2014 NFL Combine

I did a search and did not find a thread for this year's combine.

If one exists, just merge this with that thread.

The NFL Scouting Combine will be held February 19 – 25, 2014.

The number of athletes per position varies from year-to-year depending on the available talent. However, we are able to accommodate and process up to 335 total athletes each year.

As of today, there is no list of players invited, but some information is becoming available.



offensive lineman Billy Turner was in Phoenix after signing with Premier Sports and Entertainment. He has an invitation to the NFL Combine in February in Indianapolis.

Cornerback Marcus Williams also got an invite to the Combine, according to his father Jeff Williams, who got his information from an agent.

http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/423129/

Kendall James' final season at the University of Maine was a memorable one.

The senior cornerback helped the Black Bears win the 2013 Colonial Athletic Association football championship on his way to all-conference and All-America recognition.

Now, the speedy James is trying to take his game to the next level — the National Football League.

James has received an invitation to attend the NFL Scouting Combine set for Feb. 22-25 at Indianapolis.

"It's a blessing. Not too many people come out of Maine to get a combine invite and put the school on the map, so I definitely want to take full advantage of it," James said.

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound defensive back joins former Black Bears Daren Stone (2007) and Jerron McMillian (2012) as the only players in program history to be invited to the combine, a showcase of the best available draft-eligible players in the country.

https://bangordailynews.com/login/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fbangordailynews.com%2Fpost%2F

I'm curious to see who basically gets snubbed. Not invited.

When we look at the combine events results, we should contrast them to the established norms.
This chart lists the minimum targets for offensive and defensive positions.

One way to evaluate a player is to look at how many of the targets he was able to meet.

Although the combine events may garner the majority of our attention, the position drills are problably as important or more important than the events.

The two articles below talk about the position specific drills (with diagrams of the drills).

I think the information is useful.

NFL Combine 2013 Primer: The Position-Specific Drills, Offensive Edition

http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2013/2/22/4017718/nfl-combine-2013-primer-position-specific-drills-offense-dallas-cowboys

NFL Combine 2013 Primer: The Position-Specific Drills, Defensive Edition

http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2013/2/25/4025402/nfl-combine-2013-primer-the-position-specific-drills-defensive-edition

Good reading. Enjoy.

Originally posted by AB81Rules:

I'm curious to see who basically gets snubbed. Not invited.

No lie.

There are good players, perhaps mainly small school players, who merit invitations and do not get invited.

These numbers might be interesting and informative.




http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2013/story/_/id/8953829/2013-nfl-draft-five-year-nfl-combine-averages

McCarron unsure if he'll throw at the Combine

Appearing on the Dan Patrick Show, Alabama QB AJ McCarron said he is unsure if he will throw at the NFL Combine.

McCarron briefly cited a lack of timing with receivers at the event. After skipping the Senior Bowl and telling reporters he would prove doubters and evaluators wrong, we are somewhat surprised McCarron would not firmly say he will participate in the throwing portion of drills. His evaluation does not place him in the first-round, and his pre-draft process has not changed that.


http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/cfb/29541/mccarron-unsure-if-hell-throw-at-the-combine

Here are some numbers for the players invited to participate at this year's NFL Scouting Combine, which runs from Feb. 19-25 in Indianapolis. NFL Network will provide live coverage of the event.


Position breakdown

Quarterbacks: 19
Running backs: 36 (including three fullbacks)
Wide receivers: 48
Tight ends: 22
Offensive linemen: 50 (23 tackles, 15 guards, 12 centers)
Defensive linemen: 56 (30 defensive ends, 26 defensive tackles)
Linebackers: 35 (20 outside, 15 inside)
Defensive backs: 59 (30 cornerbacks, 11 strong safeties, nine free safeties)
Specialists: 10 (Five punters, four kickers, one long snapper)

School breakdown

There are 13 schools with at least six participants:

Alabama: 12
LSU: 11
Florida State: 9
Notre Dame: 9
Florida: 8
Stanford: 8
Missouri: 7
North Carolina: 7
USC: 7
Baylor: 6
Ohio State: 6
Oregon: 6
Wisconsin: 6

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000324261/article/nfl-scouting-combine-inside-the-numbers

players with most to prove at combine ( has three wide receivers and no defensive backs)

Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LSU

Beckham Jr. won the Paul Hornung award as college football's most versatile player. Whoever drafts him will really be getting two players: a guy who can play receiver and a guy who can return kicks. I like him because I think that he can stretch the field with his great speed, but I want to get a closer look at what else he can do. I want to see his quickness, how he runs routes, and whether he comes out of the breaks really fast. I also want to see him in a receiving drill called the gauntlet, which tests whether a player can catch the ball in his hands cleanly and how quick his eyes are.

Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M

Evans reminds me a little of Mike Williams, the receiver who was drafted by Detroit out of USC in 2005. What I really want to see from him at the combine is how he looks as a route runner. I want to know if he caught all these passes in college on mismatches where he just jumped up and caught the ball, or if he ran some routes to get open. It looks like he's got pretty good body control, and he obviously has a very strong build. He was very, very productive at Texas A&M, catching 151 passes in two years. But I've got a lot of questions about his route-running ability and wish he would've learned to do that better while in college.

Paul Richardson, WR, Colorado

Richardson came back from a 2012 knee injury and had an impressive year, posting 83 receptions for 1,343 yards and 10 TDs, but here's the thing about him: He's a very skinny receiver, at about 6-foot, 158 pounds. He has pretty good athleticism and speed, but he's just so small and so thin. There are a lot of things about him that I'm interested in finding out during the combine, including whether he catches the ball cleanly and the size of his hands.



http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000324220/article/blake-bortles-among-players-with-most-to-prove-at-combine

Cockrell (6-foot, 180 pounds) was one of Duke's best defenders the past few seasons and a key performer on a Blue Devils team that went 10-4 this season.

Cockrell doesn't necessarily stand out in any facet of the game, but he does a lot of things well, which should lead to him being a third-day pick in the 2014 draft. Speed has been a question, but Cockrell told The Chronicle -- Duke's student newspaper -- that he believes he can run a sub-4.4 time in the 40-yard dash at the combine next month.

Cockrell played in the East-West Shrine Game earlier this month and had an interception late in the game.

He has been training in California since the end of the season.

"I'm working on total body strength and just making sure that I'm as healthy as possible going into the combine," Cockrell told The Chronicle. "Those are the two things that I really want to accomplish."

Cockrell started all but one game in his Duke career and finished with 12 interceptions and a school-record 41 pass breakups.

He was a two-time first-team All-ACC selection. Cockrell played this season as a grad student after graduating in May 2013 with a political science degree.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000319532/article/ross-cockrell-can-improve-his-draft-stock-with-fast-40-time

Brandon Dixon CB North West Missouri

"The thing I want to work most on is my 40-yard dash," Dixon said. "I wanna crack a 4.3 (second) 40. I want to clock it consistently. I've clocked it before, and I want to clock in consistently.

"If I clock a 4.3, I'm expecting second or third round. I know my bench press and broad jump will be alright."


http://www.nwmissourinews.com/sports/article_629c11fc-8f42-11e3-a5e4-001a4bcf6878.html

nice article

Small school players at the combine

Wide receivers
Matt Hazel, Coastal Carolina
Jeff Janis, Saginaw Valley State

Defensive backs
Pierre Desir (CB), Lindenwood
Brandon Dixon (CB), Northwest Missouri State
Kendall James (CB), Maine
Jimmie Ward (SS), Northern Illinois
Lavelle Westbrooks (CB), Georgia Southern

Quarterbacks
Jimmy Garoppolo, Eastern Illinois
Jeff Mathews (throwing QB), Cornell
Dustin Vaughan (throwing QB), West Texas A&M

Running backs
Timothy Flanders, Sam Houston State
Jerick McKinnon, Georgia Southern
Lorenzo Taliaferro, Coastal Carolina
Terrance West, Towson

Tight ends
Crockett Gillmore, Colorado State
Reggie Jordan, Missouri Western State
A.C. Leonard, Tennessee State

Offensive linemen
Billy Turner (OT), North Dakota State
Matt Armstrong (C), Grand Valley State
Dakota Dozier (OT), Furman
Kadeem Edwards (G), Tennessee State
Matt Feiler (OT), Bloomsburg

Defensive linemen
Howard Jones (DE), Shephard
Zach Moore (DE), Concordia (Minn.)
Zach Kerr (DT), Delaware
Mike Pennel (DT), Colorado State-Pueblo
Caraun Reid (DT), Princeton
Larry Webster (DE), Bloomsburg
Ethan Westbrooks (DE), West Texas A&M
Kerry Wynn (DT), Richmond

Linebackers

Tyler Starr (OLB), South Dakota
Jordan Tripp (OLB), Montana

Originally posted by AB81Rules:

I'm curious to see who basically gets snubbed. Not invited.

Here is an article on the snubs.

Brett Smith, Denicos Allen among those not invited to Combine

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000324270/article/brett-smith-denicos-allen-among-those-not-invited-to-combine