The media portion of the combine is over and now it's time to once again begin overhyping every 40 time that was quicker than expected. I'm in the camp that says the combine is an overrated event, at least in terms of what the ESPN talking heads make it out to be. Granted, we don't get to see or hear much about the interviews, which is the part of the event that is worth their figurative weight in gold. Either way, there were a few interesting developements during the combine.
Although the media portion of the event is technically over, the biggest shocker came this morning. Alabama LB Rolando McClain will not be participating in any drills at the combine and will wait for his Pro Day. This is huge as several teams, including the Jaguars, had questions about McClain's speed.
Another interesting thing about McClain was this quote
"I played a 4-3 in high school and 3-4 under Coach Saban. I'm a lot better in the 3-4, but Saban's defense is known for being good. But yes, I was better in the 3-4 defense."
With the Jaguars committed to running a 4-3, would they still take McClain despite his apparent desire to play in a 3-4? Either way, I don't believe he did himself any favors with the Jaguars by skipping out on the Combine on short notice.
With all of the big name quarterbacks sitting out of the combine, it provided an oppurtunity for the other quarterbacks to make a name for themselves. However, as was the case in the Senior Bowl, the results with a resounding meh.
Tony Pike and Jevan Snead may have all of the physical tools, but they weren't all that accuarate with various passes. The same can be said of West Virginia's Jarrett Brown.
Also, after watching some tape, why was Armanti Edwards ever allowed to do the QB drills? I appreciate the competitiveness but it's clear he's a WR/Returner prospect right now.
Golden Tate just made himself several million more dollars because of this combine. The Notre Dame WR ran a surprising 4.42 40 time and did 17 reps on the bench press. Between his performance and Dez Bryant's continuial slide down prima donna lane, Tate may end up being the first WR taken in the draft.
Another linebacker the Jaguars were interested in who has been participating in the drills was Florida LB Brandon Spikers. Perhaps he should've follow McClain's lead as all of the reports about him have been negative so far. The comments on twitter are saying how stiff he has been looking in coverage drills, how disappointing his bench reps were, and how slow his 40 time was. Say Goodbye to Round 1 Mr.Spikes?
For more thoughts on the combine, and the draft in general, check out BCC Radio tomorrow night. Dan from Mocking the Draft will be on to discuss everything that's been going down.