Pro Days Updated*

Lately there has been growing speculation that if the St. Louis Rams take Sam Bradford with the first pick of the 2010 draft, as expected, the Detroit Lions might pick left tackle Russell Okung next.

The rationale behind taking an offensive tackle is simple. The Lions just invested nearly 42 million guaranteed dollars into quarterback Matt Stafford. They need him protected. The Lions have also added defensive linemen Corey Williams and Kyle Vanden Bosch during the off-season, lessening the need for Ndamukong suh or Gerald McCoy, the defensive tackles most rate as the two best players in the draft.

According to sources throughout the league, however, if the Lions do indeed take an offensive tackle second overall, it won't necessarily be Okung.

I spoke to representatives of four teams in the past few days. Though none of the representatives were willing to tell me who their team, collectively, had as their top-rated offensive tackle, I was able to get their personal opinions on who should be the first blocker drafted April 22nd.

Two of the four polled had Okung as the top rated tackle. Iowa's Bryan Bulaga and Oklahoma's Trent Williams, however, each received a vote, as well.

Okung, a four year starter, has the experience and consistency scouts like. The two scouts who picked Bulaga and Williams, however, nitpicked about his lack of elite athleticism and conversion from a spread attack.

The conversion from a spread attack applies to Trent Williams, as well. Williams, who demonstrated eye-popping athleticism at the Combine, has only one season at left tackle, however. There are some who believe he has the most upside of this talented OT class.

Bulaga is actually viewed as the safest of the trio by many scouts, including three of the four I polled. Already technically refined, however, he may lack Okung and Williams' upside, which is why he only earned the one vote as the best tackle of the class.

Regardless of the order they are selected, there is a growing consensus that all three tackles will be drafted among the top ten.

Some believe, in fact, that the three will join with Bradford, Suh and McCoy in some order as the top six picks of the draft.

Representatives from 22 teams were in attendance for William & Mary’s pro day on March 17. The biggest name in the group? San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary.

The Hall of Famer likely had his eyes on DE Adrian Tracy (6-3, 247), who went through defensive line drills, as well as inside and outside linebacker drills. Tracy stood on his numbers from the combine.

Other players with good numbers:

QB, R.J. Archer (6-2, 219) ran the 40 in 4.80 4.84, had a 34-inch vertical jump, 9-4 broad jump, 4.27 short shuttle and1 7.10 three-cone drill.

DT, Sean Lissemore (6-3 1/2, 298) ran the 40 in 4.61 and 4.64, had a 30-inch vertical jump, 9-3 broad jump, 4.52 short shuttle, 7.57 three-cone drill and did 26 bench presses.

Any word out on how Jason Fox looked today?

Originally posted by jreff22:
Representatives from 22 teams were in attendance for William & Mary’s pro day on March 17. The biggest name in the group? San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary.

The Hall of Famer likely had his eyes on DE Adrian Tracy (6-3, 247), who went through defensive line drills, as well as inside and outside linebacker drills. Tracy stood on his numbers from the combine.

Other players with good numbers:

QB, R.J. Archer (6-2, 219) ran the 40 in 4.80 4.84, had a 34-inch vertical jump, 9-4 broad jump, 4.27 short shuttle and1 7.10 three-cone drill.

DT, Sean Lissemore (6-3 1/2, 298) ran the 40 in 4.61 and 4.64, had a 30-inch vertical jump, 9-3 broad jump, 4.52 short shuttle, 7.57 three-cone drill and did 26 bench presses.

Any feedback on A. Tracy or S. Lissemore? Lissemore's numbers are pretty quick for a big guy.

Originally posted by Ninefan56:

Originally posted by jreff22:
Representatives from 22 teams were in attendance for William & Mary’s pro day on March 17. The biggest name in the group? San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary.

The Hall of Famer likely had his eyes on DE Adrian Tracy (6-3, 247), who went through defensive line drills, as well as inside and outside linebacker drills. Tracy stood on his numbers from the combine.

Other players with good numbers:

QB, R.J. Archer (6-2, 219) ran the 40 in 4.80 4.84, had a 34-inch vertical jump, 9-4 broad jump, 4.27 short shuttle and1 7.10 three-cone drill.

DT, Sean Lissemore (6-3 1/2, 298) ran the 40 in 4.61 and 4.64, had a 30-inch vertical jump, 9-3 broad jump, 4.52 short shuttle, 7.57 three-cone drill and did 26 bench presses.

