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4:42 p.m.: Day 5 of the NFL combine has come to a close and while most will view Manti Te’o as the day’s big headline, no one’s opinion of the Notre Dame linebacker should have changed much. We all knew Te’o wasn’t a speedy linebacker, and while I expected a time in the 4.7’s, a time in the low 4.8’s isn’t a game-changer.
Today’s big winners were Dion Jordan, Barkevious Mingo, Sharrif Floyd, Cornelius Washington, Sio Moore, Corey Lemonier and Jamie Collins.
All of those players had huge days not only in speed and explosion drills, but also with their fluidity and power in positional drills.
Zaviar Gooden was the only player to crack the 4.4 mark on Monday, but plenty of players will do that on Tuesday for the final day of the combine. Come back for Day 6 when we keep you updated on all the latest 40 times, drills and news about the defensive backs at the combine.
4:34 p.m.: For some reason the linebackers agility drill times have been posted before the defensive line. The landmark to hit on the 3-cone is any time below 7.10. Four players hit that mark: Zaviar Gooden with a 6.71, John Lotulelei with a 6.91, Steve Beauharnais with a 6.99 and Jon Bostic with a 6.99. Khaseem Greene’s 7.58 is especially disappointing, as is Sio Moore’s 7.49. Those were the worst two 3-cone times for linebackers. Alec Ogletree had a 7.16 and Manti Te’o had a 7.13.
The best shuttle times belonged to Gooden, Beauharnais, Greene, Bostic and DeVonte Holloman. All five of those players finished with times of 4.26 or better. Gooden had a 4.18. Manti Te’o had the sixth best time with a 4.27.
Linebacker broad jump times have been posted as well. Jamie Collins led the way with a 139″ jump. That was eight inches better than the next best, Zaviar Gooden, who had a 131″ jump. Cornelius Washington, Moore and Brandon Hepburn rounded out the Top 5.
4:13 p.m.: The linebacker vertical jumps have been posted. Jamie Collins hopped an astounding 41 1/2″.
Cornelius Washington finished second with 39″, followed by Sio Moore, John Lotulelei (no relation to Star) and Sean Porter.
The worst jumps were posted by Bruce Taylor and Khaseem Greene, both of whom posted heights under 31″.
3:27 p.m.: Manti Te’o weighed in at 241 pounds at the combine and ran a 4.82 40-yard dash. That didn’t impress many people, but only John Harbaugh’s reaction was caught on tape. All the Ravens’ head coach could do was shake his head and check his stop watch.
2:43 p.m.: As Day 5 is wrapping up, the official 40 times have been posted for the linebackers. Zaviar Gooden led the way with a 4.47, followed by Cornelius Washington’s 4.55 (he weights 265 pounds, by the way), Jon Bostic’s 4.61, Mr. Broad Jump Jamie Collins’ 4.64 and Sio Moore’s 4.65.
Alec Ogletree ran a 4.70, Khaseem Greene ran a 4.71, Kevin Minter ran a 4.81, Manti Te’o ran a 4.82 and Bruce Taylor ran the only time in the 5’s, a 5.01.
2:31 p.m.: Manti Te’o’s official 40 time was 4.82. Zaviar Gooden was the only linebacker with a sub-4.5 time. He ran an official 4.47.
2:25 p.m.: Alec Ogletree didn’t look great in the shuffle and pedal drill. Sio Moore and Brandon Magee looked great, however.
Manti Te’o looked a bit stiffer than Moore, Magee and Kevin Minter.
2:09 p.m.: Manti Te’o ran a 4.80 unofficial 40 in his second attempt.
2:08 p.m.: I’ll bet no one expected Texas A&M’s Jonathan Stewart to test better than Sean Porter and Damontre Moore today, but it happened.
Stewart ran a 4.62, while Porter ran a 4.78 and Moore ran 4.95.
