Jeff Risdon, DLD Editor
Two days of exhaustive 2014 NFL Scouting Combine coverage is in the books already, and no players have even worked out yet.
Offensive linemen, tight ends, and specialists take to the field on Saturday. Before they do, here are a few quick thoughts from weigh-ins, interviews, and other happenings around Lucas Oil Stadium.
–Johnny Manziel measured in at just under 6’ tall. This is not a surprise.
Told everyone last year that there was no way Manziel was 6'. His life-size growth chart at my son's school was barely 5'11". Big hands tho
— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) February 21, 2014
Yet his hands are the biggest of the top QBs (Manziel, Bridgewater, Bortles, Carr). Nothing has changed about how to evaluate Johnny Football. NOTHING!
–Somebody with actual common sense finally got through to A.J. McCarron. After chickening out of the Senior Bowl, in his hometown no less, McCarron had previously indicated he wasn’t going to throw in Indy either.
With valid accusations against his competitive nature flying from the NFL rafters, McCarron wisely sacked up and now will participate. That’s good, because from the games I’ve watched his arm is one of his best assets. He’s not a rifleman, but he has plenty of arm strength to handle the Combine workouts.
–It came out Friday that the Cleveland Browns had serious trade talks with the San Francisco 49ers about trading for coach Jim Harbaugh. Numerous credible sources reported that the Browns offered multiple draft picks for Harbaugh, an Ohio native who is unhappy with his current pay situation in San Francisco.
Too many people I trust are telling the same story for this to not have major credibility. Harbaugh likes to hear his name and have his ego stroked, and this is the sort of stroking that normally lies behind an age-verification wall on the internet.
This helps explain some of the uncomfortable delay the Browns went through in finding a new coach. It also lends credence to the notion that the team “settled” for Mike Pettine, which is not a ringing endorsement of the new head man. Fans were already underwhelmed by their topsy-turvy organization hiring a relative unknown with the needle-moving power of a sand flea. Now they’ll look at Harbaugh at wonder what could have been. Wait til next year, Cleveland; I know you know that song…
–My unabated football man crush of draft season, Colorado State center Weston Richburg weighed in at just 298 pounds, which is lighter than ideal. He weighed 300 even at the Senior Bowl and looked fairly maxed out in terms of muscle mass. His 33 3/8” arms are on the lower end of acceptable too.
He’s still very high on my wish list for the Lions in the third round. In fact, coming in under 300 pounds might actually help him fall to that point. It doesn’t change what he offers, though it does show some limitations in terms of handling massive 0-technique nose tackles.
–Another center from the Senior Bowl is Utah State’s Tyler Larsen, and he did not do well at the weights and measurements department in Mobile. He didn’t in Indy either.
Larsen has just 31 ¼” arms, which is very short for a 6’4” man. He’s still at a relatively sloppy 313 pounds too. Many guys can carry that weight just fine on their frames, but Larsen doesn’t; he looks like a man who should top out at about 275 and all the rest is just excessive weight. His performance in agility drills will be critical to salvaging even draftable status.
–If you’re looking for a “winner” in the wide receiver measurements, look no further than Clemson’s other wideout, Martavis Bryant. He came in at 6’4”, 211 pounds, 9 ½” hands, and almost 33” arms. He looks like the kind of athlete who can withstand taking a big hit across the middle. I’ve been told to get excited when he does the broad and vertical jumps, too.
–Sammy Watkins was a hair over 6 feet and also 211 pounds. His arms were within a ¼” of Bryant’s however, which is pretty impressive considering he’s 4 inches shorter. His hands were actually bigger at 9 5/8”. Being that short, relatively speaking, could give some teams pause if they want Watkins as their #1 receiver. That’s not a problem in Detroit, though, because for the Lions he’s a clear-cut second banana to Calvin Johnson. I still think the odds of him falling to #10 are about as good as Tim Tebow getting “Ozzy” tattooed on his knuckles.
–One player I’ve been advised to become more aware of from a trusted Lions source is USC tight end Xavier Grimble. He measured in at 6’4” and 257 pounds, with close to the biggest hands of any tight end in Indy. He’s not going to tear up the track, but this source told me the Lions have spent quite a bit of time evaluating his game. Keep an eye on Colorado State’s Crockett Gillmore too, because he definitely had the eyes of the Lions during Shrine Week practice.