NFL Combine Winners and Losers Reactions Defensive Linemen

Monday is one of my favorite days at the NFL combine watching fat men run the 40 yard dash is more fun for me than watching WR. On top of that Defensive linemen are so much bigger and stronger than most of their competition on the field in College Football that it’s sometimes hard to get a good grasp of just how athletic and fluid these guys are. I like the combine for that. Much of our rankings will remain the same, but there are some players that will see boosts like Dontari Poe, perhaps.
Speaking of Poe he absolutely stole the show. From Mocking the draft:

Dontari Poe from Memphis took it in group eight. Poe is a 6’4″, 346lbs nose/defensive tackle prospect who blew it up today. He unofficially ran a 4.87 40 yard dash n his first attempt, and had a 1.69 10 yard split on his second attempt. For some perspective on that, Alameda Ta’amu, the other nose tackle prospect at 348lbs ran a 5.34, which is normally considered very good for someone of that size. There will be linebackers who are 100lbs lighter than Poe that will run slower than him. But it wasn’t just the 40 time that was impressive. Poe had great feet hopping over the bags, with slightly stiff hips weaving in between them.

A guy who might have put himself in the conversation for round one (New England seems like a terrific spot) is Clemson DE Andre Branch: From National Football Post

 Clemson DE Andre Branch displayed an impressive combination of size and explosion as an athlete. Not only did the 6-4, 260-pound prospect run in the low 4.6 range. However, he had one of the fastest get off bursts of all the linemen working out with a 1.56 ten yard split, which proves he has the initial explosion to threaten the edge.

Wes Bunting though warns about Chandler Jones, a player I think is destined to be over-drafted by at least 20 spots on my big board:

Watching Syracuse DE Chandler Jones try to keep his pad level down during his workout Monday and create an initial burst was frustrating throughout. He’s a great looking athlete with nearly 36-inch arms. However, he ran in the mid 4.8 range, had a tough time dropping his pad level and keeping his feet under him throughout the day. Looks like a guy who could struggle rushing the passer at the next level.

One more tidbit from Wes Bunting:

It will be interesting to see how NFL teams stack up Illinois DE Whitney Mercilus and USC’s Nick Perry. Both posted a 1.57 ten-yard split and both looked a bit tight during positional drills. However, I graded Perry out higher because he showcased a better closing burst once he gained a step, something that was evident by his 4.5 40 time

Another player who absolutely impressed was Missisippi DT Fletcher Cox

From our own twitter account @NFLmocks

CBS Draft Blog has a word of warning on LSU DT Michael Brockers

Unfortunately, Brockers performed just as poorly in several other Combine tests which should raise red-flags for scouts projecting the one-year starter as an immediate impact defender in the NFL.

Brockers was clocked at an alarmingly slow 5.36 seconds in the 40-yard dash. This time was the third worst among all defensive linemen tested in Indianapolis this year. The only two defensive linemen with a time more than a hundredth of a second slower than Brockers were Missouri’s Dominique Hamilton and Southern Cal’s Christian Tupou. As a point of comparison, Brockers is currently rated as NFLDraftScout.com’s No. 8 rated prospect overall. Hamilton and Tupou are rated 360th and 378th, respectively. 

Think the 40-yard dash time is an anomoly? Think again. Brockers finished among the worst in defensive linemen tested in the vertical jump (26.5″), broad jump (105) and short shuttle (4.81), as well. 

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