2:02 p.m.: Manti Te’o ran a 4.81 for now, but that time probably isn’t accurate since it’s unofficial.
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For some reason the unofficial hand times are almost always “faster” than the official times. We saw that yesterday when running back Ontero McCalebb ran a “4.21” that was actually in the 4.3’s.
Ogletree, Minter and Te’o could all potentially be first-round linebackers, but none have set themselves apart yet. Ogletree ran a 4.62 in his first and second attempts.
1:48 p.m.: The most impressive linebackers athletically are Alec Ogletree, Jamie Collins, Zaviar Gooden, Sio Moore and Cornelius Washington. Washington ran a 4.53 at 265 pounds. That’s absurd.
1:38 p.m.: The time is in. Manti Te’o ran a 4.81 unofficial 40 on his first attempt. Te’o’s 10-yard split was a 1.62. The 4.81 is a below average 40 time, but the 1.62 is an average 10-yard split.
Te’o’s 40 time doesn’t ultimately matter. No one thought he was an athletic linebacker. He’s a solid tackler, he fights through blocks and he clogs lanes. He was never the Top 5 pick he was projected as midway through his senior season. He’ll probably be an early second-round pick.
1:31 p.m.: Kevin Minter of LSU is a top inside linebacker. He ran a 4.82 40. Sio Moore is another solid linebacker in his class. The UConn prospect ran a 4.62, which is the same time that Georgia’s Alec Ogletree churned out.
There are a lot of former safeties in this group. Ogletree is another one.
1:21 p.m.: Khaseem Greene ran a 4.67 40. He’s been mocked heavily to the Patriots in the second round. He’s a Rutgers guy, he’s a cover linebacker and he’s friends with Bill Belichick’s son. Sounds like a Patriot to me.
1:18 p.m.: Florida linebacker Jon Bostic impressed with a 4.50 40 time. Arthur Brown disappointed by not running the 40.
Jamie Collins, who nearly broad jumped to Broad Ripple ran a 4.60 and Missouri’s Zaviar Gooden ran a 4.50. These linebacker times will be exciting to watch.
1:00 p.m.: There’s good news coming out about Star Lotulelei. He can continue working out, and the heart condition they found may be due to dehydration and weight loss, according to USA Today. Lotulelei dropped 10 pounds in the past three days.
12:49 p.m.: The NFL network is basically pushing all other combine coverage aside to prepare for Manti Te’o’s 40 time. My guess is that the runs somewhere in the 4.7’s. He’s not a spectacular athlete, but he compares to your typical Patriots linebacker. He can fight through blocks, blow up a gap and he can make it work in coverage. A lot of his interceptions in 2012 can be chalked up to good luck.
12:38 p.m.: Jamie Collins jumped an absurd 11’7″ in the broad jump. He nearly leaped over the 12 foot marker at the end of the measurements.
The Southern Miss prospect had 21 career sacks, with 10 coming his senior season. He started his career as a safety and moved down to defensive line his junior season.
12:14 p.m.: The explosion drill numbers are out. Barkevious Mingo leads in the broad jump, followed by Devin Taylor, Trevardo Williams, Ty Powell, Dion Jordan and Damontre Moore. Among the best interior linemen are Sheldon Richardson and Akeem Spence.
In the vertical jump, Williams leads, followed by Powell, Mingo, Moore, Nate Williams and Taylor.
It’s nice to see that Moore flashed some explosion at the combine, even if the speed wasn’t there.
12:01 p.m.: The official 40 times are out for the defensive linemen. Trevardo Williams out of UConn was the fastest at 4.57. Barkevious Mingo had a 4.58 and Margus Hunt, Dion Jordan and Corey Lemonier all had 4.60’s.
Ziggy Ansah ran a 4.63, Devin Taylor ran a surprising 4.72, Datone Jones hit 4.80 right on the dot, Bjoern Werner ran a 4.83, Sharrif Floyd ran 4.92, Damontre Moore had a disappointing 4.95, Sheldon Richardson ran 5.02, Sylvester Williams ran 5.03 and the 369-pound T.J. Barnes ran a 5.30.
