes his strength. Due to a minor knee injury, Paea was probably going to be a mid- to late-second-rounder, but he burst back onto the scene with his dominance on the bench. He could be a first-rounder now.
Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones
He's still going to be the second wideout off the board, but his 4.39-second 40-yard dash was the third fastest at his position, just 0.02 seconds behind small-schoolers Edmond Gates and Ricardo Lockette. It was also 0.11 seconds faster than top-five candidate A.J. Green. Jones shouldn't fall any lower than No. 14, but his athletic display in Indy could vault him to as high as No. 6.
Losers
Auburn quarterback Cam Newton
He displayed his infectious personality at his news conference, and he showed some nice athleticism in workout drills, but teams knew he'd do both. Newton still has poor accuracy, and his mechanics will take some time to refine. Even at his best in his meeting with the media, he displayed that Hollywood stuff that teams are afraid of, referring to himself in the third person and all that jazz. It's nothing Newton can't correct over the next two months, but he won't have answered all of his questions by the time he leaves Indy.
Colorado tackle Nate Solder
He's 6-foot-8 and 319 pounds, and he's expected to be a left tackle of the future, but he only had 21 bench press reps. That's just embarrassing. Solder's size has made him the top tackle on many draft boards, but by the time he leaves Indianapolis, he could be the fourth-rated tackle.
Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett
He refused to answer questions about the rumors of his drug use, which can be understandable for a guy who is ticked off about that type of information swirling around. Yet, Mallett did it in a rude, snarky way, and he brushed off the media in an immature fashion. That hurts him for two reasons. First, it shows he didn't properly prepare for the spotlight at the combine. And second, teams need their franchise players to be marketable, and this poor image is a tough sell. Mallett could have made himself a top-10 pick with a great week, but at this point, he might be lucky to get drafted in the second round.
Carolina Panthers
If there's a lockout, it seems more and more likely that the rookie salary scale won't be in place for this draft class, which will make it very difficult for the Panthers to trade out of the top spot. Making matters worse, there aren't any quarterbacks who have proven they're absolutely worth the No. 1 pick. The Panthers will still be in the running for the top pick in 2012, which should yield them Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, but for the time being, they're going to pay a hefty price for a defensive player at No. 1.
Jets head coach Rex Ryan
Enough already with the Super Bowl proclamations. Credit Ryan for turning the Jets into contenders, but this part of his act has gotten whiny.
