NFL Combine Sunday Winners And Losers: Brandin Cooks, Johnny Manziel Shine

The New England Patriots will look to one category from Sunday’s NFL Scouting Combine results first: the three-cone drill.

History suggests that the Patriots value that number more than any other when drafting. This year’s crop of wide receivers fared very well in the three-cone drill. There were 19 wideouts that ran the three-cone in under seven seconds, which is typically the benchmark for a great result.

Quarterback Jordan Lynch, who could be a candidate for a position change, finished second among all players in the three-cone at 6.55 seconds.

Check out all the winners and losers from the NFL combine on Sunday.

WINNERS

Brandin Cooks: The Oregon State wide receiver finished best among wide receivers in the 40-yard dash at 4.33 seconds and short shuttle at 3.81 second. He also had a 6.76-second three-cone and impressed in receiver drills. Cooks might have vaulted into the first round.

Johnny Manziel: Manziel chose not to throw, but his speed and agility numbers match up with the best athletes in the draft. The Texas A&M quarterback ran a 4.68-second 40-yard dash (fourth among quarterbacks), 6.75-second three-cone (second) and 4.03-second short shuttle (first). He finished fifth in the vertical leap and fourth in the broad jump.

Dri Archer: Archer nearly broke Chris Johnson’s combine record with a 4.26-second 40-yard dash. He had a top five finish among running backs in the three-cone (6.86) and short shuttle (4.06). Of course, the Kent State running back also ran that at 5-foot-8, 173 pounds, so he might not have a position in the pros.

Odell Beckham: The LSU wide receiver hit all the right marks with a sub-4.5 40-yard dash (4.43), sub-4.0 short shuttle (3.94) and sub-7 three-cone (6.69).

AJ McCarron: McCarron impressed both the coaches on the field and NFL Network’s analysts with his passing. His athleticism won’t turn any heads, but he shined where it counts on Sunday while Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr chose not to throw.

Bishop Sankey: Among Mike Mayock’s top five running backs, Sankey had the best performance by far. He ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash and showed off natural hands catching the football. He ran the best three-cone (6.75) and short shuttle (4.00) at his position.

LOSERS

Teddy Bridgewater: Bridgewater could have emerged as a star of the event, but instead slunk into the shadows when he chose not to run or throw. The Louisville quarterback is also reportedly a tier below Johnny Manziel and Blake Bortles among quarterbacks in the draft.

Jarvis Landry: Landry ran a 4.77-second 40-yard dash and tweaked his hamstring. The LSU wideout could still be a solid slot receiver, but that 4.77 will hurt. His broad jump and vertical leap were among the worst at his position.

James Wilder: The Florida State running back didn’t seem to have experience running the 40-yard dash. He had two bad starts and finished with an official time of 4.86 seconds. He’s a massive back at 6-foot-3, 232 pounds, but that’s a rough time, even for a player of his size. Wilder looked stiff in running back drills, too.

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