Any feedback on A. Tracy or S. Lissemore? Lissemore's numbers are pretty quick for a big guy.

Tracy, who was the only Tribe player to also work out at the NFL combine in February, used Wednesday’s Pro Day as a chance to improve his standing with scouts who took notice of him over the year. Although Tracy chose not to participate in any combine drills Wednesday, he ran through several position drills as scouts looked on.

During the combine, Tracy recorded a 40-yard dash time of 4.76 seconds, a vertical jump of 35.5 inches and 20 reps on the 225-pound bench press. CBS Sports currently projects Tracy as a sixth or seventh-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

“I’ve had a lot of positive feedback from everyone who was here, and if they didn’t speak to me here, they spoke to me at the combine,” Tracy said. “The positive feedback I have had from everybody is definitely a confidence booster, making me feel like I do belong, and that all the hard work has paid off to certain extent. But there is still more work to be done.”

Many eyes were also on Lissemore, who tried to leave a memorable impression on the scouts.

“I feel like I did well on all my drills,” Lissemore said. “I hit the [225-pound bench press] 36 times, which I think ranks third at the combine right now overall. On the vertical jump, I recorded 30 inches, which is respectable for weighing 298 pounds … My 40-yard dash time was 4.83 [seconds], which is right in the range that I need to be.”

Lissemore believed the other seniors caught the attention of the scouts in attendance as well.

Probably should have posted this in here.

So far from what I've read following Twitter, Kyle Wilson has the following numbers at his pro day

40 Dash- 4.43 (Vikings had him clocked at 4.39)
Bench- 25(numbers from combine)
Broad- 10' 2"
Vert.- 38 inches
20 shuttle- 4.09
3-Cone- 6.02

Supposedly he looked extremely sharp in DB Drills.

Have to love the strength and speed of Wilson. Not as tall as many would want him to be but he makes up for it with that nice vert of 38". To me he reminds me of Al Harris. He's physical and can jam you at the line but is also fast and quick enough to stick with you in coverage. I believe he'll be better than Harris eventually though.

At worst IMO he'd be the nickle his rookie year behind Clements and Spencer but i think he's talented enough to start week 1. Even if he doesn't start right away he'd fill our much needed PR position and shine there. I think he's well worth the #17 pick overall.

A strong performance during Senior Bowl week and a solid NFL Scouting Combine effort helped Boise State CB Kyle Wilson enhance his draft status. He built on the momentum from those workouts with another exceptional outing at the Broncos’ pro day Friday.

Wilson (185 pounds) ran the 40-yard dash in 4.47 and 4.43 seconds, and he had a 38-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot, 2-inch broad jump, a 4.10-second short shuttle and a 6.84-second three-cone drill. He also did very good in the position drills. This workout probably moves him into the first round.

All 32 teams had representatives in attendance, and six teams (Ravens, 49ers, Cardinals, Eagles, Bengals and Rams) had defensive back coaches on hand.

The workout took place indoors on FieldTurf. It’s a good thing, too, since it was cold with some snow showers in the area.

While one UC Davis prospect was unable to take advantage of the spotlight provided by the school’s pro day due to injury, another stepped up in his place.

WR Chris Carter, who was at the NFL Scouting Combine, is still recovering from posterior cruciate ligament surgery in his left knee. He most likely won’t be able to work out until after the draft. Unfortunately, the medical setback could cost him a chance at getting drafted.

CB Kenny Brown, on the other hand, is healthy and put forth an outstanding performance. With team representatives from the Vikings, 49ers and Raiders on hand to watch six prospects work out outdoors on FieldTurf, Brown was the star of the show.

He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.51 and 4.46 seconds, had a 43 1/2-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot, 5-inch broad jump, a 4.06-second short shuttle, a 6.82-second three-cone drill and did 19 bench press repetitions at 225 pounds. While he remains an unlikely draft choice, he has greatly enhanced his status as a rookie free agent.

The other noteworthy prospect at UC Davis’ pro day, which took place on March 10, was WR Bakari Grant. Grant ran the 40 in 4.67 and 4.64 seconds, had a 32 1/2-inch vertical jump, a 9-9 broad jump, a 4.50 short shuttle, a 7.20 three-cone drill and did 10 bench press reps. He looked good in the position drills.

NFLDraftScout.com has confirmed that Arizona tight end Rob Gronkowski is being red-flagged by teams due to a spinal condition.

