Combine Takeaways

[John Hammonds]

Now that the Combine is over, here are my Trending Down and Trending Up player takeaways:

TRENDING DOWN

Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson - Seriously?  Trending Down?  Yeah.  I've been concerned about Wilkins for a while.  He's got a lot of hype as a great interior pass rusher, but he only had 4.5 sacks last year, and only 3 the previous.  I was looking for a reason to call him a great pass rusher.  Perhaps he has a sub-5.0 40 time?  Yes?  No.  I know he's got a lot of tackles behind the line, and has some good film of his getting penetration.  And he's got tremendously high character.  But where are the stats?  Give me a reason to believe.  I don't have many right now.

Riley Ridley, WR, Georgia - I know that he led the Bulldogs in receptions (44 for 570 yds and 8 TD's), but 570 yards in a year doesn't totally wow me.  And then I saw his 40 time come through at 4.58.  I expect guys who are 6'-4" to run in the 4.5's.  If you're 6'1", you should be in the 4.4's.  Is his hype based more on his brother's name than on his own?

Julian Love, DB, Notre Dame - I liked him early on.  Ok, I loved him early on.  But his stock has been dropping with me for a while.  The size / speed / production models aren't working out very well.  And the TV guys were talking about him projecting as a "strong tackling nickel".  Ewww.

Jachai Polite, EDGE, Florida - Yes, I know that his lower than expected 40 time may have been due to a lingering injury.  But when you tweet out to the world every time you feel you've been slighted or insulted by the coaches, that just does not fly with me.  He's off my board.  Completely.

Jazz Ferguson, WR, Northwestern State - Jazz wasn't on my radar until I heard about him on these forums.  So I watched.  His speed is good.  But he had the dropsies during drills, and apparently had a reputation for it in college.

TRENDING UP

Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson - I know that we need pass rush, and that Lawrence has NO pass rush stats.  None.  That's not what he does.  But he did clock in a 40 time nearly identical to his teammate, Wilkins.  He looked good in other drills, too.  And I do know this:  one of the big reasons Darius Leonard had so many tackles is that Al Woods was in front of him, eating up blockers, keeping him clean to make those tackles.  And Woods is 31 years old, a free agent, and time catches up with us all.  I'm not saying that Dexter Lawrence is now my first choice for who to take at 26.  But I like him more than I used to.

Jerry Tillery, DT, Notre Dame - He just looked good.  I can't put a finger on it.  But he looked good.  He looked better than Wilkins, in my opinion.  I know that his college production was inconsistent.  But he did produce.  And there's something to work with there.  Trending up.  Not the top.  Just up.

Parris Campbell, WR, Ohio St - Campbell has been on my radar all year.  I knew that he wasn't much more than a gimmick receiver that was incredibly fast.  And that he needed to work hard to claim a true place as a starter on the outside.  And even though his numbers at Ohio State are incredibly impressive, I don't think he ever really did claim that outside starter thing.  Still, he looked good in the drills, and turned out some great combine numbers.  I think he's worth another look.  He's got an "it" factor that can't be ignored.

Mark Fields, DB, Clemson - Fields wasn't on my radar.  At all.  And he wasn't even a starter at Clemson.  Not surprising, since Clemson was so stacked with talent.  But he turned in some very good combine numbers, and it forced me to take another look.  I like his youtube highlight reel.  Not so much for interceptions, but for single-handed open field tackles.  That's job #1 for a DB in a defense such as ours.  And you add to it the kind of speed this guys possesses?  I won't be unhappy if we take him in the 3rd or 4th round.  Not unhappy at all.

Trysten Hill, DT, Central Florida - There has to be a small school guy on this list.  I liked what I saw at the combine, and had to take a look.  Oh my.  This guy was in the doghouse so much, they needed to build it out with extra guest rooms and a gym.  He's got attitude issues.  Big time.  Still, he wasn't on my radar at all, and now he is.  Would he be a good risk in the 6th round?  Maybe.

 

So, there's my takeaway list.  At least, what I was willing to post.  There were more players that made me think twice, both upwards and downwards.  Don't know if you saw what I saw, or if you think what I think.  But that's ok.  I don't mind being proved wrong.

[MPStack]

I’m all about P. Campbell. 

 

He’s probably a little more raw than some of the other prospects, but like you said, he has the “it” factor. 

 

I think Campbell is that WR you want catching screen passes in Reich’s offense. 

 

 

[illdubb]

Marvell Tell III or Malik Reed anyone?