INDIANAPOLIS—West Virginia's Bruce Irvin and Memphis State's Dontari Poe are the big winners at the "NFL Scouting Combine," heading into Tuesday's event-closing defensive back workouts.
"He made $5 million in 4½ seconds. He went from the third round to the first round. He's the best 3-4 backer in the whole draft now," a scout said of Irvin following the blazing, 4.50 40 he ran on Monday.
Meanwhile, Poe (pictured), all 6-5, 350 pounds of him, ran an astonishing 4.9 and added to that one of the most athletic performances of any big man in combine history on Monday. Poe, considered to be a second/third-round pick heading into the combine, certainly pushed his way into round one with his workout.
Here's a look at the winners and losers, by position, at this year's combine, heading into the final day.
Offensive linemen
Mike Adams of Ohio State—At 6-7, 323, and with limited exposure to football, Adams impressed scouts at the combine the same way he did it at the Senior Bowl, by being athletic.
Phillip Blake of Baylor—In a weak crop of centers, Blake was impressive. "Sneaky late-round pick," a scout said.
David DeCastro of Stanford—Proved his strength by doing 34 reps of 225 pounds.
Cordy Glenn of Georgia—Glenn followed the most dominant physical performance of the Senior Bowl with a light-footed and athletic display at the combine that proved he can play right tackle as well as he plays left guard. He entrenched himself in the first round.
Matt Kalil of USC—Ran and worked out well; he's a top 10 pick.
Peter Konz of Wisconsin—Hurt himself by doing only 18 reps on the bench.
Riley Reiff of Iowa—Not elite, but proved he can start at right tackle.
Amini Silatolu of Midwestern State—He did 28 reps. "He's the next Jahri Evans," a scout said.
Tight ends
Dwayne Allen of Clemson—A 4.8 40 hurt him.
Michael Egnew of Missouri—He broad jumped 11-1, ran a 4.52 and turned in an athletic workout, but he wasn't used as an in-line blocker at Missouri, which begs the question: Is he a tight end or a wide receiver?
Ledarius Green of Louisiana-Lafayette—A 4.47 really helps him, but he remains undersized.
James Hanna of Oklahoma—Helped his draft stock with a 4.48.
Quarterbacks
Kirk Cousins of Michigan State—Showed his arm at the Senior Bowl and did it again at the combine. Third-round prospect that could move into round two.
Nick Foles of Arizona—Ran a 5.1 and his passes fluttered.
Robert Griffin of Baylor—Ran 4.4 and locked down the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, for which the Rams are thankful because they're likely to get a king's ransom for the pick.
Ryan Lindley of San Diego State—Displayed a strong arm, but not much accuracy.
Brandon Weeden of Oklahoma State—Weeden provided an accurate scouting report on himself when he said his age, 28, is his only red flag.
Wide receivers
Joe Adams of Arkansas—Adams zipped up boards on the strength of his Senior Bowl. The 4.55 he ran at the combine might send him into free fall.
Travis Benjamin of Miami—Scouts love his 4.38 speed.
Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State—He caught well but didn't run, which makes his pro day very important. There are questions about his speed that will determine his fate when those questions are answered.
Jarrett Boykin of Virginia Tech—He ran 4.79. Ouch!
Lavon Brazill of Ohio—Ran well, good workout.
Danny Coale of Virginia Tech—Good route-runner.
Juron Criner of Arizona—Strong at the Senior Bowl, but ran 4.6 at the combine.
Michael Floyd of Notre Dame—Ran 4.4's, showed good hands, helped himself.
Chris Givens of Wake Forest—Ran 4.39.
T.J. Graham of N.C. State—Ran 4.38.
Stephen Hill of Georgia Tech—At 6-4, 215, Hill ran a 4.31 and left scouts asking: Is Hill the next Calvin Johnson? Hill was hidden in a wishbone offense at Tech.
A.J. Jenkins of Illinois—Beep, beep at 4.37.
Kashif Moore of UConn—Vertical jump of 43½ on legs that ran a 4.41.
Derek Moye of Penn State—Tall and athletic receiver. "He's my sleeper," a scout said.
Chris Owusu of Stanford—Seldom healthy in college, but he ran a 4.35 and that'll get the scouts' attention.
Randle Rueben of LSU—Probably fell out of the top 10 after running 4.58.
Kendall Wright of Baylor—A 4.61 really hurt this very productive player.
Running backs
Vick Ballard of Mississippi State—Nice Senior Bowl but ran 4.6 and crashed into an electronic timer at the combine.
Lennon Creer of Louisiana Tech—Jumped up as a late addition at the Senior Bowl, but fell back down with a 4.72 and bad-hands display at the combine.
Ronnie Hillman of San Diego State—Ran 4.38, caught well. "Poor man's Maurice Jones Drew," a scout said.
Lamar Miller of Miami—One of the combine's big winners after running a 4.37.
Robert Turbin of Utah State—"Best body at the combine," a scout said.
Defensive linemen
Jake Bequette of Arkansas—Ran 4.7's and has the look of a true 3-4 outside linebacker.
Andre Branch of Clemson—Ran 4.6 and looked athletic.
Michael Brockers of LSU—A 5.4 probably dropped him out of the top 10.
Loni Fangupo of BYU—A 5.1 moved this short, squat nose tackle up draft boards.
Jaye Howard of Florida—Ran 4.79 and worked out well.
Melvin Ingram of South Carolina—His speed helps him, but teams will struggle with his height and short arms.
Ronnell Lewis of Oklahoma—He ran a 4.65 and a scout said Lewis is a solid second/third-round prospect for a 3-4 team.
Shea McLellin of Boise State—Opened eyes at the Senior Bowl and then made those eyes pop on Monday with 4.6's and good drills.
Whitney Mercilus of Illinois—Ran 4.6's and into the first round.
Nick Perry of USC—Ran 4.51 on 271 pounds. Why has he under-achieved?
Kendall Reyes of UConn—Solid postseason in every way.
Olivier Vernon of Miami—Very fluid in his drops.
Linebackers
Zach Brown of North Carolina—Ran 4.4, athletic workout.
Vontaze Burfict of Arizona State—A very bad day; ran 5.0 and didn't finish workout.
Mychal Kendricks of California—Ran 4.5's, good drills.
Luke Kuechly of Boston College—Likely to be first linebacker picked after a fast, fluid workout.
Sean Spence of Miami—His 12 reps hurt him.
Courtney Upshaw of Alabama—"I don't think he can play linebacker," a scout said following a workout in which Upshaw declined to run.
