Month: March 2018 (Page 4 of 4)

Today is the final day of combine workouts. These are the cornerbacks to keep an eye on (because they all have +32 inch arms):

Chris Campbell — 33 4/8 (79)
Carlton Davis — 32 6/8 (79 3/8)
Brandon Facyson — 32 5/8 (78 4/8)
Holton Hill — 32 (77 2/8)
Chris Jones — 32 6/8 (78 2/8)
Jamarcus King — 32 7/8 (78 3/8)
Tarvarus McFadden — 32 4/8 (78)
Isaiah Oliver — 33 4/8 (80 5/8)
Chandon Sullivan — 32 3/8 (76 6/8)
Jordan Thomas — 32 (77 6/8)
D’Montre Wade — 32 3/8 (76 7/8)
Levi Wallace — 32 6/8 (77 3/8)
Isaac Yiadom — 32 3/8 (75 6/8)

It’s also worth keeping an eye on three safety’s in particular — Jessie Bates III from Wake Forest, Justin Reid from Stanford and Kameron Kelly from San Diego State.

(Players with 32 inch arms in bold)

Jaire Alexander — 4.43 & 4.38
Anthony Averett — 4.40 & 4.36
Tony Brown — 4.37 & 4.35
Chris Campbell — DNP
Andre Chachere — 4.61 & 4.50
Carlton Davis — 4.53 & 4.55
Duke Dawson — 4.49 & 4.46
Dee Delaney — 4.47 & 4.50
Brandon Facyson — 4.55 & 4.54
Rashard Fant — DNP
Rashaan Gaulden — 4.64 & 4.61
Grant Haley — 4.49 & 4.44
Davontae Harris — 4.44 & 4.47
Holton Hill — 4.50 & 4.54
Mike Hughes — 4.53 & 4.54
Donte Jackson — 4.32 & 4.37
J.C. Jackson — 4.49 & 4.47
Joshua Jackson — 4.49 & 4.60
Danny Johnson — 4.49 & 4.44
Taron Johnson — 4.51 & 4.52
Chris Jones — 4.58 & 4.63
Michael Joseph — DNP
Jamarcus King — 4.70 & DNP
Avonte Maddox — 4.40 & 4.42
Tavarus McFadden — 4.67 & 4.76
Quenton Meeks — DNP
Kamren Moore — DNP
Nick Nelson — 4.52 & 4.56
Parry Nickerson — 4.32 & dnp
Isaiah Oliver — 4.51 & 4.59
Darius Phillips — 4.60 & 4.55
D.J. Reed — 4.51 & 4.53
M.J. Stewart — 4.54 & 4.55
Greg Stroman — 4.52 & 4.49
Chandon Sullivan — 4.61 & 4.61
Jordan Thomas — 4.66 & 4.65
Henre Toliver — 4.64 & 4.65
Kevin Toliver — DNP
D’Montre Wade — 4.58 & 4.62
Levi Wallace — 4.48 & 4.68
Denzel Ward — 4.32 & 4.36
Isaac Yiadom — 4.53 & 4.54

Another day, another hamstring injury. Parry Nickerson pulled up after running a 4.32. Donte Jackson cramped up too after his run. This has been a major problem over the four days.

Pete Carroll here, looking like your dad trying to work a Microsoft Surface:

Overall that was a forty yard dash session lacking in headlines. Denzel Ward ran well but had to given his size. There aren’t many first round options here.

Deion Sanders just called Mike Hughes’ backpedal ‘horrible’ during the first set of drills and then went over to ‘coach him up’. He trotted back over after and said, amusingly, ‘it won’t happen again’.

Levi Wallace is light (179lbs) but looked quite polished and smooth in his backpedal. Louisville’s Jaire Alexander hasn’t got 32 inch arms but he’s arguably been the most impressive looking corner in the early drills. Quick, loose hips, good transition and he ran a good forty earlier.

Tarvarus McFadden hasn’t looked good. He ran poorly in the forty and just doesn’t look quick in transition or backpedal. ‘Laboured’ is the best way to describe his workout.

Isaiah Oliver is a little bit tight hipped but his transition was really good. He looks big too and ran a decent 4.51. Shame but he’ll probably rise a little bit in this underwhelming corner class. Would be a good option for Seattle albeit from round three onwards. Not early.

According to Tony Pauline, Roquan Smith and Lorenzo Carter have been medically red flagged by some teams:

Lorenzo Carter and Roquan Smith of Georgia both had terrific combine workouts. Carter, who I’ve always believed was a first-round talent, ran under 4.5 in the 40, bested everyone in his group with a broad jump of 10-feet-10-inches and posted a vertical jump of 39.5 inches. Roquan Smith ran 4.51 and will do the rest of the drills at his pro day. I have been informed both players were red-flagged medically by a number of teams due to past injury history. While I don’t expect the medical evaluations to be a drag on the draft stock of Carter and Smith, it is something likely to be part of the debate on draft day when each player is being considered.

Josh Jackson gets a few words for a sloppy start to a backpedal and find the ball drill. He was quite lethargic. The coaches also remind the DB’s they want them to high point the football. Chris Jones and Quenton Meeks just mistimed their jumps trying to go up and get the football.

Tarvarus McFadden didn’t even try to high point the ball, just ran under it and caught it in his arms. For all the hype McFadden had after the 2016 season for all the picks, there’s very little to get excited about here (and it was the same for his 2017 season in general).

Levi Wallace is putting on a bit of a show. Lovely backpedal, high pointed the football better than any of the other DB’s. Of all the players here so far that fit the Seahawks, he’s the one who stands out. He just needs to add some weight.

The NFL Network has now switched to an interview with Bill Belichick who is standing in the booth, telling Rich Eisen and Mike Mayock that they do an amazing job. Which is great for them. Not so entertaining for those wanting to watch the drills. Fair play to Belichick though, he just handed what appeared to be a substantial cheque to Eisen for his charity. And to be honest, Belichick is as relaxed as he ever is here. The mask has come off, he’s positively engaging and telling anecdotes. It was enjoyable to see him in a different light.

For the second time, the coaches aren’t happy with Josh Jackson. He had to re-start a drill twice because they wanted to see him working faster. It’s a backpedal, change of direction, flip-your-hips and run downfield drill.

Here are some of the official forty yard dashes:

Anthony Averett was forced to re-start his ‘W’ drill twice. A bit like yesterday, some of the execution on the drills has been off.

Mike Hughes hasn’t looked much like a first round prospect. Holton Hill was good moving through the motion of the ‘W’ drill but lacked explosion at the end.

Unbelievably, for a third time Josh Jackson was stopped by the coaches because they weren’t happy with the way he was conducting the drill. Jackson has been absolutely atrocious.

Deion Sanders summed up this cornerback session well: “We’re missing the energy givers, the guys who know, man, I am the guy. I’m not seeing that yet in the corners.”

Some of the safety jump results are coming in. Minkah Fitzpatrick had a 10-1 broad and Derwin James a 40-inch vertical.

Mike Mayock: “I think I’ve seen more guys get stopped in these drills than I’ve ever seen. Which is not a good thing.”

Denzel Ward didn’t do any of the drills after running the forty.

This has been nearly a three hour session. Similar to the QB/WR drills on Saturday, it’s just too long. We’ve had a long series of gauntlet drills and it all feels a bit unnecessary.

Safety broad jumps:

Minkah Fitzpatrick — 10-1
Joshua Kalu — 11-2
Derwin James — 11
Terrell Edmunds — 11-2

Safety vertical jumps:

Minkah Fitzpatrick — 33
Joshua Kalu — 41.5
Derwin James — 40
Terrell Edmunds — 41.5

Terrell Edmunds with an incredibly explosive performance there.

Here are the safety forty yard dash times:

Troy Apke — 4.35 & 4.39
Jessie Bates III — 4.51 & 4.56
Quin Blanding — 4.64 & 4.65
Sean Chandler — 4.67 & 4.66
Dane Cruikshank — 4.44 & 4.42
Terrell Edmunds — 4.48 & 4.50
Deshon Elliott — 4.58 & 4.62
Minkah Fitzpatrick — 4.47 & 4.51
Tre Flowers — 4.45 & 4.50
Marcell Harris — DNP
Ronnie Harrison — DNP
Godwin Idwebuike — 4.45 & 4.47
Natrell Jamerson — 4.40 & 4.46
Derwin James — 4.48 & 4.48
Joshua Kalu — 4.59 & 4.58
Kameron Kelly — 4.66 & 4.67
Siran Neal — 4.57 & 4.60
Max Redfield — 4.69 & 4.74
Justin Reid — 4.44 & 4.40
Stephen Roberts — 4.54 & 4.58
Dominick Sanders — DNP
Van Smith — 4.61 & 4.63
Trey Walker — 4.52 & 4.54
Armani Watts — DNP
Damon Webb — 4.63 & 4.69
Kyzir White — DNP
Jordan Whitehead — DNP

Troy Apke from Penn State is 6-1 and 200lbs with 32 2/8 inch arms. He just ran a 4.35. Trey Flowers is 6-3 and 202lbs with 33 7/8 inch arms. He ran a 4.45. Two very interesting guys there.

The safety times have been a lot more impressive than the cornerback times. It’s not even close. There’s a few guys here we’ll need to go back and look at.

Justin Reid’s 4.40 could easily push him into first round range.

Terrell Edmunds is the latest player to hurt himself running the forty.

That was a very impressive group. Troy Akpe, Terrell Edmunds, Dane Cruikshank, Tre Flowers, Justin Reid, Natrell Jamerson. There’s some tape to watch after the combine.

Derwin James looked really good with his backpedal and transition. Very smooth for a player of his size. Tre Flowers is long, athletic and lean. He looks like a Seahawks corner. There’s a name to keep an eye on.

Justin Reid is built like a tank. He looks incredible. Troy Akpe has really good hips. The guy can move. Loved seeing his range in the deep drop. Interesting prospect. Akpe’s official forty time is a 4.34 and he managed a 41 inch vertical.

Tre Flowers looks so much like a corner. Great big, long, lean guy.

Here are some of the official DB forty times:

The NFL Network has now cut away from the drills in order to show ‘Run Rich Run’ — Rich Eisen’s forty yard dash attempt. They might’ve had time for this and the drills had the cornerback session not dragged on for three hours.

He ran a 5.97.

I’m going to finish the live blog for now. The Network is finishing up with the Rich Eisen simulcam clips. Thanks to anyone who stuck with the live blogs over the last few days, really appreciate it. Review piece on the way shortly looking at the day and the combine overall.

This promised to be one of the most intriguing days at the combine. In the end, it proved to be a little underwhelming.

I’ve detailed the reasons below but here’s the CliffNotes version — this isn’t a particularly fast group of front seven defensive prospects and the number of explosive testers is down from the previous two years.

Why are explosive physical traits important?

Pat Kirwan — a confidant of Pete Carroll — tells us why in this piece:

Every time a ball is snapped to start a play there is a critical element of explosiveness that takes place. When two players collide in an attempt to physically dominate each other, the athlete with the edge in explosiveness has the best chance to win the confrontation. It could be a blocker vs. a tackler, a tackler vs. a ball carrier, or many other examples of winning at the point of contact.

Explosiveness is defined in the dictionary as a violent release of energy, a sudden outburst. Football is a series of explosions. How do you measure it in athletes trying to play NFL football?

Take the vertical jump, standing broad jump and the bench press test results and add them together. If the combined score is over 70 there is a reason to consider the candidate at some point in the draft process for his explosiveness.

Kirwan’s formula is flawed because it diminishes the impact of the broad jump. A superb 9-7 only achieves a 1.2 point advantage over a below par 8-5. That’s why we developed our own formula (TEF) to essentially do what Kirwan intended — measure explosive traits equally and emphasise their combined importance.

