NFL COMBINE REPORT

DAY 1 of Workouts- OL, TEs
Dr. DonovanLead NFL Draft Expert

The 1st day of workouts is over and the two big stories of the day highlighted Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree and Alabama OT Andre Smith.

Crabtree has a stress fracture in his foot and will be out for 10 weeks. This doesn't affect his draft stock tremendously as he will still be the #1 WR in the draft, but it could mean he drops out of the top 3 and into the #4 through #8 range in the draft. The biggest downfall is that we don't get to see his 40 times, which might have solidified a top 3 spot for him.

Offensive tackle Andre Smith keeps on adding fuel to the fire and it continues to be his own doing. Not only did he skip his teams bowl game this year for disciplinary reasons and show up to Indy out of shape, he now has added skipping the NFL combine to his resume. He told scouts he would not be working out because he was not ready and this morning he was MIA and later found already back in his home state of Alabama. Like Crabtree, he is still considered a 1st rounder and an elite athlete at his position, but I think this really hurts his draft stock from possibly a top 10 pick to the mid to late first round. This guy could and should be the #1 OL taken in the draft if it wasn't for his recent shenanigans.

OT

The 1st day of workouts consisted of Offensive lineman and Tight Ends. The highlight of the combine to me today was the depth at the OT position. I was very impressed with the Offensive Tackle draft class this year, which is deeper than I thought. You could see 5 or 6 OTs going in the first round including 3 guys in the top 10. The guy that I thought had the best day out of any OL was OT Jason Smith from Baylor. He's got great footwork and looks very athletic and should be the #1 OL taken in the draft. He could possibly be the #1 pick if the Lions decide to pass on a QB and build from the inside out. A guy that wasn't to far behind him was Virginia OT Eugene Monroe who could be the most complete OL in this year's draft. Two other tackles to note were Michael Oher from Mississippi, who had an average combine and South Carolina's Jamon Meredith who I thought was the biggest riser of the day and showed excellent talent and athleticism.

OG

Unlike the OT class, the Offensive Guard class is not very deep at all. Oregon's Andy Levitre is my #1 guard this year and had an above average combine. He is the most versatile and was actually a former LT, which can help his resume. Duke Robinson from Oklahoma struggled today looking tight and slow but Wisconsin's Kraig Urbik may have solidified a 2nd round pick by showing great work ethic and overall had a very solid workout.

C

This year's Center class could be the dark horse of the draft. Although I don't see any of them in the 1st round, possibly Max Unger from Oregon after today's performance, some teams will definitely get some great value picks in the 2nd round with the Center position. Like I said, Unger is the top guy in this year's class but Penn State's A.Q. Shipley and Louisville's Eric Wood impressed me today. The knock on Shipley is his size but I really liked his workout at the combine.

All and all there is some good talent at the OL position. Another side note is that this year's OL class was the 4th best lifting class ever at the combine.

Donovan's Elite 5- OL

1. Jason Smith OT Baylor
2. Eugene Monroe OT Virginia
3. Michael Oher OT Mississippi
4. Andre Smith OT Alabama
5. Max Unger C Oregon

Donovan's Morning-Wood Early Risers

1. Jamon Meredith OT South Carolina
2. AQ Shipley C Penn State
3. Phil Loadholt T Oklahoma
4. Eric Wood C Louisville
5. Lydon Murtha T Nebraska

TE

The tight end position, like most years, is not a very deep position but teams can get some quality guys that can play right away in the top 2 rounds. My definite Elite TE was Oklahoma's Brandon Pettigrew. This guy comes as advertised and is the most complete player at this position. He didn't dominate the 40 or vertical jump but you can see his talent and athleticism. He is the only tight end that I have seen thus far that can be a threat as a receiver but also a very effective blocker. The guy that impressed me the most was South Carolina's Jared Cook. This guy performed like a stud this year and could be one of the high risers because of his combine performance. He dominated the 40, the vertical jump and the broad jump and is a pure athlete but the only knock on him is his blocking skills. A team that needs a playmaker at the tight end position could get a steal in the late 2nd to early 3rd round out of this guy.

Another guy that might have improved his draft stock today is Cornelius Ingram from Florida. He sat out the 2008 season with an ACL tear and that dropped his stock down to the later rounds but after today I can see him in back in the 3rd round. He looked healthy and very athletic and definitely has the talent to be a great TE at the next level if his health allows it.

Donovan's Elite 5- TE

1. Brandon Pettigrew- Okl. State
2. Jerad Cook – South Carolina
3. Cornelius Ingram- Florida
4. Shawn Nelson – Southern Miss
5. Chase Coffman – Missouri

Donovan's Morning-Wood Risers

1. Jerad Cook – South Carolina
2. Cornelius Ingram- Florida
3. Shawn Nelson- Southern Miss
4. James Casey- Rice
5. Anthony Hill- North Carolina