The source, a scout with an NFL team, confirmed that his team's doctors were questioning if Gronkowski "would ever be 100%" and that his team was acknowledging the injury by lowering Gronkowski's grade. The scout declined to talk specifically of Gronkowski's condition.

NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock reported Wednesday evening that Gronkowski had spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spine. The condition is characterized by numbness in the extremities, neck and back and leg cramps and can be hereditary or caused by previous injury, surgery, abnormal bone growth or or deterioration, according to WebMD.com .

Perhaps most frightening, the condition puts the player at a higher risk for suffering paralysis.

This is the same condition which former Pro Bowl offensive tackle Chris Samuels cited as a reason for his sudden retirement from the Washington Redskins and was also believed to be the primary reason why former Auburn star Marcus McNeill, also an offensive tackle, slipped to the second round of the 2006 draft.

McNeill, who found out he had stenosis while in college, said as much in a post-draft interview.

"A lot of teams ended up passing on me because they thought my back would keep me from playing." McNeill said.

What is important to note is that McNeill played four years in college with knowledge of the injury and did not miss any time over his final two seasons with the Tigers. In four seasons with the Chargers, the Pro Bowl-alternate has started 62 of 64 regular season games.

Unlike McNeill, Gronkowski has missed significant time due to spinal issues. He missed the entire 2009 season, in fact, and underwent surgery, a microdiscectomy on his back on Sept. 24. He has unable to workout at the Combine or at Arizona's Pro Day, March 12.

Instead, he'll be working out on campus tomorrow.

In scouting hundreds of players each year it is impossible not to develop a few favorites. These aren't necessarily the best athletes or the most productive players. For me, they are guys who play with supreme intensity, technique or durability.

Two of my favorites this year -- Miami offensive tackle Jason Fox and Arizona State linebacker Travis Goethel -- had nearly polar opposite results in highly anticipated Pro Day workouts Friday.

Fox, a 47 game starter for the Hurricanes, had a lot riding on his workout as he was unable to perform in any of the senior all-star games or the Combine due to undergoing a minor procedure on his left knee. He pulled his hamstring 3/4 of the way through his first attempt at the 40-yard dash. Though he tried to gut it out through positional drills, the injury was obviously bothering him, according to scouts in attendance. All 32 teams were represented at Miami's Pro Day.

While the inability to finish the workout is no doubt troubling for Fox (according to reports, he did not want to speak with reporters following the workout), teams that stay true to the mantra of focusing on film will know what this kid can do. He may not have the athleticism to warrant a first or perhaps even second round selection, but he's a reliable technician that can play the game -- whether at left tackle, or perhaps inside at left guard.

While Fox struggled, Goethel took advantage of the attention. Goethel, 6-3, 240 pounds, started 41 of 50 games over his career, but rarely got the attention he deserved with the Sun Devils, only gaining all-conference accolades as a senior (and it was honorable mention honors, at that).

I love the way this kid plays the game, however. Posssessing a combination of physicality and instincts, he is a classic special teams demon at worst and a potential surprise starter. I had reservations about his pure speed, but, according to a scout in attendance, Goethel impressed Friday with a pair of 4.60s in the 40-yard dash, a 4.54 time in the short shuttle and a 6.91 in the 3-cone -- all of which shaved about 3/10s of a second from his times recorded at the Combine. The scout was also sure to note that the performance was on grass, which is all the more impressive, as this surface generally is not as conducive to fast times as a track or turf.

Originally posted by SonocoNinerFan:
Any word out on how Jason Fox looked today?

Check my recent postings.....not too good for him.

Originally posted by jreff22:

Originally posted by SonocoNinerFan:
Any word out on how Jason Fox looked today?

Check my recent postings.....not too good for him.

Wow, bad day for him.

Bradford's day was streamed live but I missed it.

Originally posted by teeohh:
Bradford's day was streamed live but I missed it.

Same, anybody see it?

Originally posted by foreign49er:

Originally posted by teeohh:
Bradford's day was streamed live but I missed it.

Same, anybody see it?

Caught the last part of it. Saw two perfect deep balls. The initial reviews are he was 49/50 with one drop.

Quote:
Sam Bradford just finished his workout, and let me tell you, it was near flawless. I’m not saying he solidified his spot at the top of the draft, but he sure didn’t hurt himself. It was one of the best individual workouts I’ve seen in a long time. A real Picasso.

I’m getting the numbers together now and will get them to you shortly.

– Gil Brandt
http://blogs.nfl.com/category/pro-days/

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