Inside The Bills

Goodwin measurables vs. Austin

Bills third-round pick Marquise Goodwin from Texas not only has elite speed, but world class speed clocking a 4.27 40-time at the NFL Combine. Here’s how he stacked up to some of Tavon Austin’s measurable at the NFL Combine back in late February.

Player    College     Ht        Wt     40    10 Yd   Reps Vertical Broad Jump
T.Austin    WVU     5’8 1/2  174     4.34    1.45       14        32            10’0
M.Goodwin Texas  5’8 7/8 183     4.27    1.43       13         -              11’0

Goodwin had an astounding 42-inch vertical at his pro day and an 11’5″ broad jump.

Though Austin was the featured player in West Virginia’s offense, Goodwin found it hard to get consistent playing time on offense, due mainly to the time he missed in spring practice when he was running track. But Goodwin doesn’t envy guys like Austin.

“No, definitely not envious whatsoever. I’m a real Christian guy and in the Bible envy is a sin,” said Goodwin. ”I try my best not to sin as much as I can. I really don’t look at Tavon Austin and look at myself and try to compare both he and I because we’re two different individuals, definitely have two different opportunities. With that being said I definitely don’t envy what he has. I’m really happy for him actually.”

Another Arkansas prospect to watch

With Bills GM Buddy Nix and Assistant GM Doug Whaley in attendance at the Arkansas pro day their eyes are likely to be transfixed on QB Tyler Wilson, but there are a couple of other prospects that will merit a second look.

One of them is Arkansas TE Chris Gragg, who has had his share of injury problems including a knee injury this past September that compromised his production along with the rest of the Razorbacks offense. But his workout at the NFL Combine last month has unquestionably boosted his draft stock.

Gragg (6’2 3/4″ 244) ran the fastest 40 time among the tight end group with an impressive 4.5. No other tight end ran a sub 4.6. He also had the best broad jump at 10’5″ a full half-foot better than Notre Dame’s Tyler Eifert (9’11″).

Gragg also put up the highest vertical leap among the tight ends posting a 37.5 inch leap. He had a respectable 18 reps on the bench, the third fastest three-cone drill time among tight ends. The only time that was near the bottom of the tight end group was the shuttle.

His durability will still be questioned and likely keep him a day three consideration, but he might be a fifth rounder now instead of a sixth rounder. Gragg is a former receiver, but fits the NFL as an H-back type.

Combine 40 times were not faster this year

One of the prevailing thoughts coming out of the NFL Combine was that prospects were obliterating the 40 with blistering times. While there were a few here and there that ran very fast 40′s, a groundbreaking drop in average 40 times just wasn’t there.

Thanks to DraftMetrics.com below is a look at the average 40 times for the six so-called skill positions where speed is a major factor at the Combine year by year since 1999. As the chart points out, the average 40 times this year were pretty much flat in comparison to 2012.

In fact if you look at the figures for each position from 1999 and then 2013, the biggest difference in average time at any of those positions is .11 of a second at the tight end position (4.87 down to 4.76), which can be explained by the explosion of pass receiving tight ends over the past decade. Basically athletes that were previously seen as big receivers.

Mort on moving free agency: “Shame on them”

The idea came up at the NFL Scouting Combine last week–the plan to possibly move the NFL’s offseason timetable.

In an effort to get the NFL Draft into the important May Sweeps period for TV, the idea was floated to push back the major offseason events: the Scouting Combine would move to March,  Free Agency to April, and the Draft would be held in May.

Not a good idea, according to ESPN Senior NFL Analyst Chris Mortensen.

“Shame on them for just having the discussion,”  Mortensen said as the Scouting Combine wrapped up in Indianapolis.

“There’s never going to  be free agency in April.  It ain’t going to happen.  You gotta get union approval.  Why would they do that?  They’re already upset (the union) because it’s March 12^th.”

Mortensen says the plan to move the draft back into May is more plausible and has been around for awhile.

“It’s been discussed about five or ten years to put the draft into May,” he said, “to that first week of May.  That’s only pushing it back about one week, that’s not a big deal.  But free agency will never happen in April.  They’ll never get union approval on that.”

Mortensen clearly was irritated that the league is considering moving its’ offseason dates without consulting with football departments.

“It would be nice to see some football people make these decisions, instead of the business and marketing people in this league, which is happening way too often,”  he said.

Mortensen-time to focus on free agents

Now that the NFL Scouting combine is history, the next order of business on the offseason calendar is free agency.  Tuesday, March 12th at 4pm is when the free agency period begins.  And ESPN”s Senior NFL Analyst, Chris Mortensen, says teams will have to mix their free agent evaluations into their draft evaluations.

“You’re  looking to put together a combination of free agency, your own free agents, other people’s free agents, and combine them with what you see here in the draft as you continue to evaluate these guys,” Mortensen said, as the annual Scouting Combine wrapped up in Indianapolis.  “Because what you do in free agency, no matter what they say, is still going to dictate some of what you do in the draft.”

