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Rams, Falcons could be big draft winners
February, 25, 2014
FEB 25
11:25
PM ET
By Todd McShay | ESPN.com
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Combine
Getty Images
Jadeveon Clowney, Greg Robinson and Khalil Mack passed every test at the NFL combine.
INDIANAPOLIS -- The 2014 NFL scouting combine came to an end Tuesday with workouts by the cornerbacks and safeties.
Well have notes on how the defensive backs fared in a bit, but well start things off by looking at our biggest takeaways from this years combine: the elite group of four players that has separated itself from the pack, and the two teams at the top of the draft that stand to benefit most from it.
1. A group of four elite prospects has emerged.
The four players who have separated themselves from the rest are South Carolina DE/OLB Jadeveon Clowney, Auburn OT Greg Robinson, Buffalo OLB Khalil Mack and Clemson WR Sammy Watkins. These were elite guys going into the combine, but it isnt always easy for those players to stay there. The combine can feel like Survivor sometimes, with players getting voted "off the island" one by one. It feels as though if you poke and prod and send players through enough tests that youll find something wrong with every player after a while.
However, through their interviews, medical testing and performances on the field, these four guys are getting the full stamp of approval from teams around the league. We might add another player or two to that group as the process continues, but these guys have established themselves as the elite class right now.
Heres a look at what each brings to the table:
Jadeveon Clowney: He still has some questions hell have to answer in the coming weeks, including at his pro day and in individual workouts and interviews with teams, but from a talent standpoint, he clearly is the best player in this class. You see on tape that he is a rare talent, and in the events in which he participated at the combine, he backed that up, including an exceptional 40-yard dash time of 4.53 seconds that beats what several running backs and wide receivers 60 pounds lighter than him put up.
Greg Robinson: On tape, he is the most dominant blocker at the point of attack that Ive ever evaluated. He also is remarkably athletic for his big frame. But even with that as the baseline, he might have exceeded expectations in Indy. Running a sub-5-second 40-yard dash (4.92) at 332 pounds and then doing 32 reps on the bench press with 35-inch arms (very hard to do) are just two examples of his incredible athleticism. He has work to do with his hand placement and in pass protection, but he is an elite talent at left tackle worthy of a top-five -- or even the No. 1 overall -- pick.
EnlargeSammy Watkins
AP Photo/Ben Liebenberg
Sammy Watkins turned in a very strong performance at the combine.
Khalil Mack: He has ideal size, not just in terms of his height and weight (6-foot-2, 251 pounds), but in terms of his large hands and long arms, two important traits at the linebacker position and for a pass-rusher. His results in the drills that measure explosiveness and athleticism were way above average, backing up what we see from him on tape. He also did really well in his interviews, according to team contacts I spoke with -- he was highly competitive and all business.
Sammy Watkins: Like Mack, Watkins checked all the boxes at the combine, from the interviews to the on-field drills. Hell have a bit of a learning curve in terms of reading coverages and becoming familiar with the NFL route tree, since he comes from a spread system at Clemson, but from a pure skill-set standpoint, he is elite. He lit it up at the combine: 4.43 40, 43-inch vertical leap, 10-foot, 5-inch broad jump and he looked great in all his position drills. Hes also very competitive. The highest wide receiver grades Ive ever given out were to Calvin Johnson, A.J. Green and Julio Jones, and I think that by the end of the process, Watkins will grade out between Green and Jones.
2. The teams poised to benefit the most from this are the Rams and Falcons (and, to a lesser extent, the Buccaneers).
Weve spent a lot of time since the draft order was finalized talking about the five teams picking in the top eight that have a need at quarterback, but the three teams that could end up benefiting most from what is a very strong draft class are the ones that dont have a clear need at quarterback: the Rams, Falcons and Buccaneers (although it isnt unrealistic that Tampa Bay could draft a QB at No. 7 if theres one available).
I spoke with Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff this week, and I came away thinking about what a good spot the Falcons are in as it relates to the draft. There has been some discussion recently about Atlanta potentially trading up from the No. 6 pick to get a guy such as Clowney, but my opinion is that the smart play would be for the Falcons to stay put, as theres a very good chance that one of the top three players -- Clowney, Robinson and Mack, all of whom play at need positions for the Falcons -- could drop to them (Watkins wouldnt really fit a need position for Atlanta). With as many as two or three QBs potentially going among the top five picks, the Falcons stand to benefit by landing a top-tier talent at No. 6. Its a good position for them to be in.
