Combine Scuttlebutt 2/22

[MelK]

Growing concern about top-rated QB...There are rumblings around Indianapolis that Marshall QB Byron Leftwich, who along with Southern Cal's Carson Palmer is one of the two top-rated QBs for the 2003 draft, is still not 100% healed from a late season leg injury. The problem was originally described as a 'mysterious shin' injury, but has since been reported as a fracture to the lower leg. And despite almost two months of rest, Leftwich has been walking very gingerly at the various combine sites this week. Obviuosly, Leftwich won't run this week, but will need to show scouts that he's fully healed if he hopes to hold onto a top 10 ranking at the 2003 draft.
http://www.gbnreport.com/index.htm

[MelK]

TE, Robert Johnson of Auburn, showed up at 6-6½, 278 pounds, but managed only 18 reps at 225 pounds. Johnson, though, did very well in the Wunderlic on his first attempt. Meanwhile, once skinny Miami QB Ken Dorsey weighed in at 208 pounds, 15 pounds heavier than at the East/West Shrine Game last month. Murphy also reports that Michigan State WR Charles Rogers, arguably the top-rated prospect for the 2003 draft plans to run later today. Rogers weighed in at 6-2, 205. Miami WR Andre Johnson also passed the eyeball test with flying colors. Johnson measured in at 6-2, 230, all of which reportedly was muscle. Johnson, though, won't run until the Hurricanes' pro day next month.

[MelK]

Len Pasquerelli of ESPN
espn.go.com/nfl/columns/pasquarelli_len/1512259.html

Very good..has a scouts take section as well.

An exerpt:
"One of just nine running backs who actually participated in the 40-yard dash on Friday from the initial group of players at the position, Fargas tore up the RCA Dome track, posting two sub-4.4 times. In his first effort, Fargas ran between 4.28-4.33, depending on whose stopwatch you believed. To prove that time wasn't a fluke, he ran a second 40, and was clocked at 4.34-4.35."

[MelK]

Leftwich and Palmer eager to prove themselves

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By John Clayton
ESPN.com


INDIANAPOLIS -- Believe it or not, Carson Palmer wants to be a Bengal. That's what he says. He even sounds convincing. He's had several discussions with his agent, David Dunn, who has represented two Bengals quarterbacking disasters (David Klingler and Akili Smith), and came to the conclusion that the Bengals would be a perfect home for his Heisman Trophy.

Meanwhile, Byron Leftwich, Palmer's main competition to be the best quarterback in April's draft, admitted Friday that he broke his left tibia in November and played with a broken leg for Marshall in a bowl game. "I couldn't let my teammates go out there without me," Leftwich said. That unselfish act may have cost him the chance to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, but he has no regrets.

"I was playing college football at the time and I didn't want to hear about the NFL," Leftwich said. "I was just worried about being the Marshall quarterback. If anybody wanted to talk to me about the NFL and whether it was going to hurt me in the future, I didn't want to talk to them. I was worried about the present and being the Marshall quarterback."
http://espn.go.com/nfl/columns/clayton_john/1512260.html

[MelK]

Bryan Morry of Patriots.com
www.patriots.com/news/fullarticle.sps?id=23404&type=general

An exerpt:
"Arm strength shouldn't be an issue at the next level for Cal quarterback Kyle Boller, who said he could throw the ball through the goal posts from the 50-yard line on his knees. He said the farthest ball he's thrown from a standing position is 81 yards and he threw a ball 76 yards in high school."

[MelK]

Notes From KFFL :

Florida QB Rex Grossman said that he measured in at 6-foot-1 and 217 pounds at the NFL Combine on Friday. Grossman plans to throw at the combine this week but won’t take part in running drills. He said he’ll run at his school’s pro day on March 19. Grossman, who came out of Florida early, said RB Willis McGahee’s injury didn’t impact his decision on leaving Florida. He has been working out with former NFL QB Steve DeBerg, who is helping prepare him for the next level.

Tennessee WR Kelly Washington (neck) said on Friday that he measured in at 6’3” and 220 pounds. He said that’s what he played at in college and is the weight he wants to remain at in the NFL. “Medically I’m right where I need to be after three months out of surgery. I’m cleared to work out. Everything is right on schedule and I expect a full recovery,” Washington said. He’d like to be used as both a receiver and quarterback at the next level.

Auburn TE Robert Johnson said he measured in at 6-foot-6 1/2 and 278 pounds at the NFL Combine on Friday. He wants to be around 267-270 pounds and plans on going through his full workout at the combine. On the bench press, he did 18 repetitions. So far, he said he hasn’t heard where he may be selected in the NFL Draft.
(On a side note: Johnson has confirmed that he's interviewed with the Baltimore Ravens, Oakland Raiders, and Green Bay Packers...love to see it when a guy cant keep his mouth shut.)

Michigan TE Ben Joppru said he will workout at the NFL Combine this week but won’t be running for teams because he lost both of his toe nails at the Senior Bowl. He wasn’t sure how he lost them, but said it’s prevented him from running recently. He’ll run at Michigan’s pro day. He measured in at 6-foot-4 and 272 pounds in Indianapolis. He said the doctors weren’t alarmed by his toes, but were looking at his shoulders but they also checked out fine. “No hospital visit for me,” Joppru said.

Notre Dame WR Arnaz Battle said he measured in at 6-foot-2 1/2 at the NFL Combine on Friday.

The Jacksonville Jaguars showed some interest in Louisville QB Dave Ragone at the NFL Combine on Friday.
(Another Mike sidenote: GAG ME!!!!!...boy am i going to take a lot of heat if he ever becomes good.)