Mortensen says despite the lack of “star power” in this year’s draft class, it is loaded with talent.  And he says NFL scouts have plenty of reasons to anticipate drafting some play makers this year.

“The scouts are excited about this draft” he says.  “what it lacks is box office stars, guys like Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III.”

“To me, it was exciting to see Tavon Austin of West Virginia, a guy we watched get over 500-yards of offense against Oklahoma, 300-of those yards on the ground, a guy people think has some Percy Harvin, some Darren Sproles, some DeSean Jackson in him, I just think all tree pretty electrifying players, and Austin comes out and verifies that he’s really fast.  He runs 4.34 electronicially.  To me, there are still a lot of quality players in this draft. ”

Mathieu is ‘Honey Badger’ no more

Former LSU DB Tyrann Mathieu was widely known as “Honey Badger”, but after getting tossed out of school for drug problems and now trying to make amends and start an NFL career, the moniker is something he no longer wants.

“I don’t,” said Mathieu when asked by NFL.com if he still wants that nickname. ”Back when I was the Honey Badger, I didn’t have everything intact. Going forward, I am going to focus on being Tyrann Mathieu and that is the person I want to control right now.”

Mathieu felt he presented himself well after going through drug rehab to the NFL clubs at the Combine the past few days.

“I think all my interviews went extremely well. I was extremely honest with those guys,” he said. “I kept a smile, was positive and definitely did not miss a beat when it came to drawing plays up on the board. I think the interview process went well. I think I carried myself well and that is only going to take me further into the future.”

Mathieu estimated that 30 percent of his interview with each club dealt with his off the field troubles before teams got into football. He said most teams see him as a nickel corner or a returner.

“I feel like I am an elite prospect. Most people don’t feel like that because of my stature but I make those same plays those bigger guys make and I think I am more physical than those guys also,” said Mathieu. ”I try to put everything together when I come on the field for game day, try to lead my team.”

Putting OT Johnson’s numbers in perspective

Oklahoma OT Lane Johnson was a former quarterback, tight end and defensive end before becoming a very effective offensive tackle for the Sooners. So heading into the Combine some measure of athleticism was expected. But as we profile the Combine workout winners on the home page of Buffalobills.com we felt there needed to be more perspective put on the numbers turned in by Johnson.

NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock put Johnson’s numbers up against some familiar NFL players at the so called skill positions to help.

“Lane Johnson… his 40-yard dash time was faster than Anquan Boldin. His vertical at 34 inches was the same as A.J. Green – think about this, this is an offensive tackle at 300-plus pounds. He ran faster than Anquan Boldin, he jumped the same as A.J. Green and his broad jump at nine feet, 10 inches was the same as Stevan Ridley,” said Mayock. ”Think about those three things for a 300-pound offensive tackle and put that in perspective of what he can be.

“What was most important was at the Senior Bowl, he had a good solid week. So if you look at Lane Johnson’s tape Week One at Oklahoma versus the end of the year, it‟s very different. This is a guy where the sky is the limit.”

Te’o surprised he didn’t run 4.6

Notre Dame LB Manti Te’o was a polarizing figure at the NFL Combine, but he was not satisfied with his workout on the field Monday, particularly his 40 time.

“I was running near a 4.6, a 4.5,” Te’o told NFL Network after clocking a 4.82. ”It was just a long, long day. I am just going to go and keep training and make sure when my pro day comes, I am running those numbers.”

When asked what to expect on Notre Dame’s pro day, Te’o sounded determined. 

“I want to run my 40, I want to get after it, be with my teammates,” he said. ”I am going to have a lot of teammates over there competing as well. Yes, I will have energy going, it will be a family reunion thing. People can expect better numbers. I will be rested. One day you hit it hard and then you are done.”

Notre Dame’s pro day is set for March 26th.

‘Cuse’s Thomas has top 40 time among safeties

The top two safeties in the draft class this year are considered to be Texas’ Kenny Vaccaro and Florida’s Matt Elam, but at the NFL Combine Tuesday, the final day of testing, Syracuse’s Shamarko Thomas had the fastest 40.

Thomas clocked a 4.42, which would be very good for a cornerback, let alone a safety.

Florida S Matt Elam was considered one of the top two safeties in this draft class behind only Texas’ Kenny Vaccaro. Vaccaro had him beat in the vertical (38″ to 35.5″) and the broad jump (10’1″ to 9’8″), but Elam had two more reps than Vaccaro on the bench (17 to 15) and was almost a 10th of a second faster in the 40 (4.54 to 4.63). Whether that changes things is unlikely.

Elam is widely seen as a late first or early second round pick. Vaccaro is projected as a mid-first rounder. Elam didn’t blaze in the 40, but his 4.54 time was better in what is considered a strong class of centerfielders.

Here are the top 10 safety 40 times.

