2011 Combine Watch List

Everyone has their own preference when it comes to scouting players. The combine is when we get to put the 300 invited players in the same place and judge them side by side. For myself, I know there will be some workout warriors who stand out, and those are the players everyone talks about, but I have my few players I'm interested in keeping an eye on. These are players I think are in the running to be drafted by the Jaguars. Here's my watch list.

Adrian Clayborn: Those who've been following my draft ramblings know that I'm a big fan of Clayborn. The big guy makes my face hurt, because as soon as I put on game tape and saw his burst off the line, my jaw hit the floor. He is 6-4 285, which will probably be a little bit over his playing weight, but his first step is incredible. For a guy that big to toast quality, 1st round OT's off the edge (I'm looking at you Gabe Carimi), I'm way impressed. My guess is he'll run in the 4.7 range and bench over 20 times. The guy is a vicious tackler also. He can improve in the run game, but he's gonna shock some people with his physical skills. I'm starting to fear that he won't be available once we get to #16.

Christian Ponder: This is an obvious one. All he needs to do is prove that his arm is at full strength and he'll jump way up people's draft boards. He has good enough size to see over his line, and his intelligence and pocket awareness are at least top 3 among the QBs coming out this season. This week will go a long way towards determining if Ponder will find himself wearing teal next year.

Justin Houston: A lot of people see him as a potential riser. He's 6'3 and about 260 according to the NFL.com combine site, which labels him at least for now as a tweener. I'm not sure he has the frame to add more than about ten pounds, and while he's solid at the POA, he's not spectacular. I don't think he'll end up a Jaguar, but he could make a run up draft boards pretty quick this week due to his great pass rush skills. Probably more of a 3-4 guy.

Titus Young: Young's 40 time will ultimately decide his fate. If he runs in the 4.3's, he'll likely be a second round pick. If he's in the mid 4.4's, he'll slide to the middle of the third round easy. If he made it down to the third, I think he's a quality deep threat and I could see the Jags ignoring his combine numbers and snagging him.

Nathan Enderle: Here's my surprise guy. I know, I know, Enderle? But hear me out. He's 6'4 240, mobile but not a running QB, is very accurate in the short and intermediate passing game, and he'll probably last until the 4th or 5th round depending on how well he throws in QB drills. He's smart, and the clear leader of his team, he played in a pro-style offense, but his numbers were iffy because his offensive line was made up of a bunch of 6 year old girls. Yeah, that bad. I know some of you might not like this comparison, but he reminds me a lot of Garrard, and I think he'd be good value.

Prince Amukamara: If he's gonna fall in this draft (which I don't think he will) it will be because of his forty time this week. I've got my fingers crossed that Prince A runs a 4.5 and slips to 16. He's faster than that on tape, and he was treated like Darelle Revis 2.0 in Nebraska's defense and held his own. By the way, would anyone be opposed to calling him "Kid A" if we draft him? I'm on a serious Radiohead kick this month.

Andy Dalton: I'm pro-Dalton. I want to see him throw at the combine. If his arm is as solid as I think it is, he'd be an absolute steal in the 2nd round. Very smart QB. Gutty, shows good leadership skills, very motivated. All in all, a Gene kind of guy Maybe not the upside that Ponder has, but still could be a starter in a few years when Garrards time is up.

Who knows if any of these guys will be drafted by the Jaguars. I certainly don't. I didn't really list any LB's or O-linemen, because those guys really need to be looked at for their physicality I'd say more than their measurables. As many as 3 of these guys could be Jaguars (fingers crossed for Clayborn, Ponder, Young) or zero could end up being picked. Still, these are players I will definitely have my eye on this week.