11:57 a.m.: Bjoern Werner is showing up well in pass rushing drills. Devin Taylor is too, which is a bit of a surprise. He’s been overshadowed at South Carolina by Jadeveon Clowney and Melvin Ingram.
11:48 a.m.: Sylvester Williams has some Vince Wilfork to his game. He’s a similar sized prospect, as well.
If Mike Mayock desperately wants to compare a prospect to Aldon Smith, Barkevious Mingo is a good choice. He’ll start out as a situational pass rusher until he can add some bulk and defend the run better.
Dion Jordan, who Mayock has been comparing to Smith, is a much more versatile player than either Mingo or the 49ers pass rusher.
11:42 a.m.: We’re about to see the second group of defensive linemen compete in positional drills, then we’ll see Manti Te’o, Alec Ogletree and the linebackers run the 40.
11:35 a.m.: Sylvester Williams came out a big winner in the 40, while Damontre Moore and Sheldon Richardson disappointed.
Trevardo Williams ran a 4.60, Ty Powell of Hardin ran a 4.63 and Sam Montgomery finished with a 4.68.
Oh, also, Mike Mayock hates Bjoern Werner for some reason. Bjoern Werner will be a very good NFL player, mark my words.
11:26 a.m.: Damontre Moore pulled up lame midway through his second 40 which puts a cap on a dreadful combine.
Moore was always a second-round prospect, but some people had it in their heads that he was a Top 2 pick. Moore’s lack of athleticism and strength showed on tape, and it’s being confirmed at the combine.
11:20 a.m.: UNC defensive tackle Sylvester Williams is a bit older than some of these prospects, but he’s an impressive athlete. He just ran a 5.00, the same time as Sheldon Richardson, weighing in at 313 pounds.
11:16 a.m.: Bjoern Werner ran a 4.79 at 266 pounds. That’s not a big surprise. He projects best as a strong-side defensive end due to his pass rush and run defense skills.
Damontre Moore shows a better motor, but Werner shows greater skill and upside.
Werner was born in Germany and came to the United States in high school to pursue his dream of playing football.
11:12 a.m.: Sheldon Richardson ran a 5.00 40 in his first attempt. That should improve on his next attempt.
Richardson has great lateral quickness, so it wouldn’t be a big surprise to see him top the leader boards among agility drills.
11:10 a.m.: Damontre Moore may come back down to Earth after the combine, and by that I mean come back down to where he should have been in the first place. Moore ran a 4.87 40 in his first attempt and only benched 12 reps at 225.
11:07 a.m.: Barkevious Mingo ran a 4.53 in his first attempt. That’s very impressive.
11:05 a.m.: The second group of defensive linemen are getting ready to run their 40’s, and there are plenty of exciting players to watch in this group.
Barkevious Mingo is an athletic, but raw, defensive end out of LSU. He should light up the track at Lucas Oil Stadium. Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson is another guy who should perform very well. If any near 300-pounder is going to run a 4.7 40, it will be him.
Bjoern Werner and Damontre Moore are considered top prospects in this draft as well. I prefer Werner to Moore, but many disagree. Neither have the athleticism that Mingo, Jordan or Ansah possess, but they were both highly productive in college. I have major questions with Moore’s athleticism, so the combine will be important to see how much upside he has in speed and agility.
10:47 a.m.: This first-round class is strong overall, but it lacks sure-fire Top 5 picks. There is no perfect player in this class, but plenty with tons of upside.
Dion Jordan is proving himself to be perhaps the most complete defensive player in this class during these drills, though. Fortunately, it flashes on tape too, Jordan is just proving he can do it at 248 pounds, rather than the 225 he was playing at this season.
