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Buckeyes, Bengals, Browns prep for NFL Scouting Combine
Jay Morrison, Dayton Daily News, Ohio (TNS)
Just when you thought football season was over, it all revs up again this week with the NFL Scouting Combine.
The league has invited 333 of the top draft prospects to Indianapolis, where will be poked and prodded by doctors, evaluated in on-field drills by scouts and coaches and interviewed by media members and team personnel over a four-day period.
It all gets underway today with the arrival of the first group of players.
Here are five things to know about this year’s NFL Scouting Combine:
1. Buckeye bunch: Fourteen Ohio State players have been invited to the Combine, which is the most from any school in the country.
Notre Dame is second with 10, while Alabama and UCLA each have nine.
The 14 Buckeyes scheduled to attend are cornerbacks Eli Apple and Vonn Bell, defensive end Joey Bosa, offensive tackle Taylor Decker, running back Ezekiel Elliott, quarterback Cardale Jones, linebackers Darron Lee and Joshua Perry, wide receivers Braxton Miller, Jalin Marshall and Michael Thomas, safety Tyvis Powell, tight end Nick Vannett and defensive tackle Adolphus Washington.
If all 14 are drafted, it will tie the Ohio State record set in 2004. That class was highlighted by first-rounders Will Smith, Chris Gamble and Michael Jenkins.
2. Local lads: In addition to Miller (Wayne) and Marshall (Middletown), there are two other Combine invitees who played their high school ball in the Dayton area.
North Carolina State offensive tackle Joe Thurney went to Alter, and Alabama center Ryan Kelly attended Lakota West.
NFL.com analyst Mike Mayock has Kelley ranked as the top center available in this year’s draft.
3. Receiver replacement: While it’s impossible to know exactly how free agency will play out for the Cincinnati Bengals, three of their 14 unrestricted free agents play wide receiver.
There’s almost no chance the team brings back both Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu, so with little proven depth behind them, the position figures to be one the team will address in the draft if it doesn’t find a replacement or two in free agency.
It’s worth noting, however, that only twice in the Marvin Lewis era have the Bengals drafted a wide receiver in the first two rounds. They struck gold with one (A.J. Green, first round 2011), but pretty much whiffed on the other (Jerome Simpson, second round 2008).
Receiver is one of the deepest position groups in the draft, so Lewis and new offensive coordinator Ken Zampese will be scouring the entire group of 43 hoping to find more late-round gems like Jones (fifth round) and Sanu (third).
4. Quarterback quest: The Cleveland Browns have made it clear they are ready to cut ties with embattled quarterback Johnny Manziel, which means they will be locked in on the quarterbacks at the Combine.
Of the 18 quarterbacks invited to the Combine, three are projected to be first-rounders – California’s Jared Goff, North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz and Memphis’ Paxton Lynch.
While it’s not uncommon for quarterbacks to skip the on-field workouts at the Combine and instead go through the drills at their college’s pro day, the Browns will have plenty to evaluate in Indianapolis.
New head coach Hue Jackson obviously will be looking for a strong, accurate arm, but he also wants to find a high-character guy who is smart enough to handle his multiple formations and someone who can be a fiery, high-motor reflection of himself on the field.
The sit-down interviews the quarterbacks will have with Jackson, executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown and chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta will be heavily weighted given that it’s a quarterback crop without a clear-cut No. 1 prospect.
5. The schedule: The players begin arriving today for what will be a four-day whirlwind.
The first day involves registration, hospital pre-exams and X-rays, orientation and team interviews. On the second day they will have their measurements recorded, go through more medical exams and do media and team interviews.
The third day features an NFLPA meeting, psychological testing, the bench press and more team interviews. Then it all wraps up on the fourth day with their on-field workouts.
The players are separated into four arrival groupings. The running backs, offensive linemen and specialists arrive today; followed by the quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends Wednesday; the defensive linemen and linebackers Wednesday; and the defensive backs Thursday.
For viewing purposes, the NFL Network will air live press conferences from each team’s head coach and general manager on Wednesday and Thursday before switching to the on-field workouts Friday through Sunday.
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