For the last two years we’ve used TEF to measure offensive and defensive linemen and compare the results.

Explosive offensive linemen at the combine:

2016 — 6
2017 — 3

Explosive defensive linemen at the combine:

2016 — 26
2017 — 30

In total, that’s 56-9 in favour of the defense.

So what did we learn this year? It’s not what you might expect.

At the 2018 combine there were seven truly explosive offensive linemen:

Braden Smith — 3.52
Kolton Miller — 3.31
Wyatt Teller — 3.22
Scott Quessenberry — 3.22
Connor Williams — 3.18
Quenton Nelson — 3.07
Will Hernandez — 3.04

In comparison there are officially fourteen explosive testers in the defensive line class:

Taven Bryan — 3.58
Ade Aruna — 3.57
Kylie Fitts — 3.47
Bradley Chubb — 3.46
Harrison Phillips — 3.46
Marcus Davenport — 3.41
Harold Landry — 3.39
Marquis Haynes — 3.36
James Looney — 3.33
Foley Fatukasi — 3.31
John Franklin — 3.17
Trevon Young — 3.17
Da’Shawn Hand — 3.14
Dorance Armstrong — 3.01
Herclues Mata’afa — 2.98
B.J. Hill — 2.97
Olu Rotimi — 2.96
Deadrin Senat — 2.93
Da’Ron Payne — 2.89
Andrew Brown — 2.87
Reginald McKenzie — 2.83
JoJo Wicker — 2.81
Justin Jones — 2.72
Zay Henderson — 2.61
Derrick Nnadi — 2.50
Taylor Stallworth — 2.24

Quite a high number of the D-line class didn’t do the bench press, meaning we’re unable to give them a complete score. However, we can calculate a projection based on the historical average of reps for the position (24).

Josh Sweat — 3.68
Tyquan Lewis — 3.48
Sam Hubbard — 3.26
Rasheem Green — 3.24
Arden Key — 3.16
Chad Thomas — 3.06
Trenton Thompson — 3.02
Nathan Shepherd — 3.00
Breeland Speaks — 2.99
Tim Settle — 2.35
John Atkins — 2.22

All of these scores need to come with an asterisk. However, you get a general feel for how they might’ve performed.

Even if you include those who didn’t compete in the bench press, the total of explosive defensive linemen is down on the last two years:

2016: 26
2017: 30
2018: 22

Here are the 20 most explosive defensive linemen from 2016-18 (2018 prospects in bold):

Myles Garrett — 4.21
Haason Reddick — 3.93
Solomon Thomas — 3.83
Jordan Willis — 3.70
Ife Odenigbo — 3.61
Taven Bryan — 3.58
Ade Aruna — 3.57
Derek Rivers — 3.57
Carl Lawson — 3.54
Dean Lowry — 3.54
Sheldon Rankins — 3.52
Kylie Fitts — 3.47
Robert Nkemdiche — 3.47
Bradley Chubb — 3.46
Harrison Phillips — 3.46
Noah Spence — 3.46
Yannick Ngakoue — 3.44
Marcus Davenport — 3.41
Harold Landry — 3.39
Marquis Haynes — 3.36

Here are some other big-name NFL defensive linemen and their pre-draft TEF scores:

Mario Williams — 3.97
J.J. Watt — 3.82
Khalil Mack — 3.81
Aaron Donald — 3.53
Jadeveon Clowney — 3.50

10-yard splits are important

So it’s not the most explosive defensive line class. What about the 10-yard splits? These are especially important for pass rushers.

A 10-yard split in the 1.5’s is considered ‘elite’. Cliff Avril ran a 1.50 at his combine while Bruce Irvin managed a 1.55. For an interior rusher or inside/out rusher, anything in the 1.6’s is a solid time.

EDGE rushers with a 1.5 10-yard split

Harold Landry — 1.59
Josh Sweat — 1.55

Ade Aruna ran a 1.60, Kylie Fitts a 1.61, Trevon Young a 1.62 and Anthony Winbush a 1.62. Bradley Chubb and Marcus Davenport both ran 1.63’s. The NFL Network frustratingly didn’t show 10-yard split times for the linebackers, despite a number of EDGE rushers competing in that group. Considering Lorenzo Carter ran a 4.46 it’s highly possible he ran a 1.5 split. Hopefully the 10-yard numbers will be released for the whole group and we can add some names to the list.

Defensive linemen with a 1.6 10-yard split

Taven Bryan (291lbs) — 1.68
Rasheem Green (275lbs) — 1.66
Da’Ron Payne (311lbs) — 1.67
Jalyn Holmes (283lbs) — 1.67
Kentavius Street (280lbs) — 1.67
Breeland Speaks (283lbs) — 1.67

For a point of comparison, a year ago Malik McDowell was praised for running a 1.69 at 295lbs. So the likes of Bryan and Payne really helped themselves here.

Agility drills

The three cone and the short shuttle are very important for defensive linemen and edge rushers.

Bruce Irvin (4.03) and Frank Clark (4.05) both ran incredible short shuttles. Cassius Marsh’s 4.25 and Obum Gwacham’s 4.28 were also really good.

Quinton Jefferson, Jordan Hill, Jaye Howard and Malik McDowell all tested superbly in the short shuttle too (4.37, 4.51, 4.47 and 4.53 respectively).

Anything under 7.00 is considered a strong test in the three cone. Here is the list of defensive linemen that ran a sub-7.00 three cone:

Sam Hubbard — 6.84
Harold Landry — 6.88
Kylie Fitts — 6.88
Trevon Young — 6.99

Hubbard’s time is the sixth fastest in the last 10 years of the combine.

A year ago five defensive linemen ran a sub-7.00 — Jordan Willis, Pita Taumoepenu, Derek Rivers, Solomon Thomas and Derek Barnett. Three players managed it in 2016 — James Cowser, Joey Bosa and Shilique Calhoun.

Here are the top-15 times this year:

Sam Hubbard — 6.84
Harold Landry — 6.88
Kylie Fitts — 6.88
Trevon Young — 6.99
Dorance Armstrong — 7.12
Taven Bryan — 7.12
Marquis Haynes — 7.14
Arden Key — 7.16
Marcus Davenport — 7.20
Ola Adeniyi — 7.21
Hercules Mata’afa — 7.24
Rasheem Green — 7.24
Harrison Phillips — 7.28
B.J. Hill — 7.28
James Looney — 7.32

Here’s the top-15 in the short shuttle:

Harold Landry — 4.19
Kylie Fitts — 4.19
Dorance Armstrong — 4.23
Arden Key — 4.25
Josh Sweat — 4.28
Ola Adeniyi — 4.28
Sam Hubbard — 4.32
James Looney — 4.37
Hercules Mata’afa — 4.37
Rasheem Green — 4.39
Trevon Young — 4.40
Bradley Chubb — 4.41
Marcus Davenport — 4.41
Marquis Haynes — 4.45
Taven Bryan — 4.48

Landry and Fitts’ times are only the 12th fastest in the last 10 years. There’s nothing particularly outstanding about these numbers for the EDGE rushers.

Anything in the 4.3-4.5 range for bigger defensive linemen or inside/out rushers is pretty good. Here are the names that standout:

Rasheem Green — 4.39
Bradley Chubb — 4.41
Taven Bryan — 4.48
Andrew Brown — 4.48
Harrison Phillips — 4.50
B.J. Hill — 4.53
Nathan Shepherd — 4.53
Foley Fatukasi — 4.53

Again, it’s not an extensive list. The first three names will likely be first round picks. Shepherd looked very good today but the Seahawks have never drafted a defensive lineman with sub-33 inch arms.

Speed is important

After the 42-7 defeat to the Rams, Pete Carroll mentioned LA just looked faster than Seattle. It was a frank admission from Carroll, considering his Seahawks outfit has regularly been both tougher and faster than most opponents over the years.

The Seahawks need some speed — particularly at linebacker to play next to Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright.

There wasn’t much of it on show today.

Jerome Baker ran a 4.53 which is fine but not eye catching at 229lbs. Tremaine Edmunds ran a solid 4.55 but will be long gone before the Seahawks pick. Malik Jefferson’s 4.53 was solid but not spectacular.

The two names that stood out were obvious. Lorenzo Carter has always been an explosive athlete but now we know he’s extremely quick too. Shaquem Griffin stole the show, however, with a 4.38 that had Pete Carroll practically jumping out of his seat:

Pete Carroll’s reaction to Shaquem Griffin’s 4.38 forty is priceless #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/Ivor3CBIm9

— Rob Staton (@robstaton) March 4, 2018

Griffin is an intriguing option for many reasons. There isn’t a grittier player in the draft. He has an incredible personality that just makes you feel good about yourself any time you watch one of his interviews. He plays with passion and tenacity and a clear love for the game.

Running a 4.38 at 227lbs is incredible. Now teams will have to have a think about where he plays at the next level. Is he an off-the ball linebacker? Do you let him run and cover in space? Do you try him at safety?

It’s important not to overreact to his great run. If you head onto social media you’ll already see people projecting him in round one or two. That isn’t very likely. However, it’s entirely possible he’ll be drafted in the middle rounds like his twin brother. And if the Seahawks want to add someone who can play some snaps at linebacker, add some legit speed to the defense and contribute in a big way on special teams — Griffin could be the man.

Linebacker explosive & agility testing

Some quick notes here:

— Lorenzo Carter followed up his 4.50 forty with a 36-inch vertical and a 10-10 broad jump. He’s an exciting player.

— Jeff Holland didn’t run particularly well but a 9-8 broad jump hints at some explosive traits. In comparison, Tremaine Edmunds jumped a 9-9.

— Malik Jefferson unsurprisingly tested well in the jumps with a 36 inch vertical and a 10-10 broad but it was interesting to see Micah Kiser also manage a 35.5 inch vertical and a 10-1 broad.

— Matthew Thomas might be a name to monitor. He’s 6-2 and 232lbs and will be worth a look post-combine. He ran a 4.57 and jumped a 41.5 inch vertical plus a 10-11 broad. Perhaps more importantly, however, he ran a 4.28 short shuttle. We’ve discussed in the past the importance of the short shuttle at linebacker. Oren Burks, Micah Kiser, Christian Sam and Fred Warner could be options for the same reason.

— Leighton Vander Esch ran a 6.88 three-cone and a 4.15 short shuttle. Both are really good for his size. His short shuttle time is the same as Vic Beasley’s. He’s going to go a lot earlier than many people realise. T.J. Watt ran a 6.79 and a 4.13 last year.

— Dorian O’Daniel made some plays for Clemson and a 4.07 short shuttle is the sixth best by a linebacker in the last five years (although you would’ve hoped for a better forty time — 4.61).

What does it all mean?

Here are some takeaways and predictions:

— Taven Bryan solidified his position in round one with an explosive workout coupled with some solid numbers in the speed/agility testing.

— Sam Hubbard, despite not running a forty yard dash, showed he has some quickness and explosion and probably boosted his stock.

— Da’Ron Payne didn’t have the most explosive performance but he performed well in drills and tested quickly across the board. He likely secured a place in the first round.

— The testing numbers won’t highlight it but Tim Settle, Nathan Shepherd, Justin Jones, B.J. Hill, Derrick Nnadi and Andrew Brown all flashed during drills. Settle showed great mobility for his size, Shepherd just had an all-round solid outing and Brown attacked the club/rip drill like a man possessed.

— Josh Sweat is an incredible athlete with unique length and size. He has an injury record to be wary of but he could be an option for a team like Seattle looking for a project in the middle rounds. He ran a 1.5 10-yard dash and has 34 5/8 inch arms and a wingspan of 84 1/8 inches. That’s special.

