The 2009 NFL Scouting Combine starts today, and for the first time it is at Lucas Oil Stadium (and not the now demolished RCA Dome). Mocking Dan has his Combine preview up. Here's a quick gander:
Who could rise or fall?
- Aaron Maybin: Undoubtedly no player will have more riding on the Combine than Maybin. He'll have to show up weighing about 250 pounds and he'll have to test well. If he runs between 4.7 - 4.8 in the 40, he could drop into the second round.
- Rashad Jennings: A lesser-known running back with great size, if Jennings runs in the low 4.5 range, he could cement himself as as second round pick.
I often hold off on starting college player profiles until after the Combine mainly because it is nearly impossible to start evaluating players before they are timed. I know there is a lot of snickering when it comes to evaluating "players in shorts" rather than watching game tape, but the fact of the matter is their timed speed and other variables do indeed matter when evaluating. As Mocking Dan said, Chris Johnson vaulted into the first round last year because of his 4.24 timed speed at the Combine 2008.
Some other links of note: