Harrell is a truly intriguing prospect at this year’s combine. He had a great year at Texas Tech, but was more of a product of a system than other quarterbacks. He also had a terrible senior bowl, only furthering skeptics belief of his role as a system quarterback. He must test really well at the combine to put himself into possible first day discussion, especially on drills that showcase arm strength. As of right now, nobody believes that his arm strength is anywhere close to an NFL quarterbacks’. He’s a 6th or 7th round pick as it stands.
Wells is perceived as a first round pick as of right now. Possibly even a top 15 pick. However, there are skeptics out there who are concerned about his physical style of play. He’s already dealt with plenty of injuries while at Ohio State and seems very prone to them. If he runs well at the combine and tests well in other areas too, teams just might be able to overlook those injuries with a little less hesitation.
I see Stroughter as a player that compares very well to Eddie Royal at last year’s combine. He’s a perceived mid-round selection right now, but could really up his stock at the combine. This is because Stroughter is an extremely versatile player who can do many things on the field. He’s a great return man which automatically adds to his value, he is an end zone threat, and he can be very quick and agile when he wants to be. With Stroughter, it will come down to more of a question about his mental health. Whether he’s moved past all of the hardships that he’s been through his last couple of years in school will determine where he goes in the draft, because he definitely has all of the tools to be a fine player.
There is one thing that no one can deny about Quan Cosby and that is that he’s very athletic. This is a guy who played minor league baseball with the Anaheim Angels, after all. There are some questions about his size, however. He’s only about 5'9" or 5'10", but if he can show good hands, route running, and toughness at the combine he could really see his stock rise.
Everyone who has watched Byrd knows that he has good size and is a very tough, physical corner. However, if Byrd can step up and run a really good forty at the combine, he could be perceived as an even more versatile corner than he already is. If he does this, don’t be surprised to see him go as high as the 2nd round. He did play against some really good receivers in the Pac-10 too.
Maybin saw his stock soar after a terrific senior year at Penn State. However, he now must live up to all of his hype and try not to remind anyone of Vernon Gholston last year who had a very up and down season with the Jets. Most importantly for Maybin (which was not a concern with Gholston) is that he’ll have to prove himself as a true 4-3 defensive end. We all know that he’s quick, but if he can perform well in the defensive line technique drills and show some good strength in the bench press then he could really solidify his position at the next level. He does have room to grow more into his body, after all.
Ok, so everybody knows who Aaron Curry is, but who’s this Arnoux guy? Arnoux might not have gotten much attention playing in the shadow of Curry, but he might end up being just as good of a prospect when all is said and done. He has great size and could play outside or inside in the NFL, just like Curry. He also has plenty of playing experience at the college level and could really elevate his stock if he performs well at the combine, especially by running a good forty time.
Johnson had a terrific end to his senior season by absolutely torching Fresno State’s defense in the New Mexico Bowl for 375 total yards (285 rushing, 90 receiving), the most yards ever by one player in an FBS bowl game. Johnson has a ton of momentum heading into the combine, to say the least. Overlooked for most of his career, Johnson made it to Colorado State all the way from Miami, Florida so you know he’s got some talent. He has good size for the NFL at 222 pounds. If he can put everything together and have a great combine, he could go on the first day of the draft. Do the names Matt Forte, Chris Johnson, and Kevin Smith ring a bell??