— The NFL needs to review why there’s been so many hamstring injuries at the combine this year. It started with Ronald Jones II on Friday and Vita Vea, Roquan Smith and several others hurt themselves running the forty yard dash. Is it preparation? Are they asking too much of the players in the build-up to the workout? They need to look into this.

— The best way to describe this front seven class for the Seahawks is this — there are appealing options from the middle rounds onwards. Today has reinforced, however, that the better value in the early rounds will probably come in repairing the running game. The interior O-line (Will Hernandez, Isaiah Wynn, Billy Price) and running back (Kerryon Johnson, Nick Chubb, Ronald Jones II) options are better than the defensive options. And the reverse is true from the mid-point onwards. If they acquire extra picks in the top-75 they might consider adding someone like Lorenzo Carter but this draft is set up for Seattle to address their much-maligned running attack.

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Welcome to our coverage of the 2018 NFL combine. Every day we’ll be updating events as they happen in Indianapolis, posting workout numbers and information.

This post will be updated consistently so keep hitting refresh.

Today is a big day. Along with interior O-line and running back, linebacker is one of the strongest positions in the draft. There are multiple first round prospects and plenty of depth. With change expected on Seattle’s defense, it’s quite possible they’ll be looking for front-seven defenders among the players working out today.

What do you need to look for? If it’s an EDGE rusher, focus on the 10-yard splits. Anything in the 1.5 range is considered elite. I’ll post the splits below.

Quinton Jefferson, Jordan Hill, Jaye Howard and Malik McDowell all tested superbly in the short shuttle (4.37, 4.51, 4.47 and 4.53 respectively). This appears to be an important test for interior pass rushers.

Dynamic quickness is also a trend for EDGE players. Bruce Irvin (4.03) and Frank Clark (4.05) both ran incredible short shuttles. Cassius Marsh’s 4.25 and Obum Gwacham’s 4.28 were also really good.

It’s also worth noting they haven’t drafted a defensive lineman with sub-33 inch arms.

Keep an eye on the following players: DL — Josh Sweat, Rasheem Green, Dorrance Armstrong, Jeff Holland, Da’Shawn Hand, Andrew Brown, Kentavius Street and Marquis Haynes. LB — Lorenzo Carter, Darius Leonard, Malik Jefferson and Kemoko Turay.

Later today I’ll post the TEF scores for all the defensive linemen and EDGE rushers.

Forty yard dash — DL Group One

(10-yard splits in brackets)

John Atkins — 5.42 & 5.39 (1.92)
Taven Bryan — 5.08 & 4.98 (1.68)
Foley Fatukasi — 5.30 & 5.33 (1.76)
Joshua Frazier — DNP
Rasheem Green — 4.83 & 4.74 (1.66)
Zay Henderson — 5.20 & 5.17 (1.76)
B.J. Hill — 4.99 & 5.00 (1.74)
Maurice Hurst — DNP
Justin Jones — 5.11 & 5.10 (1.76)
Lowell Lotulelei — DNP
Reginald McKenzie Jr — 5.17 & 5.15 (1.78)
Bilal Nichols — 4.96 & DNP (1.73)
Derrick Nnadi — 5.44 & 5.34 (1.81)
Kendrick Norton — 5.26 & 5.52 (1.79)
Da’Ron Payne — 5.02 & 4.91 (1.67)
Harrison Phillips — 5.21 & 5.22 (1.79)
Deadrin Senat — 5.16 & 5.24 (1.77)
Tim Settle — 5.41 & 5.38 (1.90)
Nathan Shepherd — 5.10 & 5.15 (1.77)
Taylor Stallworth — 5.29 & 5.33 (1.83)
Trenton Thompson — 5.06 & 5.11 (1.74)
Vita Vea — 5.11 & 5.11 (1.77)
Eddy Wilson — 5.55 & 5.38 (1.86)

The combine, this year, have separated the interior defensive linemen and the EDGE rushers. It’s a good move.

Here’s some news on Josh Sweat per Tony Pauline:

Despite his long injury history, Florida State defensive end Josh Sweat has not been given any failing medical grades at combine exams. Sweat has well-documented knee issues which go back several years, but I’ve been informed he’s been stamped with a middle-of-the-road medical grade, which is not a major red flag.

Pauline also says this about the Seahawks:

The Seattle Seahawks traded down in the 2017 NFL Draft, and I’m told they will look to do the same this year. The team has just a single pick in the first three rounds, and though it owns a cluster of selections over the entire draft, the Seahawks would prefer to trade down and gather more ammunition in the top 100.

In the initial change of direction drills, Taven Bryan, Rasheem Green and B.J. Green had trouble keeping their pants up. Under Armour didn’t do a very good job dressing these guys. A wardrobe malfunction is imminent.

Da’Ron Payne and Taven Bryan moved very well. Impressive. Fluid change of direction, quickness. Both look athletic. Tim Settle is an incredible mover for his size. It’s unreal and doesn’t get talked about as much. He looked so fluid in the change of direction aside from an unfortunate slip near the end.

Here’s Bryan’s performance:

Taven Bryan lateral movement pic.twitter.com/dVr90zBQrI

— Billy Marshall (@BillyM_91) March 4, 2018

The linemen are now going over and around the bags. Derrick Nnadi looked quick for his size. It was another good drill for Payne. Harrison Phillips looks a bit stiff. Tim Settle struggled in this drill and tripped over the bags. Nathan Shepherd had an incredible drill here — wow. Flew around the bags like he was dancing on a cloud. Very impressive.

They’re on to the club/rip drill now. Rich Eisen is very excited about the first sighting of this bad boy:

Vita Vea has injured his hamstring and isn’t competing in drills. Shame.

In the stack and shed drill, this is a drill that every year the players don’t seem to execute properly. Taven Bryan barely tickled the pads, let alone punch. B.J. Hill executed it fairly well. Derrick Nnadi got it completely wrong. He treated it as a speed drill and barely touched the pad.

Harrison Phillips, thank you! Someone who did it truly properly. Belted all the pads and shed. Really good. Da’Ron Payne did well too, as did Nathan Shepherd.

It has to be said, Shepherd is looking good. He’s sub-33 inch arms and Seattle hasn’t taken a sub-33 inch armed defensive linemen before but he’s putting on a good workout performance today.

Jim Tomsula is now operating a change of direction drill. Justin Jones moved well and just looks like a powerful dude. Really well put together dude. Jones will provide some value for someone. Da’Ron Payne is having a wow performance and excelled again in this drill. He’s so light on his feet for 311lbs. Of all the recent defensive linemen from Alabama to enter the draft, Payne looks the most athletic.

Tim Settle arguably looked even better considering he’s 329lbs. It’s unnatural to see a guy move as well as Settle does at his size.

Here are the official forty yard dash times:

Rich Eisen is currently interviewing the football on a stick…

The defensive tackle drills are complete. Time for the EDGE rushers.

Forty yard dash — DL Group Two

(10-yard splits in brackets)

Ola Adeniyi — 4.83 & DNP (1.68)
Dorance Armstrong — 4.88 & 4.96 (1.70)
Ade Aruna — 4.61 & 4.64 (1.60)
Andrew Brown — 5.11 & 5.04 (1.73)
Bradley Chubb — 4.66 & 4.71 (1.63)
Marcus Davenport — 4.61 & 4.59 (1.63)
Matt Dickerson — 5.07 & 5.14 (1.81)
Duke Ejiofor — DNP
Kylie Fitts — 4.69 & 4.69 (1.61)
John Franklin — 4.79 & 4.76 (1.70)
Da’shawn Hand — 4.84 & 4.92 (1.71)
Marquis Haynes — 4.68 & 4.70 (1.67)
Jalyn Holmes — 4.84 & 4.83 (1.67)
Sam Hubbard — DNP
Arden Key — DNP
Harold Landry — 4.65 & 4.70 (1.59)
Tyquan Lewis — DNP
James Looney — 4.90 & 4.94 (1.67)
Hercules Mata’afa — 4.78 & 4.77 (1.64)
R.J. McIntosh — DNP
Ja’von Rolland-Jones — 4.89 & DNP (1.72)
Olubunmi Rotimi — DNP
Breeland Speaks — 4.87 & 4.95 (1.65)
Kentavius Street — 4.88 & DNP (1.67)
Josh Sweat — 4.57 & 4.53 (1.55)
Chad Thomas — 4.93 & 4.95 (1.70)
Jojo Wicker — 5.16 & 5.20 (1.80)
Anthony Winbush — 4.78 & DNP (1.62)
Trevon Young — 4.78 & 4.79 (1.62)

Josh Sweat and Harold Landry were the only two EDGE rushers to crack the 1.5 10-yard splits. Sweat looks in incredible shape.

Hopefully some of the EDGE rushers working out with the linebackers will run in the 1.5’s. Fingers crossed for Kemoko Turay.

Kentavius Street had his leg wrapped after his first forty yard dash. Not good news. Street had the potential to have a sensational workout.

It’ll be interesting to see whether the league has anything to say about the number of injuries picked up this morning — and at the combine overall. Lots of players seem to be hurting themselves running the forty (Street, Ronald Jones II, Vita Vea).

Onto the drills. No surprise here but Bradley Chubb and Marcus Davenport are moving well. Arden Key and Sam Hubbard snubbed the forty yard dash for no real reason but are now doing drills.

Da’shawn Hand looks the part in the drill going over and through the bags. Just a ‘first of the bus’ type of physical talent. Looks the part. Mobile. Arden Key also looks quick. Still not sure why he didn’t run the forty.

In the club/rip drill, Andrew Brown looked really violent. Really tore into the bags. Looked the part. Intriguing prospect. Chubb and Davenport were silky smooth getting around the bags with fluidity. Jalyn Holmes looked a little tight but still hit the bags with intensity. Chad Thomas also excelled.

Quite a few of the prospects struggled with this drill. Several took a wide berth to the bags and tried to avoid them. A couple just slapped the bag. Mata’afa slipped over.

In the second go-through, again Andrew Brown had a terrific rep. Violent, intense. Bradley Chubb followed with another incredibly smooth run through.

In the stack and shed, Ola Adeniyi had a good rep. Powerful, in control. Andrew Brown’s rep was REALLY good. Brown did what he’s supposed to do. Hit the bag, shed, move along the line. Brilliant. Chubb also looked really good. They’ve been the two standout performers during workouts for me.

Da’Shawn Hand’s rep was pretty weak. Tickled the bags and treated it like a speed drill. The coach leading the drill shouted shortly after to ‘slow it down’. Every year the same thing happens. The players don’t understand the stack and shed drill. They rush through it.

Here are the official forty yard dash times for the second group of defensive linemen:

A quick reminder about Josh Sweat’s physical potential:

HT: 6-foot-4 3/4
WT: 251lbs
Hand: 10 1/4″
Arm: 34 5/8″
Wingspan: 84 1/8”

Look at that arm length and wingspan. Plus he ran a 1.5 10-yard split. He has an injury history but we’re talking about huge athletic talent and size here.

We’re now onto the change of direction drills. Hercules Mata’afa just tripped up again on his rep. He’s had some footwork issues today. Marcus Davenport continues to impress and look the part. Very smooth change of direction and acceleration.

I didn’t see Josh Sweat doing any of the on-field drills.

Some of the EDGE rushers are now being asked to do the linebacker drills. It seemed like everyone was getting a go for some reason. When 281lbs Chad Thomas is running linebacker drills, maybe someone should’ve had a tighter grip on who was doing what.

Some of the explosive tests are coming in. Taven Bryan had a 35 inch vertical and a 9-11 broad jump. He’s an incredible 3.58 TEF tester and one of the most explosive pass rushers we’ve seen in a while. At 291lbs those numbers are incredible.

