The drills for the NFL Combine kicked off on Saturday with the offensive linemen and tight ends. Here are a few links you can look at for a recap of what went down:
- Offensive Linemen Group One Report (Mocking the Draft)
- Offensive Linemen Group Two Report (Mocking the Draft)
- Offensive Linemen: Risers and Fallers (Sports Illustrated)
- NFL Combine Tracker for Official Measures (NFL.com)
The big story of the day was the fact that Matt Kalil solidified his position at the top of the draft board. He ran a 4.99 40-time officially, and was solid in the 10-yard split, cone drill, and bench press. With all of the rave reviews he is getting, can the Rams really move out of the No. 2 spot to pass on him? Maybe they can...if they strike a deal with Cleveland, and still get Kalil at No. 4 overall. Another lineman who showed surprising speed was Cordy Glenn, a 345-pound lineman who unofficially had a 4.96 time in the 40-yard dash. The same was true for Adam Gettis of Iowa, who looked very quick in all of his drills but is considered a mid-round pick. The fastest overall time seemed to go to Donald Stephenson of Oklahoma, who notched a 4.94 40-time.
Michigan center David Molk led the bench press class with 41 reps, but Wisconsin center Peter Konz disappointed with just 18 reps. How these numbers affect their draft position remains to be seen; prior to this, Molk was expected to be a mid-round pick, while Konz had first-round potential.
Riley Reiff and David DeCastro also solidified their spots as first-round prospects with impressive performances. One of the most crushing stories you can hear is that a prospect tears his pectoral while doing the bench press portion of the combine. Ouch.
When it came to tight ends, Orson Charles decided not to run in what our Mocking the Draft affiliate deems a "puzzling move." They expected him to be the only tight end considered being taken in round one. Here is a recap of the top tight end measurables, but that's a position I don't expect the Browns to go after since they drafted Jordan Cameron last year and have enough players on the depth chart already.