Cal QB Kyle Boller said on Friday that he measured in at 6-foot-3 and 234 pounds. He said he’d like to play between 230 and 235 pounds. He won’t throw at the NFL Combine but will at his pro day on March 13

San Diego State WR Kassim Osgood said he measured in at 6’4 7/8” and 208 pounds at the NFL Combine on Friday. He’ll do all of his work at San Diego State on March 11.


This is from Thursday, but still important:
Updating previous reports, Pete Prisco for Sportsline.com reports there are rumblings around the NFL Combine that Marshall QB Byron Leftwich is more injured than he’s leading on. Some personnel people were concerned with the way he stepped off the scale and put weight on his injured left leg. If he is unable to show he is healthy by the time the draft arrives, some teams might pass on him as a result of their skepticism

[Earthquake Enyart]

I am hearing that he has broken the same leg twice in different places. He's dropping fast.

[MelK]

Johnson’s teammate, DT Jimmy Kennedy, who is being projected as a top-five pick, said he could see himself sporting a Bears uniform because he is nicknamed the “Grizzly Bear,” and that he would enjoy playing with Brian Urlacher, whom he called a “gladiator.” But Kennedy said he and Urlacher would likely get in a few fights over who could get to the ball first. Kennedy, who considered leaving school as a junior a year ago, said he wished the late PFW draft expert Joel Buchsbaum could see him now. Buchsbaum, a football purist strongly in favor of players returning to school, told him a year ago he’d be a sixth-round pick or free agent if he came out after his junior year.


Missouri WR Justin Gage looked very big. Gage, a converted quarterback and former Missouri basketball player, said he has gained 12 pounds of muscle to get his weight up to 216. At 6-4, size is not an issue with him. It’s a different story as far as his speed goes, however. “The 40 (yard dash) is very important for me,” he said. “It could make or break my draft status. That’s what teams are saying, anyway.” Gage, who is working on improving his speed with fellow WR prospects Sam Aiken (North Carolina) and Kelley Washington (Tennessee) under the tutelage of Phoenix-based trainer Warren Anderson, has decided not to run the 40 at the Combine. He’ll instead wait until the Tigers’ pro day Feb. 26 in Columbia, Mo.


Miami (Fla.) C Brett Romberg, who spent nearly an hour genuinely answering questions from the media, said he thought Ohio State's Tim Anderson was a better defensive tackle than Buckeye Kenny Peterson, whom he faced in the Fiesta Bowl


Miami DE Jamaal Green, Cincinnati DE Antwaan Peek and Louisville DE DeWayne Robertson were all sporting Broncos hats, which more than one player said they were wearing not as a sign of their support of the Broncos, but because it was the first hat that players were given when they got off the plane. The Broncos, who are known for being a classy organization, had a representative handing out winter caps to players at the airport. Georgia DT Jonathan Sullivan was sporting a Seahawks cap.
You have to wonder if Peek has reached his peak, in terms of size. He started playing football as a receiver and kept gaining weight, even though he didn’t want to put it on. Despite eating endless salads to try to keep his weight down, he went from being a wideout his freshman year to a defensive back his sophomore year to a linebacker his junior year to finally a defensive end this year, as he kept gaining at least 20 pounds a year. Peek, who idolizes Lawrence Taylor and plays like him with a high motor, could be a sleeper. At 246 pounds, he’s pretty light, but his dad weighs 280 pounds. He has 5 percent body fat and has impressed enough scouts to probably get selected on the first day of the draft at the very least.


Notre Dame OT Jordan Black weighed in at 315 pounds, which Black said is about five to 10 pounds lighter than he’d like to be at by the start of the draft.

Texas Tech DE Aaron Hunt said he could project as a linebacker in a 3-4 defense, something the Falcons, a 3-4 team, mentioned to him in an interview. Hunt also interviewed with the Buccaneers, Raiders, Chiefs, Dolphins, Eagles and Jaguars.

Kentucky’s Dewayne Robinson, likely to be one of the first defensive tackles selected, said he models his game after Buccaneers DT Warren Sapp and Seahawks DT John Randle.
Pro Football Weekly (http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/CollegeDraft/Draft+Prospects/Combine/2002/notebook022103.htm)

[MelK]

Latest info from this morning's workouts-
http://nfldraft.theinsiders.com/2/94982.html

Post Time 9:50 AM---Team-Redskins

WR Andre Johnson - Miami: Mugged by the Washington Redskins. Redskins plan to work and watch Johnson, and are said to be "HOT" on Johnson.

Post Time 9:50 AM---RB

Derek Watson - S. Carolina St.: Performance highlights RB's at combine workout.

Larry Johnson - Penn State: Did not work out with the Rb's ( 1 - 12 who didn't work out )

Musa Smith - Georgia: Did not work out with RB's ( 1 - 12 who didn't work out )

Post Time 8:55 AM---LB

E.J. Henderson - Maryland: 6-1, 245 with a visible scar on his back from his surgery.

Terry Pierce - Kansas State: Checks in at 6-1, 251; Appears soft.

LaMarcus McDonald - TCU: checks in at 227, 18 pounds heavier than he was at the Senior Bowl.

Kawika Mitchell - South Florida: Passes eye ball test at 6-1, 253.

Nick Barnett - Orgeon State: Weighs in 16 pounds heavier at 236.

Pisa Tinoisamoa - Hawaii: Checks in at 231, 12 pounds heavier than the Senior Bowl.