My Impressions of Some OL Prospects at the NFL Combine

[KI Skins Fan]

I spent some time looking at live Combine workouts of Offensive Linemen on nfl.com. Based on that and other information I picked up about them over time, I’m going to share my impressions of some players with you and I’m looking forward to reading yours, as well. Please understand that I didn’t see everybody who you might think is a top prospect. I’m only commenting on those who I saw workout.

OT

Jason Smith (6-5 309 Baylor) and Eugene Monroe (6-5 309 Virginia) looked great in their workouts. Of course, we don’t have a snowball’s chance of drafting one of these studs.

Just a small step down from the top two were Eben Britton (6-6 309 Arizona) and Jason Watkins (6-6 318 Florida). Britton has very short arms, so he might not be the RT candidate for us but Watkins has good measurables and he looks like a talent to me. Watkins might be a good pick in Round 3.

Michael Oher (6-5 309 Mississippi) and Fenuki Tupou (6-5 314 Oregon) did not look good to me. Tupou did not seem to be very quick or to have good balance. Oher didn’t seem to be trying very hard.

OG

Duke Robinson (6-5 329 Oklahoma) stands head and shoulders above the rest of the Guards, IMO. He is amazingly quick and agile for such a massive man and there were no surprises with him. He’s as big as expected, he runs as well as expected, etc. I’d love to see him in B&G.

Surprisingly, there were two late round OG’s whose workouts were nearly as good as Duke’s. They were Matt Slauson (6-5 316 Nebraska) and Seth Olsen (6-5 306 Iowa). Slauson didn’t run or lift, so his pro day should be important for him. Olson only did 23 reps on the bench which seems to me to be unimpressive for an OG. He ran well, though. Anyway, they are just a couple of players who might be able to play down the road, if drafted.

Another Guard impressed me for a reason other than his workout because, frankly, he didn’t work out that well. He is Kraig Urbik (6-5 328 Wisconsin). Kraig is coming back from knee surgery and he really toughed it out in the drills. He also has good size and strength and is well regarded by the scouts. He could drop in the draft and turn out to be a steal for some team.

OC

Eric Wood (6-4 310 Louisville) is a man! He had a great workout. He’s fast and quick and he has very long arms. He also did 30 reps on the bench at the combine. He looked like a first-rate prospect.

Max Unger (6-5 309 Oregon) also shined in drills but he only did 22 bench reps at the combine. Other than the bench reps, there’s a lot to like about him as a prospect. Scouts say that he can play any position on the line. That’s a valuable commodity.

That’s all, folks!