Da’Ron Payne looked quick during the drills but he’s not the most explosive player. He had an 8-11 broad broad and he only had a 28.5 inch vertical.

Forty yard dash — LB

The NFL Network isn’t showing the 10-yard splits for the linebackers for some reason. So we won’t get a 10-time for people like Lorenzo Carter or Kemoko Turay.

Genard Avery — 4.60 & 4.63
Jerome Baker — 4.53 & 4.60
Davin Bellamy — DNP
Keishawn Bierria — 4.80 & 4.94
Oren Burks — 4.60 & 4.60
Jason Cabinda — DNP
Lorenzo Carter — 4.46 & 4.54
Jack Cichy — DNP
Chris Covington — 4.80 & 4.79
Nick DeLuca — 4.85 & 4.86
Garret Dooley — 4.92 & 4.81
Tremaine Edmunds — 4.55 & 4.56
Rashaan Evans — DNP
Shaquem Griffin — 4.38 & 4.58
Shaun Dion Hamilton — DNP
James Hearns — 4.90 & 4.89
Jeff Holland — 4.80 & 4.86
Joel Iyiegbuniwe — 4.62 & 4.61
Darius Jackson — 4.87 & 4.87
Leon Jacobs — 4.49 & 4.55
Malik Jefferson — 4.53 & 4.58
Josey Jewell — 4.83 & 4.84
Peter Kalambayi — 4.57 & 4.60
Micah Kiser — 4.67 & 4.73
Darius Leonard — 4.70 & DNP
Mike McCray — 4.76 & 4.77
Skai Moore — 4.74 & 4.74
Uchenna Nwosu — 4.65 & 4.72
Dorian O’Daniel — 4.62 & 4.61
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo — 4.89 & 4.77
Jacob Pugh — 4.66 & 4.69
Christian Sam — 4.76 & 4.79
Tegray Scales — 4.84 & 4.78
Andre Smith — 4.64 & DNP
Roquan Smith — 4.52 & DNP
Matthew Thomas — 4.58 & 4.65
Kemoko Turay — 4.66 & 4.70
Leighton Vander Esch — 4.66 & 4.67
Azeem Victor — 4.73 & 4.74
Fred Warner — 4.66 & 4.64
Chris Worley — 4.86 & 4.87
Kenny Young — 4.66 & 4.60

Incredible time for Lorenzo Carter. We know he’s explosive — he jumped a 40 inch vertical at the SPARQ combine but ran in the 4.6’s. Now he just ran a 4.46. He’ll be pushing round one with a time like that.

Shaquem Griffin ran a very similar time to his twin brother, making a 4.38. He is 227lbs so a little lighter than some of the other players here — but that’s still an incredible time at that size. A fantastic run. With this size, speed and grit he won’t be lasting to the later rounds.

Pete Carroll’s reaction to Shaquem Griffin’s 4.38 forty is priceless #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/Ivor3CBIm9

— Rob Staton (@robstaton) March 4, 2018

North Carolina’s Andre Smith is the latest player to pull up during a forty with a hamstring injury. There have been way too many injuries at the combine this year and there needs to be a serious review as to why.

Now Roquan Smith is feeling a hamstring problem too and is done for the day. Something isn’t right here. Way too many hamstring injuries. Darius Leonard didn’t run a second forty. Tegray Scales pulled up in his second attempt. Kemoko Turay pulled up with an injury. What’s going on?

The NFL Network is currently interviewing Ryan Shazier instead of focusing on the linebacker drills.

Now they’re back on the drills. The coaches praised Leighton Vander Esch for his work in space.

We talked about a need for speed and how Seattle has looked for very quick linebackers. There weren’t many spectacular runners in the LB group which was a surprise. Griffin and Carter aside, of course.

Now Griffin is hurt too! During the drills. This is ridiculous.

Vander Esch again is the standout in the agility drill going over and around the bags. He looks incredibly smooth, quick and dynamic. He’ll be a high pick.

One of the coaches (from the Rams) is calling out the linebackers now. He says they aren’t finishing the drills, strictly told them he doesn’t care about their forty yard dashes and wants them to do the drills properly. I hate to say it again but this has been a relatively underwhelming session again.

The Rams coach is still criticising the players. He’s not happy with the way they’re dropping in an open-field drill. He wants to see them backpedal to each hash and deliver a deep drop each time. They aren’t. Very few of them are catching the football at the end either. “Catch the damn ball finish the drill” yells the coach.

Malik Jefferson had a good rep but very few looked sharp here.

I’m going to finish the live blog for today because the D-line broad and vertical jump numbers are out. I’m going to calculate the TEF scores. Review post on the way shortly.

Some notes following the second day of workouts at the combine…

— It’s no secret that this is a mostly underwhelming wide receiver class. There’s a lack of top-tier talent and we might only see one or two receivers go in the first round. That said, Maryland’s D.J. Moore felt like the big winner based on the testing results today. A highly competitive player, Moore has some Golden Tate to his game. He plays above his size and he’s no slouch as an athlete either. That said — I’m not sure many people expected a 4.42 forty, a 39.5 inch vertical and an 11-0 broad jump. These are incredible results. He could easily be the second receiver off the board and he’s a clear top-50 talent.

— Florida’s Antonio Callaway has a laundry list of character flags. Here’s an exert from his NFL.com bio:

He faced a sexual assault trial between his freshman and sophomore year but was cleared of those charges before the 2016 season by admitting during the hearing he was “so stoned” he did not want to have sex with anyone. He was also cited for marijuana possession in May 2017 as a passenger in a car stopped because the driver wasn’t wearing his seat belt; he pled no contest to possession of paraphernalia in July 2017. Calloway never played in 2017 because of his involvement in a credit card fraud scheme with other teammates. Instead of looking for reinstatement or a transfer, he decided to declare for the 2018 NFL Draft.

Callaway might be undraftable. In the same NFL.com bio an unnamed AFC personnel director says, “Our owner will say no and I don’t even think we would put him on our board to be honest.” That said, he was possibly the most natural receiver on the field competing today aside from perhaps Calvin Ridley. He looked crisp in his routes and he caught the ball very well with good technique. He ran a 4.41 and then jumped a 38.5 inch vertical plus a 10-1 broad. Callaway has immense talent and if he focused on his career for once, he could be extremely good in the NFL. Whether that ever happens though is likely too big a question mark for many if not most teams.

— Another receiver who excelled was LSU’s D.J. Chark. He also had a very productive Senior Bowl and he likely solidified his enhanced stock today with a 4.34 forty at nearly 6-3 and 200lbs. It’s important to note, however, just how inconsistent his tape is. At the Senior Bowl he was practically unstoppable. In some games in 2017 (eg Alabama) he was very frustrating to watch. LSU haven’t had a good passing game for a long time so that might be a solid excuse. Chark has exceptional physical qualities but I’m not sure it’ll be enough to push him into the top-30 or 40 picks. He’s possibly a solid second rounder in this draft.

— For some time I’ve been suggesting we won’t see a tight end drafted in the first two rounds. I think that’s less likely now after Mike Gesicki’s combine performance. With the league desperate for TE’s masquerading as ‘big slot receivers’, Gesicki clearly fits the bill with the way he tested today. He ran a 4.54 forty, a 6.76 three-cone, a short shuttle of 4.10 seconds and jumped a 41-inch vertical and a 10-9 broad jump. He did all this at 6-5 and 247lbs. He even has decent length (+34 inch arms) and hand size (10 1/4 inches). In comparison, Evan Engram a year ago — despite weighing 13lbs less than Gesicki — jumped a 36 inch vertical, a 10-1 broad, ran a 6.92 three cone and a 4.23 short shuttle. Gesicki’s numbers are superior in every way apart from the forty (4.42 vs 4.54). I have no idea where to place Gesicki now. He’s probably helped by the fact it’s such a middling receiver class. As a big target with sensational athletic talent, who knows where he’ll land? One point is worth making however. He showed absolutely zero blocking at Penn State. If the Seahawks were going to consider Gesicki, they’d be doing exactly what they did with Jimmy Graham. Adding a highly athletic pass-catcher and then likely trying to turn him into the complete tight end. Do they want to try that again? I’m not sure they do. Gesicki lit up the combine today though.

— Dalton Schultz and Durham Smythe had middling performances. Both players are short armed tight ends (sub-32 inches) and their testing results were pretty mediocre. Schultz ran a 4.76, Smythe a 4.86. Neither jumped a vertical but they had a 10-0 and a 9-2 broad respectively. On tape they’re both really good blockers and that might be the most important thing. Their main responsibility in college was to block — so they’d be coming to Seattle well versed in what they need to do. These testing results could keep them on the board into day three. Nick Vannett wasn’t an amazing athlete but he had long arms (34 1/4 inches) and ran a 4.20 short shuttle. Smythe managed a 4.23 but Schultz ran a 4.40. If they want a blocking tight end, these two seem to be the best options. But they might not be intriguing enough. Quite a few previously overlooked blocking tight ends could become big earners in free agency.

— The quarterback passing drills seemed to last forever. If you ever needed confirmation on the most important position in football, this was it. Well over five hours after the day started, the tight ends got their turn. Josh Allen showed again why he gets talked up as a top-five pick despite his pretty wretched college statistics. He’s simply an incredible, prototype physical talent. Height, mobility and he throws a beautiful football. Some of his passes downfield during drills were unreal. Nobody is going to argue his tape at Wyoming is worth shouting about — yet any NFL coach worth his salt surely has to back himself to work on Allen’s flaws and bring out the positives? Saquon Barkley might end up being the #1 pick but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Allen was the next off the board — either to the Giants or, perhaps, the Browns will move up from #4 to secure him?

— Jaylen Samuels worked out with the tight ends today but he’s a versatile player with running back size. At 5-11 and 225lbs he fits Seattle’s prototype for the position and with a 4.55 forty, 34.5 inch vertical and 10-1 broad he’s also explosive enough for them. He might be a name to monitor as someone they can use in many different roles, including full back.

— Tomorrow is always a very entertaining day with the D-liners and linebackers working out. We’ll see another boat load of explosive linemen (we’ll publish TEF results for the group) and linebacker is one of the deepest and most talented positional groups in the draft this year. The Seahawks could easily look to add another front seven player or two in the draft, so tomorrow is a big day.

— Finally, the cornerback measurements were posted. The Seahawks haven’t drafted a cornerback with sub-32 inch arms so it’s a list worth paying attention to. The players with +32 inch arms are highlighted in bold:

Denzel Ward — 31 2/8 (74 6/8)
Josh Jackson — 31 1/8 (74 2/8)
Mike Hughes — 31 1/8 (73)
Isaiah Oliver — 33 4/8 (80 5/8)
Jaire Alexander — 31 1/8 (74 6/8)
Anthony Averett — 30 2/8 (71 5/8)
Chris Campbell — 33 4/8 (79)
Tony Brown — 31 4/8 (74 6/8)
Andre Chachere — 31 3/8 (75 6/8)
Carlton Davis — 32 6/8 (79 3/8)
Duke Dawson — 31 4/8 (74 4/8)
Dee Delaney — 30 4/8 (74 3/8)
Brandon Facyson — 32 5/8 (78 4/8)
Rashard Fant — 30 (72)
Rashaan Gaulden — 30 6/8 (73 1/8)
Grant Haley — 29 6/8 (72 2/8)
Davontae Harris — 31 1/8 (75 6/8)
Holton Hill — 32 (77 2/8)
Donte Jackson — 29 4/8 (71 5/8)
J.C. Jackson — 31 4/8 (75 2/8)
Danny Johnson — 31 1/8 (74 1/8)
Taron Johnson — 30 7/8 (74)
Chris Jones — 32 6/8 (78 2/8)
Michael Joseph — 30 2/8 (73 1/8)
Jamarcus King — 32 7/8 (78 3/8)
Avonte Maddox — 29 4/8 (71 3/8)
Tarvarus McFadden — 32 4/8 (78)
Quenton Meeks — 31 6/8 (76 2/8)
Kam Moore — 31 3/8 (75 7/8)
Chandon Sullivan — 32 3/8 (76 6/8)
J.T. Thomas — 32 (77 6/8)
D’Montre Wade — 32 3/8 (76 7/8)
Levi Wallace — 32 6/8 (77 3/8)
Isaac Yiadom — 32 3/8 (75 6/8)

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Welcome to our coverage of the 2018 NFL combine. Every day we’ll be updating events as they happen in Indianapolis, posting workout numbers and information.

