Haden recorded unofficial times of 4.57 and 4.60.

These times should raise a red flag. While Haden’s tape shows he has the  potential to be a shut down corner, the times show that Haden may lack the speed to keep up with elite wide outs in the NFL. His time will also force scouts to go back and look at game film to see if the Florida Gators used specific coverages to mask Haden’s weaknesses and make him look better than he is.

The 40-yard dash time alone will not bump Haden out of the number one cornerback spot, but it will cause some reevaluation of his game.

One reasoning for his poor 40 time was brought up by NFL Network analyst and the best shutdown corner of all-time, Deion Sanders. You could see from the beginning that something looked wrong and Sanders pointed it out.

“First of all, it was a horrible stance,” Sanders said when Haden was getting set on the blocks. “I don’t know what he’s being taught — sometimes you’ve just got to let a guy run. Tweak him a little bit but don’t try to change everything.”

Haden did redeem himself during position drills where he put on a show putting his fluidity and ball skills on display. He stole the show in that area, along with Tennessee safety Eric Berry, but it may not be enough to erase the concerns about his speed from scouts minds.

Courtesy of Athletic Republic

The 2010 NFL Scouting Combine gets underway tomorrow in Indianapolis. While the combine isn’t the only piece of the puzzle in determining a top draft prospect, it can improve a players stock if they answer questions about athletic ability.

One player who can make a big impact this weekend is Stanford running back Toby Gerhart. Gerhart was one of the most productive athletes in college football this past season, however, he is currently projected as a third-round pick due to his lack of explosiveness. There is no questioning Gerhart’s vision and overall ability, but his lack of breakaway speed could turn some teams away and have others looking at moving him to fullback.

Gerhart looks at this as a great opportunity and he will be looking to make the most of it.

The combine is nerve-racking, but it’s a great opportunity to showcase myself,” Gerhart told Lynn Hoppes of ESPN.com’s Page 2.  “I want to be there with other running backs.  I want to compete against them.  I want to show the GMs, the owners and the coaches. . . .

“I’ve seen what people are saying about me on TV.  It’s hard to sit there and watch when they talk about top-five running backs and I’m not one of them. Where’s the love?  They say ‘Toby can’t play running back at the next level.’  I want to show them at these drills.  I’m going to show the people that I can a lot better than they expected.”

The Stanford product has been working this offseason with Athletic Republic to improve his speed and agility for the “Underwear Olympics” — a term that the folks at ProFootballTalk.com so often use.

While speed is not the only thing that makes a solid NFL running back, it catches the eyes of scouts and NFL personnel. If Gerhart goes into the combine and puts all of his hard work on display, he could work his way into the top five running backs in this class.

Tim Tebow has heard all the criticism regarding his elongated delivery and he has stepped up to the challenge and made an attempt to fix his problem. It was reported yesterday that Tebow is taking time this offseason to improve his footwork under center and throwing motion.

Our first look at the new Tebow was not to be until his Pro Day, however, ESPN had some video of a Tebow workout where you could clearly see the improvements in his technique.

Tebow also appeared on NFL Live where he said, “Well the number one thing is to just reach my potential,” Tebow told ESPN’s NFL Live. “You know, I believe in myself as a player and an athlete. And I wanna be the best player that I can be, to help an NFL team and help an organization. So my number one goal is to reach my potential and be the best I can be. [Editor's note: Apparently, he had "reach my potential" written on his hand.] And that’s why these changes occurred, is because I felt it’s gonna help me be more accurate, be quicker, and just make better decisions. And for me making this change has been very natural, [and] I’m excited about it. . . .

“I’m still the same player. I still have the same heart, the same soul, the same knowledge of football. But I’m just tweaking a few of my fundamentals. Things I need to get better at anyways. So I’m changing where I hold the ball, I’m changing how I get to my release point. And those changes have come very natural to me. The coaches I’ve been working with have made it very easy, very understandable for me. And now it’s just repping and repping and repping. And I feel with my work ethic I can make that repetition just become natural for me where it’s second nature and I go out there and do it every time, and I feel very comfortable with that.”

Tebow has always had an over the top delivery. His problem was how long it took the ball to come out of his hands. You can see in the video that Tebow no longer drops the ball to his pad level when winding up — a move that would tip off defensive backs in the NFL.

The continued improvement and competitiveness this offseason has really helped Tebow out. Yes, his Senior Bowl showing was not spectacular, but he took the risk to get out there with the best competition and compete. That is what the scouts like to see.

The number one rated safety in this upcoming draft, Eric Berry, has decided to stay local for his selection of representation. The Tennessee Volunteers standout has signed with Allegiant Athletic Agency out of Knoxville. Specifically, Berry will be represented by Chad Speck.

“We are honored to be representing Eric Berry,” Speck said, per VolunteerTV.com.  “Eric is obviously an outstanding talent on the football field, and his character and integrity is going to be a welcome addition to any franchise.

“He is truly a first class individual with a wonderful family supporting him.”

Speck also represents former Tennessee Vol and current Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth.

You will never hear anyone doubt Tebow’s leadership, toughness, ability to win, and competitveness, however, he has some major flaws in his game that will raise questions about his NFL stock.

Tebow needs a lot of work under center and he needs a major overhaul when it comes to his release. Before he throws the ball, Tebow lowers it to his thigh pad and then winds up. This motion in the NFL will result in an unbelievable amount of interceptions.

While preparing for the NFL draft, Tebow has taken steps to improve his throwing motion and working on footwork in three and five-step drops. He will not throw at this week’s scouting combine in Indianapolis, preferring to wait for his pro day at the University of Florida on March 17.

“I’m not changing who I am or how I approach football,” Tebow said.

“But there are things that I can get a lot better at — my fundamentals. I’ve never been asked to shorten or quicken my release and not have a loop in it. The changes I’m making have gone very well and it’s becoming more and more natural to me.

“It’s made me more confident, more accurate. And that’s not to say I haven’t had this type of coaching in the past. I just have had different coaching than this NFL style.”

Tebow has started working under former NFL offensive coordinator Zeke Bratkowski, Montreal Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman, Arizona State’s new offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone and former NFL head coach Sam Wyche and while working closely with him they have noticed a change.

“You’re not looking at the same quarterback. To say we’re there 100 percent where we want to be, no. But we’ll be more improved come pro day,” said Bratkowski.

As for the speed of his release:

“The ball is coming out a lot faster now,” Trestman said.

“His intelligence level is as high as any quarterback I’ve encountered coming out of college,” Trestman said. “His intelligence is off the charts. After spending time with Tim, it was evident that he learned a lot of football in his four years at Florida — a lot.

“As a result he has been able to quickly adapt and make corrections in his throwing motion and footwork that will allow him to get the ball out faster and improve his accuracy. He has more than enough arm strength and shown he can make all the throws at the next level. He has only been at it for a few weeks so I can only anticipate he will continue to improve.”

The willingness to improve has always played in Tebow’s favor and he has shown his competitiveness by participating in the Senior Bowl this offseason. All it takes is one team to fall in love with a prospect, and it is hard to imagine someone not taking a liking to a player with Tebow’s work ethic and leadership.

His improved release will only help him rise back up the draft boards.

Central Michigan’s Dan LeFevour — the No. 4 rated quarterback by NFL Mocks — revealed in an exclusive interview with NFLDraftBible.com that he will not participate in throwing drills at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this weekend.

“I’ll be doing (pretty much) everything except throwing at the combine,” LeFevour said.

He has instead decided to focus on showing his athletic ability at the combine and then go through the throwing drills at his Pro Day when he is in his comfort zone with former teammates. The decision to wait until his Pro Day to throw gives LeFevour a chance to improve his footwork from under center.

“I will focus solely on throwing at Pro Day,” LeFevour added. “Just getting focused with that…only having one thing to do on Pro Day and being able to work with my receivers up at school that are coming out. Putting everything I have into that aspect of it.”

Ndamukong Suh is looked at as one of the top two prospects in this year’s draft class. The defensive tackle out of Nebraska was widely believed to be the consensus number one pick in April’s draft, so it was a surprise when the report of Sam Bradford possibly topping the Rams draft board came out.

Now there are new reports coming out as to who the Rams could be favoring.

According to Len Pasquarelli of ESPN, some of the St. Louis Rams scouts are “becoming increasingly convinced that that Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is the best player available.” Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy comes in at second on the list.

A few teams are hesitant to shell out the money a top pick receives, unless it is at one of the premier positions. That is what fuels reports of St. Louis looking at Bradford. Quarterbacks are worthy of the top dollar, but in this draft it could be a mistake to reach for one of the top QBs.

St. Louis needs help everywhere on their roster — or else they wouldn’t have had the number one pick in the draft. They would be wise to put position aside and just draft the best player available, which in this case is Suh. Suh would bring a dominant presence to the defensive line and create a pass rush up the middle that the Rams have lacked.

Danario Alexander, leading receiver for the Missouri Tigers in 2009, underwent surgery on his left knee Tuesday, according to a report from SI.com. Alexander will be unavailable for next week’s NFL Scouting Combine and his pro day, but he should be fully recovered by the time teams are ready for training camp.

