The running backs have begun their turn on the 40 yard dash drill. Knowshon Moreno, looking a lot heavier after adding 10 lbs of bulk, ran a 4.55 time. He said he was hoping to run a 4.40, possibly lower. He needed to run well to dramatically improve his stock. The extra weight sounded good on paper, but it may have affected his speed. He's never been a burner but a really quick time here could have made him an elite prospect.
**UPDATE** he just ran a 4.63 on his second attempt - ouch.
Chris 'Beanie' Wells really strained his 40 yard dash and posted a 4.57. He laboured through the run and appeared to be trying too hard. We saw last year how a quick time can really help a running back. Neither Moreno nor Wells did enough today to have that kind of impact on their stock. Dissapointing - they'll hope for better on their second run.
**UPDATE** on his second attempt he timed a 4.54. This year's class didn't even get close to emulating what we saw at the 2008 combine.
**UPDATE** on his second attempt he timed a 4.54. This year's class didn't even get close to emulating what we saw at the 2008 combine.
LeSean McCoy isn't running, he's been suffering with an illness.
Shonn Greene (Iowa State) - 4.65 s
Glenn Coffee (Alabama) - 4.53 s
Donald Brown (Connecticut) - 4.48 s
Knowshon Moreno (Georgia) - 4.55 s
Chris Beanie Wells (Ohio State) - 4.57 s
9 comments:
Rob, some non-combine related news. I just heard Gibril Wilson was cut by the Raiders on Friday. Although I doubt Seattle could afford him, but I would LOVE to see him in a Seahawks uniform. I think the more realistic replacement for Russell (if it happens) would be Sean Jones, formally of the Browns. Big news though about Wilson, given that most figured Michael Huff would be the expendable safety on the Raiders. And on a side note, as much as I've been critical of Ruskell, I'm forever grateful we don't have the Raiders' front office...now that's a circus.
Quick combine note: One back I was very curious to see was Jeremiah Johnson of Oregon. Great quickness out of the backfield (Darren Sproles mold), and solid hands. However, they failed to show either of his 40s on NFL Network, though he ran 4.59. Though if Mora feels Forsett can be that type of back, Johnson is not something we need. Also, another impressive player is Andre Brown, RB NC State. He had a great senior bowl week and has looked good at the combine, finishing in the top 10 in the 40, Bench Press, and Vertical Jump.
I heard about Wilson and it seems like the Raiders aren't ready to cut their ties with Michael Huff just yet. The Seahawks could do with an upgrade at safety but it appears they'll be sticking with the Grant/Russell tandem again. Obviously this franchise tag on Leroy Hill has backed the Hawks into a corner financially.
I managed to see all the 40's for the running backs online. I've got to say, it wasn't even one tenth as interesting as last year's spectacle. I was left really underwhelmed by this class of backs. I really wanted to see the two top guys - Wells and Moreno - run a quick time. Neither did, and in fairness Moreno looks like his extra 10 lbs wasn't necessarily of total benefit to him. He looked heavy.
Man, I would have liked to see LeSean McCoy run the 40.
Looks like we might get our chance at one of the top RBs with the awful 40 times this year. Personally, I was hoping for Crabtree at #4 but the latest antics are just bizarre. I will give him slack because he was thrust into a difficult situation.
One guy I am really impressed with is Jamon Meredith. He looked awesome in drills. He is an experienced guy and is very versatile. I am hoping the Hawks take a look at him in Round 2, especially considering that Jason Smith will most likely be off the board before #4. He has looked awesome and has been a personable guy at the combine.
I was really turned off by Monroe and Oher. I hate to base things off the combine but the Bench Press was concerning and both looked awkward during the drills. Not sure where this praise for Monroe during the drills comes from because he looked really tight compared to other guys.
Quick side note, I know Ryan Clady's bench press was low last year but I don't recall him having the questions of being lazy and inconsistent surrounding him either.
Hey annonymous. It'll be interesting to see what this does for the running back class. I still expect both Wells and Moreno to be taken in the first round, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility they could suffer a drop. LeSean McCoy is probably cursing the fact he got flu this week, he could have cleaned up with a good performance.
Crabtree may not have worked out but he's had a chance to show teams how he deals with adversity. Not well this weekend, unfortunately. He's come accross a bit immature and not entirely in control of the situation. He needed to have one, decent sized press conference to clear this injury issue up once and for all. His appearance this weekend has been reminiscent of someone taking for granted their draft stock. Seattle will have been watching closely and this may have produced an unnecessary red flag. I'm one of Crabtree's biggest fans, but even I have to admit he hasn't come out of the combine on a positive note.
Greg Knapp was watching those quarter backs pretty closely today. It might just be a case of checking out the class in general - Tim Ruskell has openly admitted the team need to consider the future at the position and that doesn't necessarily mean using the fourth overall pick to solve that particular issue. But it does make you wonder - if the team were impressed with a guy like Mark Sanchez and the way he has conducted himself this week, he could be a wildcard here.
1st Round: Crabtree
2nd Round: Moreno
3rd Round: Woods
that would be perfect
One thing to consider for the times (since the QBs and OLs also turned in slower-than-expected times)... IIRC, this is the first year at the new stadium. Could be the different turf is causing combine times to be especially slow. Now, the WRs seem to be doing alright but even so, the 4.41 and 4.45 I've been hearing for Maclin/Harvin are slower than expected as well. Might explain why everyone looks so slow.
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