Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Review of Clemson Players at the NFL Combine


The NFL Combine finished up yesterday and Clemson had 7 players participate so I'll review how they all did (Hint: Vic Beasley owned).

Stephone Anthony, ILB
40 Time: 4.56 seconds*
Bench Press: 23 reps at 225 lbs
Vertical: 37"
Broad: 122"
3 Cone Drill: 7.07 seconds
20 Yard Shuffle: 4.03 seconds* 
Teams are really starting to notice Anthony. He's all over the field, really fast for a linebacker, and can drop into coverage. Click on the link above to NFL.com for full analysis, but I think Anthony definitely helped his draft stock at the combine. He's a great leader, and a hell of a football player. I see him being taken in the second round somewhere. One guy on NFL.com actually had the Packers taking him in the first round which would be pretty sick.

Tavaris Barnes, DE
40 Time: 4.80 seconds
Bench Press: 22 reps at 225 lbs
Barnes never started for Clemson but he was part of the best defense in the country in 2014 and physically, he looks like an NFL talent. I think a lot of teams are skeptical about him because he still hasn't played that much. I bet someone will take a chance on him in the sixth or seventh round.

Vic Beasley, DE/OLB
40 Time: 4.53 seconds*
Bench Press: 35 reps at 225 lbs*
Vertical: 41"*
Broad: 130"*
3 Cone Drill: 6.91 seconds*
20 Yard Shuffle: 4.15 seconds*
The guy is a freak. He got stars on NFL.com in ALL those categories. Tied for the fastest DL/LB 40 time. Tied most bench press reps of ANY defender. Tied for best vertical among DL/LB. And the others were impressive as well. Listen, I've been saying for a while that Vic Beasley is a freak. Because he is. He completely owned the NFL Combine and made as strong a case as anyone to be a top 10 pick. Some project him in the top 10, some project him in the 20s. He'll definitely be a first round pick because he's just so god damn athletic, and because he's an excellent pass rusher. He's gotta work on his run defense, but he'll still be a first rounder. (LOL at me saying he's solid against the run in my 2014 preview. I didn't really know shit, other than that Vic is a great pass rusher. Just assumed he was good against the run too. But not really.)

Corey Crawford, DE
40 Time: 5.01 seconds
Vertical: 33"
Broad: 110"
3 Cone Drill: 7.64 seconds
20 Yard Shuffle: 4.65 seconds
Crawford is a big dude but he didn't do great in any of the measurable drills at the combine, and there are plenty of big guys who did a lot better than he did. Crawford has the experience that Barnes doesn't at DE, but he's kinda in the same situation. Physically speaking, he's a guy teams would want at DE, but teams aren't sure what kind of toughness he brings to the table. I'd put him in the same category as Barnes. Probably a seventh round pick, if he gets drafted.

Grady Jarrett, NT
40 Time: 5.06 seconds
Bench Press: 30 reps at 225 lbs
Vertical: 31"
Broad: 112"
3 Cone Drill: 7.37 seconds
20 Yard Shuffle: 4.56 seconds
Grady Jarrett is one hell of a football player. He's incredibly athletic considering his size (even though he's pretty small for a NT). That'll either help or hurt his draft stock. I don't know if teams will want him because of his athleticism or won't want him because he's undersized at the position. Either way, he is TREMENDOUS against the run, and I think that'll be enough to make him a third or fourth round pick.

Garry Peters, CB
40 Time: 4.61 seconds
Bench Press: 7 reps at 225 lbs
Vertical: 32.5"
Broad: 119"
3 Cone Drill: 6.80 seconds
20 Yard Shuffle: 4.00 seconds
60 Yard Shuffle: 11.10 seconds*
Garry Peters really turned into a solid CB for Clemson. Hasn't allowed a touchdown pass in the last two seasons which is pretty unreal. He's a small guy (only 191 lbs) but you don't have to be big to be a good cornerback. I think he'll end up a lot like Bashaud Breeland last year. I'd say Peters is a fifth round pick, but has a chance to be a starter if he can do well in multiple schemes.

Bradley Pinion, P
Screw you Bradley Pinion. Have you ever heard of a punter leaving early to go to the NFL? Yeah, me neither...Until now. Pinion wasn't even that good. I mean he was a solid punter, but not "leave school early" good. Undrafted free agent tryout is all he'll get. Maybe he'll make a team, maybe he won't. 







(All reports in combine profiles from Lance Zierlein on NFL.com)

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