Alexander injured his knee during practice for the 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl. He had little pain during the week so he still played in the game. Following his performance, a MRI showed Alexander had a defect in the cartilage of the left knee. A team of specialists, including Dr. James Andrews, recommended surgery for Alexander.

During his senior season, Alexander caught 113 passes last season for 1,781 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was a projected 4th or 5th round pick by NFL Mocks. He becomes the second wide receiver this week to be ruled out of the combine. Georgia Tech’s Demaryius Thomas broke his foot yesterday.

It has been widely speculated that Nebraska defensive standout, Ndamukong Suh, would become the first player taken in the 2010 NFL Draft. Not so fast.

The latest reports are saying the St. Louis Rams are waiting to complete a full medical evaluation on Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford. Bradford missed most of this season with a shoulder injury and if he clears all the tests without complications, the Rams will take a long look at the former Heisman Trophy winner.

Tom Kowalski of MLive.com has said that he spoke to two “well-informed folks” while he was in Miami for the Super Bowl and they indicated that Bradford would top the Rams draft board if his shoulder checks out okay.

St. Louis is looking for a long-term answer at the quarterback position and Bradford could be their answer. Marc Bulger is currently the teams starter and his skills have visibly decline throughout the last few injury filled years of his career.

The NFC West is very weak at quarterback — especially after the retirement of Cardinals QB Kurt Warner. In a quarterback driven league, the thinking around the Rams organization is that Bradford could be the franchise signal-caller that will take the team to the next level.

It would be shocking to see Ndamukong Suh slide down to the number two spot or lower, but Detroit Lions fans would be rejoicing.

1. C.J. Spiller, Clemson

Spiller is an explosive back that has scouts drooling. He has drawn comparisons to current Saints running back Reggie Bush, but Spiller has a more solid build and his legs don’t go dead on first contact like Bush. Spiller also has added value with his ability to catch passes out of the backfield and he will contribute in the returning game.

As a receiver, the Clemson back runs excellent routes and has great hands. He would be a perfect change of pace back and will be utilized in many positions. You could see Spiller in the backfield, lined up at slot or even split out wide.

Spiller will need to work on his pass protection and he isn’t going to be effective around the goal line, however, his explosiveness and versatility along with his patience and vision will land him in the top of the draft.

Grade: Top 15 pick
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2. Ryan Mathews, Fresno State

The nation’s leading rusher Ryan Mathews, unlike C.J. Spiller, has the size (5′11, 220) to become an every down back in the NFL. He has incredible footwork and balance. He proved during his time at Fresno State that he can handle the main load while still maintaining his speed.

Mathews will need to improve as a receiving threat, but he is a very reliable ball carrier.

What he lacks in the receiving game, Mathews more than makes up for it with his ball security and toughness. In his 535 career carries, Mathews only allowed the ball to hit the turf three times.

Mathews runs with power and he still has the ability to make defenders miss in tight spaces. If Mathews see a gap he will beat the defender to the spot and take the ball all the way to the endzone.

Grade: Top 25 pick

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3. Jahvid Best, California

Jahvid Best has been out of action since November 7 when he suffered a serious concussion against Oregon State. Best is another speed back, which this class is heavy on.

He has elite speed, but what makes him dangerous is his ability to maintain that speed in and out of the cuts. Best always keeps his feet moving and that allows him to pick up some extra yards. He does need to get stronger and run with more power, but with his elusiveness and vision, Best will be able to find the hole.

Best also brings the added value as a receiving threat. He has soft hands and is brilliant in open space. He runs with a low pad level that will make him a challenge to bring down for defensive backs.

Grade: First-round pick

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4. Dexter McCluster, Ole Miss

McCluster is the most exciting player in this year’s draft. He is the jack of all trades and has really seen his value skyrocket in the offseason. McCluster blew scouts away at the Senior Bowl with his ability to play both running back and wide receiver.

With his lack of size (5-foot-6, 165-pounds), McCluster will likely be drafted as a running back and could see himself filling the “Darren Sproles” role for an offense. The running style is similar, however, the Ole Miss back is a much better passing threat than Sproles.

McCluster will be highly valued with his home run ability. Offensive coordinators will be lobbying to take this guy in the teams war rooms on draft day.

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5. Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech

Dwyer is one of the top power backs in this year’s class. At 235-pounds, he runs with incredible power and will not shy away from contact. Dwyer had 517 carries during his time at Georgia Tech and he never recorded a fumble in his collegiate career.

His numbers are not as eye-dropping as some other prospects, but that is mainly due to his role in the Yellow Jackets triple-option offense. Dwyer served as the fullback where most of his work was done inside the tackles.

While his numbers may have suffered, his leg strength and bruising running style was highlighted.

Grade: mid to late second-round pick

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