NFL Combine 2014: Winners and losers of the weekend

The 2014 NFL Combine is in the books and with all the numbers for the 40-yard dashes, vertical jumps, bench presses and other drills recorded, it's time to see who finished favorably and who didn't do so well:

Winners

Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina: It shouldn't have been shocking to anyone that Clowney is bigger and faster than most, but with an insanely high bar to reach, he somehow lived up to those lofty expectations. Don't worry so much about the 21 bench press reps, he more than made up for that by showing tremendous explosiveness for an athlete of his size. While his 40-yard dash nearly snuck into the 4.4 range and dominated most of the Combine headlines, his broad and vertical jump numbers may be even more impressive.

Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn: Nobody with 332 pounds to carry should be able to run 40 yards in less than five seconds. Robinson did that, which really doesn't matter much for an offensive lineman, but at the same time it also displays tremendous athleticism for a man of that size. Couple that with 32 bench press reps with 35-inch arms and it was a great showing for Robinson that showed size, speed and strength.

Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh: Playing at 285 pounds usually isn't ideal for a defensive tackle, but Donald had no problem dominating collegiately at that weight. With huge numbers across the board, including a 40-yard dash that he finished in 4.68 seconds, Donald did everything anybody could ever ask. His 7.11 seconds in the three-cone drill also showed rare ability to change direction and bend for an interior lineman.

Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State: Cooks was the fastest receiver at the Combine, which is good for a player that will look to make it in the NFL as an undersized player. Everything else was good too, as his vertical jump, broad jump and three-cone drill results were all solid and showed him to be an explosive player with quick change of direction. For a player that already showed fantastic hands at Oregon State, quickness, shiftiness and top-end speed to boot make Cooks a legitimate possibility for the first round.

Dri Archer, RB, Kent State: Talking the talk is one thing, but Archer walked the walk with his 4.26 time in the 40-yard dash. At 5'7, 173 pounds, he better be fast, but Archer killed it in the other drills too. He showed explosiveness and quickness in the other drills that will make some team want to take a shot on his big play ability.

Losers

Cyrus Kouandjio, OT, Alabama: Being 6'7, 322 pounds with long arms is something that can't be taught, but there has to be athleticism to match. While Greg Robinson was blowing away the field at 332 pounds, Kouandjio ran the slowest time of the Combine despite being 10 pounds lighter. He struggled in the other drills too, and only managed 21 bench press reps, although his really long arms are likely a huge factor there.

Marqise Lee, WR, USC: For a player whose game is based on speed and quickness, a 4.52 40-yard dash isn't very noteworthy. He salvaged the weekend with strong vertical and broad jumps, as well as some impressive catches in the positional drills, but the lack of top-end speed isn't good for a receiver that is a hair under 6' and eight pounds under 200.

De'Anthony Thomas, RB, Oregon: Archer and Thomas were supposed to be the two diminutive playmakers with world class speed to make up for their small stature. One stepped up, the other faded away. A 4.50 40-yard dash for Thomas ended up as replay fodder to splice with the times of Jadeveon Clowney and Johnny Manziel. The rest of his performance didn't make up for it either, including only eight reps on the bench, while Archer managed 20 with longer arms.

Will Sutton, DT, Arizona State: Sutton dropped weight between the Senior Bowl and the Combine, but it didn't seem to help him much as he finished near the bottom in every drill. His only solid performance was in the bench press, but even that was disappointing considering the length of his arms. Only five defensive lineman had arms shorter than 32" and Sutton was the only one that couldn't manage 27 bench reps or more.

Michael Sam, DE, Missouri: It's not exactly Sam's fault that the weekend was a disappointment, as the spotlight was firmly on him for reasons other than football. Still, for a tweener that doesn't have ideal size, he certainly lacked in the athleticism category as well, finishing with lackluster results in every drill.