Drafting Buccaneers: NFL Scouting Combine Recap
RUNNING BACKS
The running backs starred on day one of the NFL Combine. While there was plenty of attention on the names in attendance, there was a big name missing as well.
Some top measurables were:
Fastest 40: T.J. LOGAN, NORTH CAROLINA (4.37)
Slowest 40: SAM ROGERS, VIRGINIA TECH (4.93)
Highest Vertical: ALVIN KAMARA, TENNESSEE (39.5”)
Shortest Vertical: MATT DAYES, N.C. STATE (28”)
Best 3-Cone Drill: CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY, STANFORD (6.57)
Worst 3-Cone Drill: FREDDIE STEVENSON, FLORIDA STATE (7.65)
TAKEAWAYS:
Dalvin Cook and Leonard Fournette should still walk away from this as one-and-two depending on who you talk to. Christian McCaffrey however, made things a bit tighter than they were before.
Cook’s 40-yard dash time was right around where you’d expect it to be, but his other drills may have brought him back to earth a bit.
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Specifically, the three-cone drill. For a back who is expected to use his wiggle more than his power, a faster time than 7.27 seconds was expected.
It won’t completely knock him out of first-round talks, but Alvin Kamara’s day one conversation is probably over.
While he didn’t do anything himself to necessarily hurt his case, he certainly didn’t stand out enough to leapfrog the top three.
It should be Cook, Fournette and McCaffrey in the first with Kamara being a candidate to lead off day two.
Not bad position to get drafted in either way, but probably not as successful as the Volunteer back had hoped he’d be.
Then there’s Joe Mixon. The troubled Oklahoma running back was not invited due to a rule which bans convicted or admitted violent offenders.
In a Bleacher Report breakdown of the combine, they quoted Lions general manager Bob Quinn as saying,
"“I think it’s really disappointing that Joe’s not here. We come here to see the best college football…for him not to be here because of those issues, personally I don’t think that’s real fair..” – BOB QUINN"
You can check out the full quote in the link above, but I think it’s clear some NFL teams want a chance to see the young man in flesh so they can get a feel for who he is beyond his past.