Combine Results

I made five wagers on this year's Combine. How did I do?

The Prop: Fastest 40 Time: 4.31 seconds
The Pick: Under -115
The Rationale: Four words - Jacoby Ford / Trindon Holliday. World-class sprinters.

The Result: WIN - Jacoby Ford ran a 4.28


The Prop: Player to Record the Faster 40 Yard Dash at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine
-115 Dexter McCluster (Ole Miss)
-115 Golden Tate (Notre Dame)
The Pick: Dexter McCluster
The Rationale: Tate lacks top end speed which will hold him from being a very high draft pick (his hands are unquestioned). McCluster makes his money with speed and quickness. To me, this seems like easiest pick on the board.

The Result: LOSS - Tate made himself a lot of money at the Combine posting a 4.42 40. McCluster came in at a pedestrian 4.58.


The Prop: Most repetitions on the bench press (225 pounds): 38.5
The Pick: Over: -115
The Rationale: Every year since 2003, there has been at least one player to pop 39 or more. I'm counting on Idaho G Mike Iupati to deliver this year. He's from American Samoa. He's a beast.

The Result: WIN - Mitch Petrus posted 45 reps, Jeff Owens 44, and Linval Joseph 39.


The Prop: Will any offensive lineman run the 40 in under 5.02 seconds?
The Pick: Yes -110
The Rationale: Charles Brown (see below) or Jared Veldheer should get the job done.

The Result: WIN - Bruce Campbell, Trent Williams, and Michael Newhouse all posted 40s under 5.02 seconds.


The Prop: Player to Record More Reps on Bench Press at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine
-110 Dan Williams
-120 Terrence Cody
The Pick: Dan Williams
The Rationale: This is what Terrence Cody

The Result: N/A - Cody did not bench at the Combine. Williams put up 27 reps.


Overall: 3-1-1. I'll take that any day.


I also advised people to watch out for these eight individuals who would surprise. What are the pundits saying after Indy:

OLB Dekoda Watson, Florida State: Sporting News Today:
Watson, who has been flying under the radar, stepped up and helped himself. Not only was he quick and explosive in the 40 - he ran in the high 4.5s - but he showed the same quickness and explosiveness, along with smooth and fluid athleticism throughout the workout. he should move up draft boards.

Verdict: CORRECT


OT Bruce Campbell, Maryland: Todd McShay (ESPN):
Campbell has become the top workout warrior of the 2010 class...[he] ran an official 4.85-second 40-yard dash, turned in a 32-inch vertical jump and put up 34 repetitions on the standard 225-pound bench press...this showing proves that Campbell is blessed with rare physical tools and should make him a lock to come off the board in the bottom half of Round 1.

Verdict: CORRECT


OT Charles Brown, USC: I could not find anyone that said something positive or negative about Brown's performance.

Verdict: N/A


QB Jevan Snead, Ole Miss: Don Banks (Sports Illustrated):
Maybe Ole Miss junior quarterback Jevan Snead knew what he was doing after all in coming out early this year. Snead had a strong workout Sunday afternoon and the accuracy and strength of his passes provided the highlight among the quarterbacks who threw. Snead might have positioned himself nicely for a third-round grade coming out of Indy.

Verdict: CORRECT


WR Arrelious Benn, Illinois: Steve Muench (Scouts, Inc.):
Illinois WR Arrelious Benn's 40-yard dash time came in under 4.5 seconds, and Benn also is showing strong hands and swallowing up the ball. He did look a bit tight in the hips and didn't catch every ball during the gauntlet drill, but overall it's a strong showing. He also posted 20 reps on the bench, tops among WRs.

Verdict: CORRECT


WR Emmanuel Sanders, SMU: ESPN:
Sanders...an emerging sleeper... tied for the second-best 40 among wideouts with a 4.41. He also finished in the top five in both the vertical (39.5) and broad jumps (10-6). He lacks ideal size (5-10⅞, 186) but shows the initial burst, explosiveness and hands to develop into a dangerous slot receiver at the next level. Sanders could come off the board as early as Round 3.

Verdict: CORRECT


CB Joe Haden, Florida: Meunch:
Haden ran a pair of disappointing 40-yard dash times Tuesday morning, clocking 4.57 and 4.58 seconds...based on his game film, we had felt confident he would come in somewhere in the low-4.4 range...this time will affect Haden's draft stock.

Verdict: WRONG


S Larry Asante, Nebraska: McShay:
Finally, the safety that appeared to lose the most ground during his trip to Indy is Nebraska's Larry Asante. He clocked a pair of unofficial times in the mid-4.6 range and also looked tight during the majority of the defensive back drills. Our recent film studies of Asante were a bit disappointing recently, and his underwhelming performance here only confirms our assertion that he belongs on Day 3.

Verdict: WRONG


I hit on five, missed badly on two, and one failed to register which qualifies as a loss. I'll take 5-3.


Lastly, Sergio "The Amazon Freak" Kindle posted a 4.65 40 and was "impressive" and "fluid" according to Muench.

McShay also called him "chiseled" which was one of the three things necessary for this nickname to stick.

Mike Mayock, the renowned NFL Draft expert, "He's every bit as good, if not better than (Pro Bowl rookie Brian) Orakpo, who had a very good year."