This post will be updated consistently so keep hitting refresh.

We’ll end each day with a separate ‘review’ piece. In today’s we’ll be looking at the performance of the receivers and tight ends. The Seahawks are likely to keep an eye on both positions, particularly the TE’s.

The three players I’m going to be focusing on the most are Stanford’s Dalton Schultz, Notre Dame’s Durham Smythe and Washington’s Will Dissly. Sadly, Schultz has the same arm length issues as Smythe. Both have sub-32 inch arms. Not ideal for blocking. In comparison, Nick Vannett had +34 inch arms.

Defensive back measurements

A reminder — the Seahawks don’t draft cornerbacks with sub-32 inch arms. I’ve included a players wingspan in brackets too. The average NFL cornerback has a wingspan of 75.5 inches (31.5 inch arm length).

Denzel Ward — 31 2/8 (74 6/8)
Josh Jackson — 31 1/8 (74 2/8)
Mike Hughes — 31 1/8 (73)
Isaiah Oliver — 33 4/8 (80 5/8)
Jaire Alexander — 31 1/8 (74 6/8)
Anthony Averett — 30 2/8 (71 5/8)
Chris Campbell — 33 4/8 (79)
Tony Brown — 31 4/8 (74 6/8)
Andre Chachere — 31 3/8 (75 6/8)
Carlton Davis — 32 6/8 (79 3/8)
Duke Dawson — 31 4/8 (74 4/8)
Dee Delaney — 30 4/8 (74 3/8)
Brandon Facyson — 32 5/8 (78 4/8)
Rashard Fant — 30 (72)
Rashaan Gaulden — 30 6/8 (73 1/8)
Grant Haley — 29 6/8 (72 2/8)
Davontae Harris — 31 1/8 (75 6/8)
Holton Hill — 32 (77 2/8)
Donte Jackson — 29 4/8 (71 5/8)
J.C. Jackson — 31 4/8 (75 2/8)
Danny Johnson — 31 1/8 (74 1/8)
Taron Johnson — 30 7/8 (74)
Chris Jones — 32 6/8 (78 2/8)
Michael Joseph — 30 2/8 (73 1/8)
Jamarcus King — 32 7/8 (78 3/8)
Avonte Maddox — 29 4/8 (71 3/8)
Tarvarus McFadden — 32 4/8 (78)
Quenton Meeks — 31 6/8 (76 2/8)
Kam Moore — 31 3/8 (75 7/8)
Chandon Sullivan — 32 3/8 (76 6/8)
J.T. Thomas — 32 (77 6/8)
D’Montre Wade — 32 3/8 (76 7/8)
Levi Wallace — 32 6/8 (77 3/8)
Isaac Yiadom — 32 3/8 (75 6/8)

The safety numbers are being posted too:

Derwin James
Height: 6-1 6/8
Weight: 215
Hand: 9 4/8
Arm: 33
Wingspan: 78 5/8

Ronnie Harrison
Height: 6-2
Weight: 207
Hand: 9 4/8
Arm: 33 3/8
Wingspan: 80 3/8

Jessie Bates
Height: 6-1 1/8
Weight: 200
Hand: 9 6/8
Arm: 31 5/8
Wingspan: 75 3/8

Justin Reid
Height: 6-0 4/8
Weight: 207
Hand: 9 6/8
Arm: 31 5/8
Wingspan: 77 4/8

Quarterback forty yard dash (Group One)

Austin Allen — 4.84 & 4.82
Josh Allen — 4.76 & 4.76
J.T. Barrett — 4.76 & 4.71
Kurt Benkert — 4.97 & 4.95
Sam Darnold — 4.86 & 4.91
Danny Etling — 4.76 & 4.76
Luke Falk — DNP
Riley Ferguson — 4.99 & 4.99
Quinton Flowers — 4.64 & 4.70
Lamar Jackson — DNP

Wide receiver forty yard dash (Group One)

Marcell Ateman — 4.63 & 4.65
Braxton Berrios — DNP
Deontay Burnett — DNP
Deon Cain — 4.46 & 4.44
Antonio Callaway — 4.44 & 4.41
Dylan Cantrell — 4.59 & 4.60
Darren Carrington II — DNP
D.J. Chark — 4.34 & 4.38
Simmie Cobbs — 4.68 & 4.65
Keke Coutee — 4.44 & 4.48
Robert Foster — 4.45 & 4.42
Michael Gallup — 4.52 & 4.51
Davon Grayson — 4.52 & 4.53
Daesean Hamilton — DNP
Quadree Henderson — 4.51 & 4.51
Richie James — 4.48 & 4.53
Christian Kirk — 4.46 & 4.48
Chris Lacy — 4.53 & 4.51
Jordan Lasley — 4.50 & 4.58
Allen Lazard — 4.62 & 4.56
Tavares Martin — 4.84 & 4.80
Ray-Ray McCloud — 4.60 & 4.54

Pete Carroll is watching on…

We’re onto the opening QB/WR drills. The first mimics the back end of a comeback route. Some of the quarterback throws have been terrible so far, not giving the receivers an opportunity to catch the ball at the sideline. I’m keeping an eye on catching technique for the wide outs.

Next they’re onto the ‘over the shoulder’ drill. Most of the receivers are jogging on the deep route to make it an easier catch. Fair play to Jordan Lasley for doing it properly, tracking the ball and making an adjustment. DaeSean Hamilton looked comfortable catching a nice pass from Lamar Jackson. Marcell Ateman made a nice adjustment on a pass from Jackson too.

I noticed this live earlier — not sure anything will top this today…

Dude in the background is conducting the most lit warm-up in #NFLCombine history right now. 😂 pic.twitter.com/EaTpCsLWKL

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) March 3, 2018

Onto the gauntlet next. Ray-Ray McCloud looked sharp among a pretty bad bunch. Catching technique was lacking among group one. Antonio Callaway showed ideal catching technique. Big positive there. Keke Coutee also showed very well. They were three most impressive players in terms of technique.

Callaway looks like the top talent he is. He has major character flags and might go undrafted as a consequence. Clearly, however, he is a natural receiver.

Lamar Jackson wasn’t throwing particularly well here — looked to be guiding his throws too much rather than just letting rip. Mayock called Jackson, ‘skittish and erratic’. Luke Falk’s footwork was fine but he had a handful of ‘off’ throws. Josh Allen’s deep throws were extremely pretty. Huge arm, great spiral. Looks the part here.

.@JoshAllenQB is throwing it nearly 70 YARDS in the air! 💪💪💪#NFLCombine

📺: @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/FeGntMp9Tt

— NFL (@NFL) March 3, 2018

Quarterback forty yard dash (Group Two)

Kyle Lauletta — 4.85 & 4.77
Tanner Lee — 4.99 & 5.00
Chase Litton — 4.87 & 4.90
Baker Mayfield — 4.81 & 4.88
Josh Rosen — 4.85 & 4.93
Mason Rudolph — 4.85 & 4.93
Nic Shimonek — 4.86 & 4.90
Mike White — 5.08 & 5.10
Logan Woodside — 4.72 & 4.72

Wide receiver forty yard dash (Group Two)

Anthony Miller — DNP
Steven Mitchell — 4.59 & 4.57
D.J. Moore — 4.43 & 4.48
J’Mon Moore — 4.60 & 4.70
Dante Pettis — DNP
Cam Phillips — DNP
Byron Pringle — 4.47 & 4.47
Trey Quinn — 4.56 & 4.57
Calvin Ridley — 4.44 & 4.46
Korey Robertson — 4.59 & 4.57
Jaleel Scott — 4.58 & 4.57
Tre’Quan Smith — 4.53 & 4.50
Equanimeous St. Brown — 4.48 & 4.53
Courtland Sutton — 4.55 & 4.55
Auden Tate — 4.69 & 4.74
Marquez Valdes-Scantling — 4.43 & 4.37
James Washington — 4.54 & 4.56
Jester Weah — 4.44 & 4.43
Ka’Raun White — 4.53 & 4.60
Jake Wieneke — 4.68 & 4.72
Cedrick Wilson — 4.56 & 4.60
Javon Wims — 4.54 & 4.59

D.J. Moore jumped an incredible 11-0 broad and a 39.5 inch vertical. He then ran a 4.43. He was a top-50 talent anyway — this performance could push him into the back end of round one.

Auden Tate and James Washington both ran a little slower than perhaps they needed.

Michigan DT Maurice Hurst, projected as a potential first-round pick, was diagnosed today with a heart condition, league sources told ESPN. Hurst will not go through combine drills and will undergo further testing this week.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 3, 2018

This is a real shame. Maurice Hurst is a fantastic talent. Star Lotulelei faced a similar experience and still went in round one and hasn’t had any issues in his career so far. Let’s hope it’s the same for Hurst.

Josh Allen put on a display in the first group. Here, Josh Rosen took his opportunity to impress. His arm talent is fantastic. Calvin Ridley and Auden Tate both showed well on the go-route drill, adjusting to the over-the-shoulder throw.

In the gauntlet, Jaleel Scott struggled with catching technique. Equanimeous St. Brown had similar issues. Courtland Sutton on the other hand looked like a natural. Very comfortable. Auden Tate also showed well, as did James Washington and Cedrick Wilson.

Steve Smith is working for the NFL Network and is complaining about the overall catching technique. He’s not wrong. It’s been quite a tough watch so far.

It’s not a big surprise but Calvin Ridley looks very crisp running the routes for the quarterbacks. Josh Rosen equally is clearly the most talented QB on show in group two.

The QB/WR drills have taken five hours to complete. Unfortunately I need to head to work to cover some boxing so I’m going to finish up the live blog. I will watch the TE drills/forty’s when I return and put up a review post for the day. Pretty underwhelming overall I’d say but not totally unexpected. It’s not a particularly exciting receiver class and Sam Darnold didn’t throw. Rosen and Allen showed off some arm talent and the likes of D.J. Moore had some good testing drills.

Who are the most explosive offensive linemen in the 2018 draft? And which running backs are the Seahawks likely to show interest in?

Let’s find out…

Is it an explosive offensive line class?

Two years ago we created a formula called TEF (Trench Explosion Formula). For a full breakdown of what the formula is, click here. Essentially, any prospect scoring 3.00 or higher is an explosive athlete.

Here’s the formula we use:

1. Vertical ÷ 31
2. Broad ÷ 9, then cube the result
3. Bench ÷ 27
4. Results added together = TEF

And here are the 2018 results:

Braden Smith — 3.52
Kolton Miller — 3.31
Wyatt Teller — 3.22
Scott Quessenberry — 3.22
Connor Williams — 3.18
Quenton Nelson — 3.07
Will Hernandez — 3.04
Colby Gossett — 2.86
Toby Weathersby — 2.77
James Daniels — 2.76
Brian O’Neill — 2.74
Sam Jones — 2.73
Joe Noteboom — 2.62
Brian Allen — 2.61
Cole Madison — 2.61
Will Clapp — 2.59
Austin Corbett — 2.55
Tyrell Crosby — 2.52
Mason Cole — 2.50
Jaryd Smith-Jones — 2.49
Greg Senat — 2.49
Alex Cappa — 2.47
K.C. McDermott — 2.45
Sean Welsh — 2.41
K.J. Malone — 2.37
Chukwuma Okorafor — 2.30
Nick Gates — 2.17
Taylor Hearn — 2.14
Jamil Demby — 2.13
Orlando Brown — 1.59

Isaiah Wynn — DNP
Billy Price — DNP
Frank Ragnow — DNP

How does this compare to the last two years?