The Rams likewise are in an enviable position. Their options: Stay at No. 2 and take one of the top two players in Clowney (I think its possible they could take him, even with all the talent they already have on their defensive line) or Robinson, or trade down and pick up additional picks in a loaded draft (they already own No. 13 overall, too). The same trade-back option should be in play for the Falcons as well; in my opinion, you cant get enough picks in this draft. And for as much as we talk about how close the Rams seem to be, they have several need areas they could address.
The Bucs situation isnt quite on the level of St. Louis and Atlantas, but they are in a pretty good spot. Its not a stretch at all to think that one of those top four players could drop to them.
Each of the teams at the top of the draft that have a need at QB will have a dilemma on their hands, in choosing between the best player available and a quarterback. The Rams and Falcons can afford to sit back and wait.
3. The top cornerbacks stood out Tuesday.
Three of our top five corners -- Oklahoma States Justin Gilbert, TCUs Jason Verrett and Ohio States Bradley Roby -- had really good overall workouts Tuesday, including running sub-4.4 40s. Gilbert can be inconsistent at times in terms of his focus and a little tight when he turns and runs, but his straight-line speed, size and ball skills make up for any minor flaws in his game.
Verrett is undersized and might be swimming upstream a bit this year with every team seemingly wanting a bigger corner, but hes a plug-and-play starter at CB, even if its just as a nickel corner. He sticks to guys in man-to-man coverage with his foot quickness, hip fluidity and speed. As for Roby, the discipline isnt always there with him and his mechanics and footwork need work, but from a pure athleticism and speed standpoint, hes one of the best corners in the draft, if not the best. If youve got a guy on staff who can really coach defensive backs, Roby would be a good investment.
We might not see a cornerback drafted in the top 10 or 15 picks this year, but make no mistake, this is a loaded class of corners who can be starters in the NFL. We could see a run on them in the mid-to-late first round.
4. Bigger corners continue to draw interest.
Bill Polian and I were discussing how we might have reached the point where NFL teams start classifying cornerbacks in two separate categories (as they already do with traditional versus move tight ends or outside receivers versus slot receivers): press corners who are bigger and stronger, and cover corners who are average or below-average size but are quick enough to hang in space with receivers.
The Seahawks Richard Sherman is the prototype of the former, and there are two prospects whose games resemble his in Nebraskas Stanley Jean-Baptiste (like Sherman, a former receiver) and Utahs Keith McGill. Both players fared well Tuesday, in performances that compare favorably to Shermans combine results (see chart below).
The next Richard Sherman?
Here's how Stanley Jean-Baptiste and Keith McGill stack up to Sherman, using the Seahawks star's combine results.
Player HT WT Hand Arm 40 Vert
Keith McGill 6-3 211 10.2 33.2 4.51 39
Stanley Jean-Baptiste 6-2 218 8.5 32.3 4.61 41.5
Richard Sherman 6-3 195 9.75 32 4.56 38.0
Both are intriguing Day 2 prospects for teams looking to add a bigger press corner to their roster. But here's one important note: A scout I was talking to reminded me that teams need to keep in mind that Sherman hasnt developed into a star just on the basis of his size. He has great football smarts and is a very hard worker, and the Seahawks put him in a scheme perfectly suited to his skill set. In other words, not all tall corners are going to have a Sherman-like impact, particularly if they arent used in the correct system.
5. Safeties perform as expected.
The top two safeties in our rankings -- Alabamas Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Louisvilles Calvin Pryor -- both had good workouts Tuesday even though neither ran particularly well. Clinton-Dix plays with better range and appears faster on tape than he showed in Indy, while Pryor is a big-time hitter who plays in the box more often. Its unlikely either will come off the board earlier than the middle of the first round, although there is a clear separation between those two and the rest of the top prospects at the safety position.
Northern Illinois Jimmie Ward wasnt able to participate at the combine due to a foot injury, joining several players in the first- and second-day range who had to sit out due to medical issues, including Florida DL Dominique Easley, Notre Dame DL Stephon Tuitt, Auburn DE Dee Ford, Washington TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins, USC C Marcus Martin, Virginia DE Brent Urban and Georgia Tech LB Jeremiah Attaochu.
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Todd McShay
Scouts Inc.
FollowArchive
ESPN College Football and NFL Draft Analyst
Joined ESPN in 2006
Played quarterback in high school and was a backup QB for the University of Richmond.
Tags:NFL Draft 2014, NFL Draft Blog, Draft 2014, NFL Draft, ESPN NFL Draft Blog, 2014 NFL Draft, Insider, Insider NFL, 2014 NFL Draft, Todd McShay, 2014 NFL Combine
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