Unfortunately, Jordan will have shoulder surgery after the combine that could keep him out three to four months. He should be ready for training camp, but not rookie camps or mini camps.
10:36 a.m.: Not surprisingly, Dion Jordan performed best in OLB drills by far. If you can’t tell, Jordan is one of my favorite prospects in this draft.
10:30 a.m.: Datone Jones is another guy that’s looking good out there. He’s a tweener at 283 pounds, but he moves appropriately for his size and shows some nice bend and agility.
I suspect a team adds some weight onto his frame and puts him inside. He has a lot of potential.
10:16 a.m.: Corey Lemonier (pronounced Lemon-wah) has looked really good so far in drills. He just did a nice job bending off the edge. He’ll start getting mocked in the first round after the combine, but he’s still a second-round prospect.
10:06 a.m.: T.J. Barnes is really showing off some crazy athleticism for his size. As we mentioned before he’s 6-foot-6, 369 pounds, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at him or seeing him move.
Everett Dawkins just showed some really nice feet in positional drills, but couldn’t keep his balance at the end.
Sharrif Floyd just looked impressive too. Last year LSU underclassman defensive lineman Michael Brockers started getting hype as a high pick. Floyd is much better and just as young.
10:03 a.m.: It’s not shocking that Dion Jordan just excelled in change of direction drills. Florida State defensive end Brandon Jenkins just looked good coming off a foot injury that kept him out most of the 2012 season. He did not run the 40.
9:55 a.m.: For some reason, Mike Mayock keeps comparing Dion Jordan to Aldon Smith. They’re actually very different players. In a 4-3, Jordan would actually project to linebacker, which Smith would never play. Jordan is better in pass coverage, and not nearly as strong as Smith. Smith is a pure pass rusher, whereas that’s still an aspect of Jordan’s game that needs some work.
If anything, Jordan could be a more complete Smith, but it’s an odd comparison since Jordan is already better than Smith in certain aspects. It’s nearly impossible to compare Jordan to any player since he has so many impressive qualities. Jordan is the kind of player you would create in Madden if you just set every attribute to 85. He’s not exceptional in any one area other than versatility. But he’s a quality player in pass rush, run defense and coverage.
9:45 a.m.: Some team may fall in love with “The Eastern Block” Margus Hunt. He just ran a 4.60 flat at 6-foot-8, 277 pounds.
Datone Jones is a very interesting prospect. He has nice positional versatility and could be a defensive end in a 4-3 or 3-4 or a 3-technique defensive tackle in a 4-3. He’s 6-foot-4, 283 pounds and he ran an unofficial 4.84 in his first and second 40 attempts.
9:37 a.m.: We could be seeing Sharrif Floyd’s coming out party. He’s a 20-year-old future 3-technique defensive tackle and he just ran a 4.93 40.
Everyone will be looking for the next Geno Atkins or J.J. Watt in this draft, and Floyd has a shot at that title. He’ll be pain for guards and centers at the NFL level.
9:31 a.m.: T.J. Barnes is another guy earning second looks from scouts. He just ran another 5.22 40 at 369 pounds. He’s 6-foot-6, which isn’t ideal for a nose tackle, but he carries his weight extremely well. He doesn’t look a shade over 350.
9:26 a.m.: Corey Lemonier may have earned himself some extra looks. He just ran a 4.60 at 255 pounds.
It could certainly be argued that defensive ends are the best athletes on the football field. They have to have so much strength and speed to beat athletic 300-pounders off the edge.
Ezekiel Ansah ran a 4.65 in his second attempt.
9:23 a.m: Dion Jordan may have just locked down a Top 5 pick. At 248 pounds he ran a 4.53 40.
Jordan is a special player who can rush off the edge and cover slot receivers. Jordan gained 20 pounds since the season ended. It’s fantastic to see the speed did not disappear as the pounds got packed on.