Players scoring a 3.00 or more:

2016 — 6
2017 — 3
2018 — 7

Players scoring at least a 2.85:

2016 — 9
2017 — 8
2018 — 8

Here’s the combined top-10 from 2016, 2017 and 2018 (in bold):

Jason Spriggs: 3.54
Braden Smith — 3.52
Kolton Miller — 3.31
Connor McGovern: 3.29
Forrest Lamp — 3.23
Wyatt Teller — 3.22
Scott Quessenberry — 3.22
Connor Williams — 3.18
Nico Siragusa — 3.13
Alex Redmond: 3.10
Quenton Nelson — 3.07
Joe Haeg: 3.06
Joe Dahl: 3.05
Will Hernandez — 3.04
Joe Thuney: 3.04
Garett Bolles — 3.00*
Halapoulivaati Vaitai: 2.97
Germain Ifedi: 2.97
Isaac Asiata — 2.96
Dorian Johnson — 2.92
Brandon Shell: 2.91
Antonio Garcia — 2.89
Sean Harlow — 2.87
Taylor Moton — 2.86
Colby Gossett — 2.86
Will Holden — 2.84
Ryan Kelly: 2.84
Ethan Pocic — 2.81
Toby Weathersby — 2.77
James Daniels — 2.76

What’s the biggest takeaway?

Most of the explosive O-liners in the 2018 draft are interior offensive linemen (or will be switching from tackle) — Braden Smith, Teller Wyatt, Scott Quessenberry, Connor Williams, Quenton Nelson and Will Hernandez. It further highlights the quality of this interior line class.

What about weighted TEF (wTEF)?

This tweaks the formula and accounts for the players with enormous size who perform well in the broad and vertical jumps. Why is this worth considering? It’s simple — jumping a vertical at 320lbs is considerably more difficult than jumping a vertical at 295lbs.

Here is the calculation we use:

Weight x TEF x 0.1

We can give players a score that sufficiently emphasises their unique size.

Germain Ifedi — 324 x 2.97 x 0.1 = 96.1

wTEF scores for the 2018 draft class

Braden Smith — 110.88
Kolton Miller — 102.28
Scott Quessenberry — 101.43
Quenton Nelson — 99.77
Will Hernandez — 99.40
Teller Wyatt — 96.92
Connor Williams — 94.13
Colby Gossett — 90.09
Toby Weathersby — 87.80
James Daniels — 84.45
Cole Madison — 81.69
Brian O’Neill — 81.38
Will Clapp — 81.32
Joe Noteboom — 80.95
Sam Jones — 79.17
Jaryd Jones-Smith — 78.93
Brian Allen — 78.30
Austin Corbett — 78.03
Tyrell Crosby — 77.87
Mason Cole — 76.25
K.J. Malone — 76.07
Greg Senat — 75.94
Alex Cappa — 75.33
Chukwuma Okorafor — 73.60
K.C. McDermott — 73.50
Sean Welsh — 72.30
Jamil Demby — 71.35
Taylor Hearn — 70.62
Nick Gates — 64.01
Orlando Brown — 54.85

How does this compare to 2016 & 2017?

Here are the top-10 wTEF scores from the last three years combined:

Braden Smith — 110.9
Spriggs, Jason — 104.9
Kolton Miller — 102.3
Scott Quessenberry — 101.4
McGovern, Conner — 101.4
Forrest Lamp — 99.8
Nico Siragusa — 99.8
Quenton Nelson — 99.8
Will Hernandez — 99.4
Teller Wyatt — 96.9
Ifedi, Germain — 96.1
Isaac Asiata — 95.6
Shell, Brandon — 94.4
Connor Williams — 94.1
Vaitai, Halapoulivaati — 93.8
Nembot, Stephane — 93.6
Dahl, Joe — 93.2
Joe Haeg — 93.0
Thuney, Joe — 91.6
Robertson, Dominique — 91.5
Taylor Moton — 91.2
Colby Gossett — 90.1
Garett Bolles — 89.1
Will Holden — 88.3
Jessamen Dunker — 88.0
Ben Braden — 87.8
Toby Weathersby — 87.8
Dorian Johnson — 87.6
Antonio Garcia — 87.2
James Daniels — 84.45

What did we learn today?

— Auburn’s Braden Smith, as expected, had a sensational combine. He is the best TEF tester we’ve calculated since creating the formula and the most explosive offensive lineman in the 2018 draft. His 3.52 TEF score is the same as Sheldon Rankins’. How good is that? Rankins was the most explosive defensive lineman in the 2016 draft.

— Kolton Miller was a close second thanks largely to his record setting 10-1 broad jump. It’s the best jump by an offensive lineman in combine history. Opinions on Miller are mixed but there’s been plenty of talk that some teams are willing to consider him in the first round. The NFL is desperate for explosive offensive tackles and Miller fits the bill.

— Will Hernandez was arguably the stand-out performer during drills. He did everything well, looked much more mobile than expected and put on a terrific performance. By also securing a 3.04 TEF score, he’s also clearly an explosive lineman. Today he cemented his position as a late first or early second round pick.

— Quenton Nelson is a top-10 lock and could easily go in the top five. Today he showed he’s a capable athlete managing an even more explosive TEF score than Garret Bolles (3.07 vs 3.00)

— Orlando Brown’s 1.59 TEF score is the worst we’ve calculated to date. Even when you account for his massive size (340lbs) his weighted TEF score was still abysmal. It’s going to be very difficult for a team to justify spending a first round pick on Brown based on his performance today.

— There are mixed views on where Texas’ Connor Williams will play at the next level and whether he’s worthy of a first round pick. Today he clearly showed off his athletic potential with a 3.18 TEF score. He’s explosive and will provide an intriguing project for a good O-line coach at the next level.

Looking for Seahawky running backs

The Seahawks have targeted running backs with explosive athleticism and size during the Pete Carroll era. They’ve consistently taken runners who excelled in the vertical and broad jumps. Christine Michael (220lbs), C.J. Prosise (220lbs), Robert Turbin (222lbs), Alex Collins (217lbs) and Spencer Ware (228lbs) all had similar size, height and athletic profiles.

Clearly this is a meaningful trend. The Seahawks appear to have a ‘type’. Using this information, we highlighted the following players in the previous two drafts as potential targets:

2016:

C.J. Prosise — 6-0, 220lbs, 35.5 inch vert, 10-1 broad
Kenneth Dixon — 5-10, 215lbs, 37.5 inch vert, 10-8 broad

2017:

Christopher Carson — 6-0, 218lbs, 37 inch vert, 10-10 broad
Brian Hill — 6-0, 219lbs, 34 inch vert, 10-5 broad
Alvin Kamara — 5-10, 214lbs, 39.5 inch vert, 10-11 broad
Joe Williams — 5-11, 210lbs, 35 inch vert, 10-5 broad

They eventually drafted Prosise and Carson.

Using the same approach, here’s what we learnt about the 2018 class:

Definitely fit the bill

Saquon Barkley — 6-0, 233lbs, 41 inch vert DNP broad
Kerryon Johnson — 511, 213lbs 40 inch vert, 10-6 broad
Bo Scarborough — 6-0, 228lbs, 40 inch vert, 10-9 broad
Nick Chubb — 5-11, 227lbs, 38.5 inch vert, 10-8 broad
John Kelly — 5-10, 216lbs, 35 inch vert, 10-0 broad

Borderline fit the Seahawks

Lavon Coleman — 5-10, 223lbs, 33 inch vert, 10-0 broad
Rashaad Penny — 5-11, 220lbs, 32.5 inch vert, 10-0 broad
Royce Freeman — 5-11, 229lbs, 34 inch vert, 9-10 broad

What about other key names?

— Derrius Guice didn’t do a broad jump and only managed a 31.5 inch vertical. That would be below par compared to previous Seattle running back picks.

— Ronald Jones II weighed and measured less than they usually draft (6-0, 205lbs) but he managed a promising 36.5 inch vertical and said during interviews he intends to be at 210lbs by the USC pro-day. This is one to monitor. Jones II injured his hamstring during the forty yard dash and didn’t complete a run.

— Sony Michel disappointingly didn’t compete in the broad or the vertical.

Why aren’t you focusing on speed and the forty yard dash?

Christine Michael (4.54), C.J. Prosise (4.48), Robert Turbin (4.50) and Chris Carson (4.58) were explosive rather than fast. Explosive suddenness and power over straight line speed appears to be the order of the day.

What did we learn?

— Saquon Barkley is as good as advertised. His 4.40 forty at 233lbs was quicker than Ezekiel Elliott (4.47, 225lbs) and Leonard Fournette (4.51, 240lbs). His vertical jump was superior to Julio Jones’ and he put up more bench press reps than Joe Thomas. He is an incredible athlete and the best player in the draft.

— Nick Chubb is officially back. He almost matched his fantastic SPARQ performance of 2013. His forty was similar (4.52 vs 4.47) despite being 10lbs heavier. His vertical was similar (38.5 vs 40 inches) and he managed an excellent 10-8 broad jump. Chubb is highly explosive, physical and you have to imagine will almost certainly be on Seattle’s radar.

— Kerryon Johnson is incredibly explosive. His 40 inch vertical and 10-6 broad jump are superb. Johnson is a patient, physical running back with some similarities to Chris Carson and LeVeon Bell. He was already well on our radar. Now there’s no doubt — he’s an option.

— John Kelly is a tenacious running back, a capable pass catcher and he’s willing to pass-protect. This was the kind of workout we wanted to see from him. He’s another name we need to monitor very carefully.

— I don’t know what to make of Bo Scarborough’s highly explosive testing results. If anything, it just highlights (again) what an underwhelming college career he had. Scarborough has the potential to be special. Why didn’t he show it at Alabama for more than a handful of games?

— The short shuttle results were interesting. Saquon Barkley and Nick Chubb ran similar times (4.24 and 4.25). Royce Freeman ran an impressive 4.16 and Sony Michel a 4.21. Kerryon Johnson managed a 4.29 and Bo Scarborough a 4.34. John Kelly, on the other hand, ran a disappointing 4.51.

— The key thing to know is Seattle has options, both in the early rounds and later on. If they stick to their guns on what they like in a running back prospect — they can create some great competition in camp this year.

Any predictions?

Kerryon Johnson, Nick Chubb and John Kelly will be of interest. Ronald Jones II is a different type of player with star quality — and I suspect he will be of interest too.

Derrius Guice is less likely to be an early round Seahawks pick. The jury’s out on Freeman, Penny and Michel.

Some final thoughts for today

— If the Seahawks want to spend their first pick on an interior offensive lineman, they have some great options. Billy Price and Isaiah Wynn didn’t work out here but Will Hernandez had a ‘wow’ performance.

— Mike Solari was incredibly hands-on during the O-line drills. He was constantly coaching and teaching the prospects. It was fun to get an insight into Seattle’s new O-line coach. Solari was clearly the coach in charge on the field.

— While the OL/RB drills were being conducted, the linebackers quietly measured and weighed in. This appears to be a loaded and highly appealing group of LB’s. OL-RB-LB — the three positions of apparent strength in this class. And all potential positions of need for the Seahawks.

