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NFL Scouting Combine: The
Return Home
By: Nicholas Minnix, KFFL.com
2/26/08
The
doctors are ... in.
KFFL
managing editor Cory J. Bonini and I returned to the office today after
a
whirlwind of a weekend at the NFL Scouting Combine. The flight home
wasn't
nearly as much of an ordeal as the one heading out, but that doesn't
mean I'll
spare you some of the details. They won't be complaints, either.
First,
on to some final thoughts about the combine itself. The NFL did another
fine
job hosting, I'd say. It's tough to complain about any facets the event
when
you try to put order to chaos. Players are available when they're
available, if
they're available. It'd be nice to watch workouts, but with the way the
league
controls things nowadays, the opportunity to talk to the players in the
setting
we get is acceptable.
Defensive
backs, along with a few leftovers from other positions, hit the podiums
and
tables Sunday. Among the "leftovers" was Louisiana
State
defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, about whom pundits are expressing their
doubts
as his injury history becomes a bigger topic of concern. Other notables
were
up-and-coming Tennessee State
cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and what seems to be the
consensus top
safety, University of Miami
(Fla.) free safety Kenny
Phillips.
Dorsey
said that he had no plans to work out at the combine because he missed
training
time after his grandmother passed away. (Condolences to the Dorsey
clan.) He
fractured his tibia before his junior season and dealt with a knee
injury that
limited him a bit this past season. As he says, though, he hasn't
missed a game
since he arrived at LSU. During his junior season, he wasn't even aware
that he
had sustained the tibia fracture.
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Teams
can never be too careful, and tests taken this past weekend will tell
the whole
story, but Dorsey doesn't appear to have lingering health issues. It
shouldn't
be a worry to a team like the St. Louis Rams, who pick second. That's
assuming
the Miami Dolphins go in a different direction, with someone like Chris
Long,
the defensive end from the University
of Virginia, who might
better fit the defense Miami
plans to run. Meanwhile, Dorsey to the Rams would
allow the club to move defensive tackle Adam Carriker to right end,
where he's
a better asset. At 6-foot-6, he's so tall that interior linemen easily
get
leverage on him. At end, he can use his 308 pounds to overpower an
offensive
tackle, and he could merely kick a chipping back out of the way like a
yapping
chihuahua. Carriker's strength is defending the run, but he can be
somewhat of
a pass-rushing force lined up next to Dorsey, who can collapse a pocket.
St. Louis needs
to generate a pass rush, and I believe
drafting Dorsey gives them the best chance to accomplish that in the
long term.
This year there are a number of intriguing threats at the rush end
spot.
Defensive end Leonard Little (toe) should return to full strength this
year,
but he turns 34 this season. If the Rams take Dorsey and use a later
pick on a
future replacement for Little, I think you're setting yourself up with
a pretty
mean defensive line.
Switching
gears (and taking a trip in the time machine), I made pretty clear my
stance on
University of Oregon running back Jonathan Stewart in my blog Saturday.
I
wanted to add that, for fantasy purposes, Stewart seems to be the
better bet as
well. Now, a ton will depend on where each of these players go. If
University
of Arkansas running back Darren McFadden heads to the Oakland Raiders,
the
fantasy potential is large there after the way they picked up the
increasingly
popular zone-blocking scheme. Stewart to the, say, New York Jets would
be a
fantasy nightmare. The point I wanted to make: Stewart has the kind of
game and
frame that fantasy owners would be able to count on for consistent
points.
McFadden has the fantasy makings of New Orleans Saints running back
Reggie Bush
- a dazzling 37 fantasy points one week, followed by nine the next.
As
for details of the trip home: Only minor delays this time, you'll be
happy to
hear. Flight time for both legs was less than estimated, though, so
they
weren't even noticeable. And we couldn't have picked a better flight
for the
first leg. We shared a plane with several draft prospects and assistant
coaches. Todd Haley, offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals,
stopped
me as I was boarding US Airways Flight 399. "You're one of those KFFL
guys. I see our guys on your site all the time." That's right, Todd,
and
it was a pleasure to meet you, for sure; at our layover in Phoenix, I
made it a
point to run into new San Diego Chargers receivers coach (and former
Chargers
great) Charlie Joiner, as well.
All
in all, it was an enjoyable trip to Indy. Beaten-down and bleary-eyed,
we now
return to our regularly scheduled lives. I guess you could say the same
for all
of those draft prospects, too, except that their lives aren't normal,
and many
of them will be cashing much fatter paychecks this summer.
The 2008
NFL Scouting Combine has offered much to
talk about this year. The league's annual meat market has players
finding
themselves poked and prodded to the hilt, but let's take a look at who
stood
out for right or wrong.
NFL
Scouting Combine:
Day 4 Tidbits
NFL
Scouting Combine:
Day 3 Tidbits
NFL
Scouting Combine:
Day 3
NFL
Scouting Combine:
Day 2 Tidbits
NFL
Scouting Combine:
Day 2
NFL
Scouting Combine:
Day 1 Tidbits
NFL
Scouting Combine:
Day 1
Michael
Abromowitz's 2008 NFL Mock
Draft
Gregory
Cox's 2008
NFL Mock Draft
Joey Bures'
2008
NFL Mock Draft
Paul
Eide's 2008 NFL
Mock Draft
Jared
Donnelly's 2008 NFL Mock
Draft
Mock
Draft Database
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