9:18 a.m.: SMU defensive end Margus Hunt is an interesting prospect. He’s 6-foot-8, 277 pounds and he just ran a 4.65. He’s from Etonia, and he’s raw, but an incredible athlete. It will be interesting to see what a team will do with him. If he adds weight, he could play on the interior, but he does have trouble keeping his pad level down, which could effect his run defense.
9:14 a.m.: Rumors abound that the Chiefs have traded for 49ers quarterback Alex Smith. If that’s true, you can eliminate quarterback from the list of potential No. 1 overall picks. In my mind, that leaves either Luke Joeckel or one of these interior defensive linemen.
Joeckel wouldn’t be a drastic improvement over the left tackle they had last year, Branden Albert. Albert is a free agent, but it would be worth it to sign him up and improve a different aspect of their team.
The Chiefs took Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson in the Top 5 in back to back drafts in 2008 and 2009. Neither player really worked out, and neither player has had success getting after the quarterback. That’s why Kansas City shouldn’t take another SEC interior lineman in either Sharrif Floyd or Sheldon Richardson.
Ohio State defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins just ran a 5.28 at 320 pounds. That’s another impressive time for a big nose tackle.
9:12 a.m.: Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd could be a Top 5 pick in this draft. He just ran a 4.93 at 297 pounds.
9:08 a.m.: T.J. Barnes weighs 369 pounds, he also ran a 5.22 40, which is pretty absurd. 360-pound nose tackles shouldn’t move like that.
Illinois defensive end Michael Buchanan is a second-third round prospect. He ran a 4.72.
9:03 a.m.: Ziggy Ansah started the day off with a bang with a 4.62 40 at 271 pounds. That’s pretty impressive.
8:31 a.m.: On Sunday, Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel posted a controversial column with quotes from an anonymous scout blasting some prospects — notably Florida State defensive end Bjoern Werner, who the scout called “nothing special.”
Within that column, the scout said this about Georgia linebacker Alec Ogletree: “I don’t know how far that’s going to push him back. He’s a top-10 talent. If you’re the Patriots, you’re taking the guy. It would be just a gift. And that’s what’s going to end up happening.”
The Patriots do need a fourth linebacker who can cover and run. In passing downs, it would make sense to either take Dont’a Hightower and Brandon Spikes off the field, or use them as rushers. Ogletree is a former safety who could fill a lot of needs in the middle of the field.
What may drop Ogletree is a recent DUI arrest. Ogletree was also suspended twice at Georgia, once for stealing a scooter helmet and again for failing a drug test.
Typically the Patriots will go safe in the first round and take risks later in the draft. They proved in 2007 that they’re willing to switch up that mode of thinking, however. New England took Brandon Meriweather No. 24 overall that season, and while it didn’t work out long term, he did have a few impressive seasons with the Patriots.
8 a.m.: The NFL combine drills have reached their halfway point, and on Day 5, we’ll see defensive linemen and linebackers going through speed, agility, explosion and positional drills.
Some of the biggest freak athletes in this draft line up at defensive end and tackle, and we should see some record times from these players. BYU defensive end Ezekiel Ansah ran track before switching to football two years ago. At 6-foot-6, 270 pounds, it’s hard to know his 40 time, but it will likely turn some heads.
Dion Jordan is another freak athlete. He’s a 6-foot-6, 248-pound linebacker that spent time in the slot covering wide receivers while at Oregon. He’s having shoulder surgery after the combine, but he’s set to take part in all speed and agility drills.
Among the big boys at defensive tackle, Sheldon Richardson could have a huge day. He’s almost 300 pounds, and he looked comfortable dropping back into coverage during his time at Missouri. Sharrif Floyd of Florida is another interior lineman who could have a big day.
At linebacker, all eyes will be on Manti Te’o, but players like Arthur Brown and Alec Ogletree will test better. Rutgers linebacker Khaseem Greene is another player to watch. He, like Ogletree, is a former safety.
Stay tuned here for all the the combine updates and news throughout the day.