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Welcome to our coverage of the 2018 NFL combine. Every day we’ll be updating events as they happen in Indianapolis, posting workout numbers and information.

This post will be updated consistently so keep hitting refresh.

We’ll end each day with a separate ‘review’ piece. In today’s we’ll be posting TEF results for the 2018 O-line class and reviewing which running backs fit Seattle’s prototype.

This is a vital day in the off-season. The Seahawks have to repair their running game as a priority. With a deep interior O-line class and a similarly deep group of running backs, we’ll receive a ton of information from the workouts today.

Before we get started…

I wanted to write a few thoughts down on an issue that’s been bugging me since yesterday.

The bench press.

For me, it’s the worst thing about the combine.

For starters, the ‘one weight for all’ system is seriously flawed. It’s basic physics that a man weighing 327lbs (Will Hernandez) is going to find it a lot easier to bench 225lbs than a man weighing 213lbs (Kerryon Johnson). Hernandez has far greater stability and base from which to bench. Johnson will be exerting a lot more energy simply to stabilise the bar.

Benching your body weight isn’t easy. Very few people can do it. Johnson is being asked to bench his body weight plus an extra twelve pounds. Hernandez on the other hand is being asked to bench a weight that is 102lbs lighter than his own body mass.

Hernandez was lauded for his 37 reps yesterday. You could easily argue Johnson’s 11 reps were more impressive considering the massive difference in weight.

Let’s see how many reps of 340lbs Will Hernandez can do. Then it’ll be a fair comparison between the two players.

For the running backs, generally weighing in the 210-230lbs range, being able to bench their own weight 10-15 times is pretty remarkable. For Saquon Barkley and Nick Chubb to do it 29 times is astoundingly freaky.

Overall it’s a pretty preposterous test that doesn’t truly measure explosive power or give any indication as to how much time a player spends in the gym. Quite aside from the influence of your weight, arm length is also a determining factor. A long armed offensive tackle might have a much greater one-rep max than a short armed guard — but that doesn’t show up in the ‘moar reps’ nature of the bench press test.

Now we have players like Billy Price tearing pec muscles doing the drill, no doubt trying to thrash out some early reps to get as many as possible. What is this test trying to prove? Anything more than one rep is a stamina test. How does it determine power?

In SPARQ testing they use the Powerball test. It’s a far greater measure of power and it eliminates the risk of injury. There’s a reason why SPARQ doesn’t use the bench press and it’s high time the NFL combine did the same. The bench press might look good on TV or in front of a small audience but it’s generally a waste of time.

And now I’ve got that off my chest, onto today’s workouts…

LIVE BLOG DAY ONE

Before the drills start at 6am PST, the D-line measurements are coming in:

Vita Vea
Height: 6-4
Weight: 347lbs
Hand: 10
Arm: 32 5/8
Wingspan: 76 2/8

That’s a big dude…

Maurice Hurst
Height: 6-1 2/8
Weight: 292
Hand: 9 4/8
Arm: 32
Wingspan: 76 7/8

A quick reminder — the Seahawks, to my knowledge, haven’t drafted a defensive lineman with sub-33 inch arms.

Rasheem Green
Height: 6-4 2/8
Weight: 275
Hand: 9 7/8
Arm: 33 6/8
Wingspan: 81 2/8

Taven Bryan
Height: 6-5
Weight: 291
Hand: 9 6/8
Arm: 32 6/8
Wingspan: 78 7/8

Da’Ron Payne
Height: 6-2 4/8
Weight: 311
Hand: 9 3/8
Arm: 33
Wingspan: 78 3/8

Derrick Nnadi
Height: 6-1
Weight: 317
Hand: 9 7/8
Arm: 33 4/8
Wingspan: 79 6/8

Tim Settle
Height: 6-2 6/8
Weight: 329
Hand: 9 1/8
Arm: 33
Wingspan: 78 6/8

Bradley Chubb
Height: 6-4 3/8
Weight: 269
Hand: 9 7/8
Arm: 34
Wingspan: 79

Da’Shawn Hand
Height: 6-3 5/8
Weight: 297
Hand: 9 6/8
Arm: 34 3/8
Wingspan: 80 5/8

Marquis Haynes
Height: 6-2 3/8
Weight: 235
Hand: 10
Arm: 33 2/8
Wingspan: 78 2/8

Jalyn Holmes
Height: 6-4 7/8
Weight: 283
Hand: 10
Arm: 34
Wingspan: 81 7/8

Ade Aruna
Height: 6-4 5/8
Weight: 262
Hand: 10 5/8
Arm: 34
Wingspan: 80

Dorance Armstrong
Height: 6-3 5/8
Weight: 257
Hand: 10
Arm: 34 6/8
Wingspan: 83

Sam Hubbard
Height: 6-5 3/8
Weight: 270
Hand: 10
Arm: 33 1/8
Wingspan: 78 2/8

Harold Landry
Height: 6-2 3/8
Weight: 252
Hand: 9 3/8
Arm: 32 7/8
Wingspan: 78 7/8

Arden Key
Height: 6-4 7/8
Weight: 238
Hand: Right-9 5/8, Left-10
Arm: 33 4/8
Wingspan: 82 1/8

Marcus Davenport
Height: 6-5 6/8
Weight: 264
Hand: 9 1/8
Arm: 33 5/8
Wingspan: 80 5/8

Hercules Mata’afa
Height: 6-2 2/8
Weight: 254
Hand: 10 2/8
Arm: 31 4/8
Wingspan: 76 1/8

Kentavius Street
Height: 6-2 2/8
Weight: 280
Hand: 10 2/8
Arm: 32 7/8
Wingspan: 78 6/8

Josh Sweat
Height: 6-4 6/8
Weight: 251
Hand: 10 2/8
Arm: 34 5/8
Wingspan: 84 1/8

That is an insane wingspan for Josh Sweat. Wow. One to watch during the D-line drills for sure. He blew up the SPARQ combine.

NC State duo B.J. Hill and Justin Jones both have +33 inch arms.

O-line forty yard dash times —
Group One

Brian Allen — 5.33 & 5.30
David Bright — DNP
Orlando Brown — 5.86 & 5.77
Alex Cappa — 5.36 & 5.33
Geron Christian — 5.34 & 5.31
Will Clapp — 5.40 & 5.43
Mason Cole — 5.23 & 5.30
Austin Corbett — 5.15 & 5.18
Tyrell Crosby — 5.24 & 5.20
James Daniels — DNP
Jamil Demby — 5.69 & 5.55
Nick Gates — 5.47 & 5.45
Colby Gossett — 5.21 & 5.27
Desmond Harrison — 4.90 & 4.75
Taylor Hearn — 5.45 & 5.54
Will Hernandez — 5.14 & 5.20
Jamarco Jones — 5.35 & 5.38

Mike Mayock joked Orlando Brown’s 5.86 was a ‘historically bad time’.

James Daniels says he’s not doing the forty due to a strained hamstring. He’ll do all the other drills. Mayock says Mike McGlinchey has also pulled a hamstring and likely won’t run the forty.

Onto the drills. Austin Corbett looked really good in the agility drills. Excellent kick step, the most fluid among the first group of offensive linemen. Balanced, in control. Very impressive.

Will Hernandez continues to build his stock. He ran well in the forty and doesn’t look sluggish at all. He dropped 13lbs from the Senior Bowl to the combine and it shows. He’s moving well.

New O-line coach Mike Solari is overseeing some of the drills this morning:

Here’s Solari speaking to Will Hernandez before a cone drill, requiring the O-liners to change direction. Hernandez nailed this drill too, showing off superb mobility. He’s having a fantastic combine so far:

The second cone drill asked the players to line up and simulate a pull to the left. Again, Hernandez just looked so smooth. Corbett also again showed well as did Jamarco Jones.

Now the bags are coming out for another pull-simulation.

Solari is bossing these prospects, leading the drills and coaching the players up. He’s not the only coach down there but he’s the one doing the teaching. It’s encouraging to see him operate in such a hands-on way.

He’s also referring to the bags as a ‘shield’ which raised a smile.

The kick-slide drill is a bit of a mess so far. The Houston O-line coach has taken over and several of the players have struggled to round the cones properly.

Without wanting to keep harping on about the same player over and over again — but Will Hernandez once again excelled here. He just looks so incredibly smooth. It’s not been a particularly impressive display from these players so far but Hernandez has really stood out. He just looks better than the rest.

On his second attempt, he barely broke sweat with a sublime kick slide. A lot of the prospects in group one are struggling to do what the coaches are asking. Hernandez just looks fantastic.

The first batch of official 40 times are out:

The first group of linemen are now going through the agility drill. The players drop back and have to show loose hips. It’s really a defensive back drill but it’s still a good way to judge mobility with the big guys too.

Hernandez was perfectly fine here. Not the smoothest but he’s not a highly athletic offensive tackle. Jamarco Jones really struggled in this drill. They didn’t show Austin Corbett’s attempt.

Now it’s the mirror drill. Michigan’s Mason Cole sunk his hips well and did well here. Austin Corbett was in complete control during his attempt. Shaun O’Hara praised Tyrell Crosby’s rep on the NFL Network but I thought his footwork was really choppy, overly active and he almost lost his footing. James Daniels had a much more in control performance on the next snap, Mayock raved about his mirror drill. Mayock: “No wasted movement… his hips, he dropped into position and just stayed there.”

Hernandez looked great in his drill but was helped by the rabbit just running back and forth. He didn’t have to change direction much. Hernandez does look twitchy and athletic though. Much more so than expected. It’s so impressive. Can’t wait to see his broad/vertical numbers. Jamarco Jones also had a good rep in the mirror drill.

That concludes group one for the offensive linemen.

The linebacker weigh-ins are now taking place. Here are the highlights:

Tremaine Edmunds
Height: 6-4 4/8
Weight: 253
Hand: 9 3/8
Arm: 34 4/8
Wingspan: 83

That is incredible length for Edmunds. He’s a top-10 lock.

LB Roquan Smith
Height: 6-0 7/8
Weight: 236
Hand: 10
Arm: 32
Wingspan: 77

Leighton Vander Esch
Height: 6-4 2/8
Weight: 256
Hand: 9 6/8
Arm: 33 7/8
Wingspan: 81 1/8

Rashaan Evans
Height: 6-1 7/8
Weight: 232
Hand: 10
Arm: 32 2/8
Wingspan: 77 2/8

Jerome Baker
Height: 6-1 1/8
Weight: 229
Hand: 10 3/8
Arm: 31 4/8
Wingspan: 76 1/8

Lorenzo Carter
Height: 6-4 7/8
Weight: 250
Hand: 10 3/8
Arm: 34
Wingspan: 82

Jeff Holland
Height: 6-1 3/8
Weight: 249
Hand: 10 4/8
Arm: 33 4/8
Wingspan: 80

Malik Jefferson
Height: 6-2 2/8
Weight: 236
Hand: 9 5/8
Arm: 32
Wingspan: 74 2/8

Darius Leonard
Height: 6-2
Weight: 234
Hand: 10 2/8
Arm: 34 3/8
Wingspan: 82 1/8

Kolton Miller just set a record for offensive linemen in the broad jump, managing a 10-1. Wow. That is incredible. He’s going to destroy TEF at this rate. I did not expect that at all.

Miller’s broad jump was the best since records were kept in 2006. Here are the top five:

Kolton Miller — 10-1
Lane Johnson — 9-10
Taylor Lewan — 9-9
Eric Fisher — 9-8
Garett Bolles — 9-7

Miller has shown, with that jump, he’s explosive enough to warrant first round consideration.

He also managed a 31.5 inch vertical. He’s a 3.31 TEF prospect. Only Jason Spriggs topped that in the last two years (3.54).

