advertisement

LeGere: 'Workout warriors' impress at NFL combine

Whether they're called "workout warriors" or "physical freaks," every year a handful of draft-eligible players force talent evaluators to sit up and take notice at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Defensive backs concluded the "Underwear Olympics" portion of the Combine with their workouts on Monday in Indianapolis. With all the numbers now in the books, several participants put up such outstanding numbers that NFL coaches and scouts will likely re-examine the grades they had on them.

Some of the most impressive numbers were posted by Georgia's 6-foot-2, 213-pound wide receiver Chris Conley. He tied for the fourth-fastest 40-yard dash, with a 4.35, had the best vertical jump (45 inches) and the second-best broad jump (11 feet, 7 inches). Conley also did 18 bench press reps of 225 pounds.

The single most amazing performance of this year's "track and field" competition was turned in by UConn's 6-foot-1, 190-pound cornerback Byron Jones. His 12-foot, 3-inch broad jump shattered the former Combine record of 11-7 and is believed to be a world record.

According to ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jones was the 10th-best cornerback, but he could move up on a lot of draft boards based on his Combine numbers. Jones, who did not run because he's still recovering from labrum surgery, also had a 44½-inch vertical jump, just a half-inch less than Conley.

This year's wide receiver class is so physically gifted that three of them ran as fast or faster than Conley's 4.35. Alabama-Birmingham's J.J. Nelson led all players with a 4.28, just .04 off Chris Johnson's all-time Combine best, and Miami's Phillip Dorsett turned in a 4.33.

West Virginia's Kevin White may have jumped ahead of Alabama's Amari Cooper as the No. 1 receiver on some boards after he ran 4.35. Cooper ran "only" a 4.42, as did Nebraska's Kenny Bell and Ohio State's Devin Smith.

But the bigger guys shouldn't be overlooked. Clemson's 6-foot-3 Vic Beasley added 11 pounds to his college playing weight of 235 yet still ran a 4.53 in the 40 (best among linebackers), had a 41-inch vertical and did 35 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, which was third among all players and best among linebackers. He was also tied for eighth among all players with a 10-foot-10 broad jump.

"Vic Beasley was great," said NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock. "He was one of the stars."

Mayock ranks Beasley as the fourth-best edge rusher in the draft behind Florida's Dante Fowler, Nebraska's Randy Gregory and Missouri's Shane Ray.

Beasley was a defensive end at Clemson but clearly showed the athleticism for outside linebacker in a 3-4 and could have placed himself on the Bears' radar with the seventh overall pick.

"The game is changing," Beasley said. "The NFL is a passing league, so you're going to need guys to be able to rush the passer."

Beasley is that guy. He had 33 career sacks, including 25 in the last two seasons.

Kentucky's Bud Dupree workout may have been even more impressive than Beasley's. He is Mayock's No. 5 edge rusher and probably locked himself into the first round in Indianapolis. After weighing in at 269 pounds, the 6-foot-4 Dupree had the Combine's third-best broad jump at 11-6, ran a 4.56 40 and had a 42-inch vertical.

He has enough size to play end in a 4-3 but could be a monster as a 3-4 outside linebacker.

• Follow Bob's Bears and NFL reports on Twitter@BobLeGere.

Connecticut defensive back Byron Jones runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Monday, Feb. 23, 2015. Associated Press
Georgia wide receiver Chris Conley runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015. Associated Press
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.