2012 NFL Draft
Justin Blackmon Needs To Impress At The 2012 NFL Scouting Combine
While many stop watches and clipboards at this year's 2012 NFL Scouting Combine year will be focused on quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, the person who stands to gain the most is Oklahoma St. wide receiver Justin Blackmon.
Many saw Blackmon's dominant performance against Stanford's secondary in the 2012 Fiesta Bowl to the tune of eight receptions for 186 yards and three touchdowns.
If that wasn't enough, then two seasons worth of catches (232), yards (3,304), and awards (two Biletnikoffs) should be enough to convince scouts that the kid can produce.
The final piece to Blackmon's résumé is the Combine, in particular his timed 40-yard dash.
2012 NFL Combine begins today
The 2012 NFL Scouting Combine begins today in Indianapolis with offensive linemen, tight ends and special teamers checking in for registration and medical checks. It's the start of six days of poking, prodding and questioning from both teams and the media. (Full schedule here)
Drills don't start until Saturday and begin airing at 9 a.m. on NFL Network. (Full NFL Network schedule here, work out breakdown here) But before those drills start, there will be plenty going on. The first group of players (OL, ST, TE) will meet with the media on Thursday.
Friday morning at 9 a.m., the draft fate of four teams will be determined by the flip of a coin inside a downtown hotel. The Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins will flip for picks eight and nine while the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks flip for picks 11 and 12.
Throughout the week, we'll be providing you with breaking news from the floor of Lucas Oil Stadium. Tonight I'll put up a Combine hub page to follow for easy access to links and more. Also, make sure you're following me on Twitter for even more.
Updated pre-Combine 2012 NFL Draft top 100
After the position rankings were updated this week, the top 100 had to match up. Find the top 100 after the jump (or here) and let me know what you think. If you've been coming to the site throughout this draft year, not a lot should catch you off guard.
When I put these together, they start as position groups and I pick from the top of each. As always, rankings are not necessarily an indicator of where a player will be drafted. Have your own top 100? Put it in a Fan Post. Look for this list to reach 150 or 200 before the draft. Note and report links will be added after I return from the Combine next week. See the positional rankings here:
QB | RB | FB | WR | TE | OT | G | C | DE | DT | OLB | MLB | CB | FS | SS
Small School Transfers making an impact in April's Draft
Although people are very quick to write off a small school player, they sometimes forget to think about where the player was before the small school. A great example of that is North Alabama, this year alone. North Alabama is a roster that is filled up with guys that came from other schools. When Terry Bowden went to North Alabama in 2009 tons of players followed him. Yes, maybe some had issues with grades or run ins with the law, but Bowden helped build the roster up with solid players, coming in from NC State, Florida, Florida State and Georgia.
What people tend to realize is that when a player has a run-in with the law or is dismissed from a school for grades, they can still transfer to another school. Yes, a player can transfer to a Division 1 school, but that player would have to sit out the entire upcoming season, but if a player transferred to a school such as an FCS school, he could immediately begin playing with that team.
So here is a list of players that transferred to small schools, after something caused them to leave whether it had been grades, run in’s with the law or anything else.
NFL Combine: With top QBs not throwing, Brock Osweiler could shine
The stage is set for Arizona State quarterback Brock Osweiler to steal this year's NFL Scouting Combine.
Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Ryan Tannehill, widely regarded as the top three quarterbacks in the 2012 NFL Draft, won't be throwing at the Combine. Luck and Griffin, secured top five picks, don't have to throw and Tannehill continues to rehab his foot. That leaves the door open for a quarterback to shine in Indianapolis during work outs Sunday.
Based solely on his natural ability, that player could Osweiler. We know Osweiler has the size and arm strength. What's uncertain is his accuracy. Throwing largely to receivers he doesn't have a rapport, Osweiler could help himself with a good showing. If he's on the mark and throwing with velocity, Osweiler's stock could go up considerably with so many teams needing a quarterback.
The Scouting Combine is just one part of the process. For Osweiler, it's the biggest after his game tape. Do well in Indianapolis and Osweiler could be this year's Christian Ponder or Jake Locker and hear his named called in the first round.
Also see:
Tale of the Tape: Osweiler vs. USC
Tuesday NFL Draft links to click
Yahoo! Sports - The Shutdown 50: #49 - Rueben Randle, WR, LSU
We continue this year's series with LSU receiver Rueben Randle. The high-school standout quarterback and receiver was approached by many colleges, but chose to stay close to home. He improved in each of his three years with the Tigers, but really broke out in 2011 after a 125-yard performance against Alabama in 2010 set him on the path.
Akron Beacon Journal - Examining Browns' needs as they prepare for the NFL Scouting Combine
Tom Heckert’s film study of draft prospects inevitably trumps their ability to run, jump or do anything else at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Baylor wisely changes pro day date to March 21
NFL scouts and talent evaluators will no longer have to split their interest on March 22 to attend both the Baylor and Stanford pro days. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Baylor will now hold its pro day on March 21 at 9 a.m.
The move will lead to more NFL eyes on Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III and other Baylor prospects. If Griffin is to overtake Stanford's Andrew Luck as the top pick in the draft (however unlikely that is), his chances have now greatly increased.
The move may also impact the NFL Scouting Combine, which starts this week in Indianapolis. Because there will likely be more scouts and evaluators at the Baylor pro day, Griffin may now choose to not throw at the Combine. There have yet to be indications on what Griffin will do at the Combine. See below for Luck's plans.
If you haven't already, make sure to read Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback today. He talks with Luck and Griffin's college coaches, but not necessarily about their play on the field.
Report: Teams Told Andrew Luck Not To Throw At 2012 Scouting Combine, And So He Won't
Some dude named Andrew Luck will undoubtedly be the No. 1 overall pick at the 2012 NFL Draft. Despite Luck's de facto standing as the top pick, the Stanford standout was reportedly willing to conduct throwing drills for scouts at the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this week.
However, word on the street is Luck will not throw, and the reason he will not throw is that some teams (aka, the Indianapolis Colts) told him not to. Luck complied with their wishes.
Here's the Indianapolis Star's Bob Kravitz:
Andrew Luck was willing to throw for teams (Colts) at the combine, but was told by teams (Colts) just to throw at pro day March 22.
— BobKravitz (@bkravitz) February 18, 2012
Luck reportedly will participate in the non-throwing drills, like the 40-yard dash. Baylor's Robert Griffin III and Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill also will not throw in Indianapolis, but Michigan State's Kirk Cousins reportedly will.
Luck is still scheduled to throw at his Pro Day on March 22nd, the same day Baylor is scheduled to have their Pro Day.
[UPDATE] As reported by Dan, Baylor has VERY wisely changed their Pro Day date to March 21st.
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