Vertical jumps:

Mike McGlinchey — 28.5
Scott Quessenberry — 33.5
Kolton Miller — 31.5
Orlando Brown — 19.5
Quenton Nelson — 26.5
Braden Smith — 33.5
Austin Corbett — 28
Tyrell Crosby — 30
James Daniels — 30.5
Will Hernandez — 24
Jamarco Jones — 24
Chukwuma Okorafor — 23.5
Brian O’Neill — 29.5
Coleman Shelton — 26.5
Connor Williams — 34

Broad jumps:

Connor Williams — 9-4
Braden Smith — 9-5
Quenton Nelson — 8-9
Orlando Brown — 6-10

John Schneider is speaking to the media:

John Schneider on the podium talking about Michael Bennett. pic.twitter.com/gIdylmBwwd

— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) March 2, 2018

Schneider: It’s a fun challenge – like a reset. It’s been hard over last several drafts. Hard for guys we’ve chosen to get out there. #Seahawks

— Aaron Levine (@AaronQ13Fox) March 2, 2018

Quick final note on the bench press — Saquon Barkley’s reps looked a little suspicious. His technique was terrible and it wasn’t clear whether he was locking out. Chubb did 29 legit reps. Barkley in comparison looked like he was doing a few half reps.

O-line forty yard dash times —
Group Two

Jaryd Jones-Smith — 5.27 & 5.23
Cole Madison — 5.34 & 5.37
K.J. Malone — 5.34 & 5.30
K.C. McDermott — 5.35 & 5.31
Mike McGlinchey — DNP
Kolton Miller — 4.98 & 4.91
Quenton Nelson — DNP
Joseph Noteboom — 4.96 & DNP
Chukwuma Okorafor — 5.32 & 5.31
Brian O’Neill — 4.80 & 4.82
Brandon Parker — 5.45 & 5.37
Skyler Phillips — 5.09 & 5.11
Billy Price — DNP
Scott Quessenberry — 5.10 & 5.16
Frank Ragnow — DNP
Martinas Rankin — DNP
Will Richardson — 5.22 & 5.23
Greg Senat — 5.38 & 5.38
Coleman Shelton — 5.24 & 5.21
Braden Smith — 5.21 & 5.26
Rod Taylor — 5.30 & 5.25
Wyatt Teller — 5.30 & 5.24
Brett Toth — DNP
Salesi Uhatafe — 5.40 & 5.39
Toby Weathersby — 5.35 & 5.36
Sean Welsh — 5.45 & 5.40
Connor Williams — 5.06 & 5.07
Isaiah Wynn — DNP

Mike McGlinchey has a hamstring issue so isn’t running the forty. He will do the other drills. Isaiah Wynn is recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum. He played through the Senior Bowl with the problem. Frank Ragnow is recovering from injury too and Billy Price partially tore a pec during the bench press yesterday. Quenton Nelson isn’t running, apparently due to an injury too. Martinas Rankin also didn’t run.

Dave Gettleman, new Giants GM, was falling asleep while watching the second group run. And to his misfortune, it happened right when the NFL Network camera focused on him. Here he is nodding off:

Onto the O-line drills for the second group. First up, the agility and change of direction test. Mike McGlinchey looked quite stiff. Kolton Miller was a lot smoother despite his great height/size. Quenton Nelson was in complete control and just looks like such a natural. Great drill.

Brian O’Neill had arguably the best performance though in this drill. You can see he’s a former tight end. He ran well in the forty and looked much more mobile than any of the others in this group. His tape and Senior Bowl was a bit frustrating to watch but he has potential.

They made Braden Smith stop and restart his drill after he made an error. When he finally got going he looked quick and athletic.

Mike Solari is back orchestrating things now, setting up the next batch of drills.

The NFL Network isn’t focusing as much on the drills currently. From what I’ve seen, Cole Madison looks quite mobile and has executed well in the pulling/bag drills.

Mike McGlinchey was a little wide in his pull to the right. Mike Solari, like a school teacher, amusingly shouted, ‘Michael, Michael, Michael!’ before giving some advice/guidance on how to execute better. Solari is really working with the O-liners here, extremely hands-on. Very encouraging to see how active he is working with these players to master the fine details in each drill.

Coleman Shelton isn’t the most athletic player in group two (waist bender in the agility test earlier) but when he gets an opportunity to attack the pads and be physical, he’s doing a great job.

The NFL Network didn’t show most of the kick-slide drills in group two as they had extended coverage (or so it seemed) of the coin toss for the #9/#10 pick.

Brian O’Neill looked quick and smooth in his kick-slide. Kolton Miller also had a smooth drill. No surprises there. Both have worked out well so far.

In the back-pedal drill to test agility, O’Neill really excelled. Looked superb. Connor Williams, a 3.18 TEF tester, also looked good.

Time for the mirror drill to finish before the running backs join the party.

Mike McGlinchey isn’t doing the mirror. Kolton Miller looked in control, very relaxed. Quenton Nelson got too deep in his set and received a real test from his rabbit Jaryd Jones-Smith. Nelson, for the first time, struggled a little bit. Brian O’Neill looked even better than Miller — really strong performance in the mirror drill. Coleman Shelton was hunched over in his drill, bending his waist again. Braden Smith had a really strong performance with great balance and knee bend. Very impressive from the most explosive O-liner in this draft class.

Coin Toss

The 49ers and the Raiders had a coin toss to determine who would pick 9th and 10th in the draft. The 49ers won the toss, so San Francisco owns the #9 pick.

Early TEF scores

I’ll post the full list later:

Braden Smith — 3.52
Kolton Miller — 3.31
Connor Williams — 3.18
Quenton Nelson — 3.07

Running back runs and jumps

Vertical jumps:

Saquon Barkley — 41 inches
Nick Chubb — 38.5 inches

Chubb managed a 40-inch vertical at the SPARQ combine. He’s heavier here and still managed a 38.5 despite having to recover from a knee injury. That is very encouraging.

Running back forty yard dash times — Group One

Josh Adams — DNP
Kalen Ballage — 4.46 & 4.57
Saquon Barkley — 4.41 & 4.42
Nick Bawden — DNP
Nick Chubb — 4.53 & 4.58
Lavon Coleman — 4.66 & 4.69
Justin Crawford — 4.65 & 4.65
Chase Edmonds — 4.57 & 4.56
Donnie Ernsberger — 4.84 & 4.78
Dimitri Flowers — 4.83 & 4.87
Jarvion Franklin — 4.63 & 4.63
Royce Freeman — 4.59 & 4.55
Derrius Guice — 4.49 & 4.60
Kyle Hicks — 4.64 & 4.64
Nyheim Hines — 4.39 & 4.38
Justin Jackson — 4.50 & 4.53
Kerryon Johnson — DNP
Ronald Jones II — Pulled up injured
John Kelly — DNP
Sony Michel — 4.58 & 4.55
Ryan Nall — 4.67 & 4.59
Rashaad Penny — 4.47 & 4.47
Kamryn Pettway — 4.75 & 4.85
Demario Richard — 4.71 & 4.71
Bo Scarborough — 4.61 & 4.52
Roc Thomas — 4.56 & 4.63
Akrum Wadley — 4.59 & 4.54
Mark Walton — 4.64 & 4.61
Chris Warren — 4.70 & 4.70
Jordan Wilkins — DNP
Darrel Williams — 4.72 & 4.73

Ronald Jones II pulled up during his run with what looked like a hamstring strain, adding to the misery of Billy Price’s injury yesterday and the fact Isaiah Wynn didn’t workout with a torn labrum. It feels like we’ve cursed them.

Kerryon Johnson and John Kelly didn’t run.

Jones has been battling a hamstring injury the last 2-3 weeks but wanted to battle through it to run https://t.co/dkBgDdsSTU

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 2, 2018

That explains what happened to Ronald Jones II.

Pete Carroll and John Schneider were watching the running backs closely:

Despite not running the forty, Kerryon Johnson and John Kelly are both going through drills. Nick Chubb appears light and sharp running over the bags and changing direction.

I’m closing the live blog for now. Going to post the TEF scores shortly, plus some very interesting news on the running backs. Stay tuned.

This wasn’t the start to the combine we were looking for…

#OSU OL Billy Price suffered an apparent chest or shoulder injury during his bench press at the Combine. Not good. pic.twitter.com/mkieyY9E0Y

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 1, 2018

Price, the highly talented interior offensive linemen, was expected to have a great workout. It remains to be seen whether he’ll do anything on Friday. Hopefully this isn’t a serious injury.

It does beg the question (again) — why is the bench press still used to determine power? Multiple reps of an achievable weight is really a test of strength/stamina. And if you weigh +300lbs, it’s a lot easier to bench 225lbs than it is if you’re a 210lbs receiver, so ‘one weight for all’ is also a little bit off.

They use the powerball toss in SPARQ. I’m not sure why they aren’t doing it at the combine too:

Billy Price isn’t injuring his shoulder doing the Powerball toss and it’s a better measure of explosive power. The Powerball also takes away the disadvantage players with longer arms experience.

Isaiah Wynn isn’t working out at the combine as he recovers from a torn labrum. Now Price might be out too. Not a good start.

In terms of the bench results, they’re starting to come in. For the purposes of TEF, 27 reps is the ideal mark you want to hit:

Braden Smith — 35 reps
Connor Williams — 26 reps
Frank Ragnow — 26 reps
Quenton Nelson — 35 reps
Kolton Miller — 24 reps
Chukwuma Okorafor — 19 reps
Orlando Brown — 14 reps
Will Hernandez — 37 reps
Mason Cole — 23 reps
Austin Corbett — 19 reps
Tyrell Crosby — 17 reps
James Daniels — 21 reps
Mike McGlinchey — 27 reps
Brian O’Neill — 22 reps
Wyatt Teller — 30 reps

Auburn guard Braden Smith is set up to have a big combine performance that could really bolster his stock. 35 reps on the bench press is a good start.

Orlando Brown only managed 14 reps but he has 35 inch arms. Again, this is the problem with the bench press. Brown might be able to do a heavier one-rep bench than some of the other O-liners in this draft. Yet he’s at a disadvantage in this test because he has to do more work with longer arms.

Will Hernandez is meeting with the Seahawks today:

UTEP OL Will Hernandez said he has a formal meeting tonight with Seahawks. Could be an option at 18.

— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) March 1, 2018

The running backs also took part in the bench press:

Saquon Barkley — 29 reps
Nick Chubb — 29 reps
Kalen Ballage — 15 reps
Lavon Coleman — 23 reps
Josh Adams — 18 reps
Royce Freeman — 17 reps
Derrius Guice — 15 reps
Ronald Jones II — DNP
Rashaad Penny — 13 reps
Sony Michel — 22 reps
Bo Scarborough — 14 reps
Akrum Wadley — 12 reps
Mark Walton — 18 reps
Kamryn Pettway — 22 reps
Chris Warren — 25 reps
Jordan Wilkins — 16 reps
Darrel Williams — 22 reps
John Kelly — 15 reps
Kerryon Johnson — 11 reps

Nick Chubbs’ combine is off to a great start.

A quick further note on the running back bench numbers. Remember, these RB’s weigh a lot less than the offensive linemen. For Kerryon Johnson to bench 11 reps of 225lbs despite weighing only 213lbs — that’s actually pretty impressive. More so than 20 reps of 225lbs if you weigh over 300lbs.

It’s very difficult to bench your own weight. None of the offensive linemen weigh 225lbs. It’s a much easier test for them.

Chubb and Barkley’s attempts are frankly astonishing and none of the players above had a poor performance.

Pete Carroll also spoke to the media today:

Pete Carroll is at the podium to discuss our offseason and the @NFL Combine. #GoHawks https://t.co/csjN9B39QE

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) March 1, 2018