For three former Oregon football players, Thursday marks another milestone in their illustrious athletic careers.
The 2011 NFL Combine begins in Indianapolis, with Brandon Bair, Jeff Maehl, and Casey Matthews participating to raise their possible draft stock and solidify their capabilities to the NFL scouts in a formal setting.
The four-day schedule actually began on Wednesday with place kickers, special teams, offensive line and tight ends in the first flight of arrivals, followed by quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs on Thursday, defensive linemen and linebackers show up on Friday, and defensive backs on Saturday.
Maehl will get things started among the Duck representatives, entering the first day of pre-workout exams and X-rays to ensure everyone is medically cleared before orientation for the week. From there, players begin the interviewing process with teams requesting to speak with them.
It’s hard for me to imagine any of these three being heavily sought after, but at the same time, this trio was relatively unheard of before the 2010 Rose Bowl. Maybe coaches and front office executives want to chat up the younger brother of Super Bowl-winning linebacker Clay Matthews and see if he can replicate his big brother’s NFL success.
This would also be a great opportunity for Bair, who has the physical attributes to back up the soft-spoken, intelligent way about him, and hopefully win over a few eyes and ears in the conference room.
Day two is similar, with more emphasis on the body build. Physical measurements are taken with a few other exams and psychological tests, followed by a brief media session and more interviews with NFL teams.
On the third day, athletes are introduced to the NFL Players Association. With rumors circulating of the NFL players union discussing a boycott of the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this month — which they didn’t actually make a reality — this meeting could make for an interesting media session, if nothing else.
A few more team interviews round out day three, before the fourth and final series that fans actually care to watch — workouts. The 40-yard dash, bench press (225 pounds as many reps possible for the given athlete), vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone drill, and the shuttle run round out the general drills, before dividing up by position.
Maehl will be sent through the gauntlet, Bair will focus on the rip and swim techniques in rushing the quarterback, while Matthews will be tested in the pass-drop and hip-rotation drill.
The gauntlet will send Maehl along the 20-yard line running the width of the field, catching balls from five quarterbacks — three on one side and two on the other. With only a matter of seconds between passes, vision and hand-eye coordination are essential. If the receiver lets one pass get into his chest, he won’t have time to react to the next one.
NFL coaches, however, aren’t fans of this drill. They preach ball security, and while the gauntlet is useful to scouts, it doesn’t translate well for in-game situations. That ought to play into Maehl’s favor (See the hit he took in the 2007 Civil War from Al Afalava if you have even the slightest doubt).
For Bair, who is actually listed an inch shorter from his Oregon days, now at 6-foot-6, it’s all about getting to the quarterback. Though the swim and rip are essential moves, a quick first step and even better footwork in the backfield will make the difference.
Matthews will do some of the same pass-rush drills with the linebackers, but will be tested extensively in pass coverage. He had decent enough hands for the Ducks, but his cover skills were, at times, noticeably lacking. And if you can’t play all three downs defensively, your stock plummets.
It goes without saying that this Oregon trio doesn’t have a sure-fire NFL-caliber player, but each of their upsides is remarkable. You’d be a fool to think Jeff Maehl can’t compete in a slot role or on special teams, but his frame can’t currently support the hits he’s willing to take.
Bair and Matthews sit in the same boat, and until they actually sign the contract, it’s tough to guess where they’ll end up and when.
In all, the Combine will serve Maehl, Bair and Matthews well in different ways. I’ve never cared much about the Combine, but as the Ducks that I’ve grown familiar with begin to compete, you can bet I’ll be keeping an eye out for them.
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Clark: Three former Ducks begin rough road to the pros
Daily Emerald
February 22, 2011
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