Sharmarko Thomas – Syracuse – 4.42
Earl Wolff – N.C. State – 4.44
Eric Reid – LSU – 4.53
Matt Elam – Florida  – 4.54
Keelan Johnson – Arizona St. – 4.54
Micah Hyde – Iowa – 4.56
J.J. Wilcox – Georgia Southern – 4.57
Josh Evans – Florida - 4.58
T.J. McDonald – USC – 4.59
Rontez Miles – California (PA) – 4.62

Milliner among top CB 40 times

He’s considered the top cornerback in the draft, and Alabama’s Dee Milliner 40 time did not hurt his draft stock.

Milliner ran a 4.37, the second fastest time among corners. Here’s the top 10 list for cornerbacks.

Darius Slay – Mississippi St. – 4.36
Dee Milliner – Alabama – 4.37
Desmond Trufant – Washington – 4.38
Robert Alford – S.E. Louisiana – 4.39
Jamar Taylor – Boise St. – 4.39
Brandon McGee – Miami – 4.40
Sanders Commings – Georgia – 4.41
Rod Sweeting – Georgia Tech - 4.42
Xavier Rhodes – Florida St. – 4.43
David Amerson – N.C. State – 4.44
Terry Hawthorne – Illinois – 4.44

LSU’s Tyrann Mathieu ran a 4.5 flat, which from what analysts said was to be expected.

Te’o not among top LB 40 times

NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said on Sunday that Manti Te’o would need to run 4.7 or better in the 40 to help his cause. That didn’t happen today at the NFL Combine in Indy. Te’o ran a 4.8. Here’s where that leaves Te’o in the eyes of Mayock.

“Anything 4.7 or better would be phenomenal; 4.8-plus is going to be a concern,” said Mayock. ”In that 4.7 to 4.8 range is going to be what an inside linebacker is expected to run.”

So it sounds as though Te’o's speed will be considered just average. Seeing him struggle against Alabama in the National Title game against some top talent, and now seeing the 4.8 time will send scouts back to the tape to try to cement their grade on the All-American LB.

Here are the top LB 40 times, which included all three linebackers that we profiled on the home page of Buffalobills.com today as viable cover linebacker options.

OLB Zaviar Gooden – Missouri – 4.5
OLB Cornelius Washington – Georgia – 4.5
ILB Jonathan Bostic – Florida – 4.5
ILB Brandon Hepburn – Florida A&M – 4.59
OLB Jamie Collins – So. Miss. – 4.59
OLB Sio Moore – UCONN – 4.62
ILB Alec Ogletree – Georgia – 4.62
ILB Jonathan Stewart – Texas A&M – 4.62
ILB Kevin Reddick – North Carolina – 4.66
OLB Khaseem Greene - Rutgers – 4.67

DEs have speed to burn

There are a number of scheme versatile DE-OLBs in this draft class several of which were assigned the DE category at the NFL Combine. Several of them have torn up the 40 as well in Indy.

Five of the 21 defensive ends that ran at the combine clocked a 4.6 or better. Here’s the rundown of the best times for the DEs.

Trevardo Williams – UCONN – 4.57
Barkevious Mingo – LSU – 4.58
Margus Hunt – SMU – 4.6
Corey Lemonier – Auburn – 4.6
Dion Jordan – Oregon – 4.6
Ziggy Ansah – BYU – 4.63
Ty Powell – Harding – 4.64
Devin Taylor – South Carolina – 4.72
Mike Buchanan – Illinois – 4.78
Lavar Edwards – LSU – 4.8
Datone Jones – UCLA - 4.8

It’s hard not to be impressed with SMU’s Margus Hunt. Measuring in at 6’8 1/8″ and 277 he’s got the seventh best broad jump at 10’1″, the best bench (38 reps) and ran a 4.6. Trevardo Williams is also killing it with the fastest 40 time, best vertical (38″) and second-best broad jump (10′ 4″).

Best LB bench marks

Here’s a rundown of the best bench press rep counts for the linebackers at the NFL Combine this morning.

OLB Cornelius Washington – Georgia – 36
OLB Sio Moore – UCONN – 29
ILB Michael Mauti - Penn State – 28
OLB Zaviar Gooden – Missouri – 27
OLB Jelani Jenkins – Florida – 27
ILB John Lotulelei – UNLV – 25
ILB Kevin Minter – LSU – 25
OLB Etienne Sabino – Ohio State – 24
ILB Kevin Reddick – North Carolina – 23
ILB Jonathan Bostic – Florida – 22
OLB Sam Barrington – So. Florida – 22
OLB Gerald Hodges – Penn State - 22
OLB Sean Porter – Texas A&M – 22

Georgia LB Alec Ogletree had 20 reps on the bench. Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o did not bench.

WR Swope sending scouts back to tape

Texas A&M WR Ryan Swope looks more like a running back than a receiver at 6’0″ and 205, but the athleticism he showed on Sunday may allow him to remain at receiver as it’s sending NFL scouts scrambling back to his game tape for further investigation.

Swope surprised with a 4.34 40-time, which tied for the second-fastest with West Virginia’s Tavon Austin. But his workout didn’t end there. He tied for the fourth-highest vertical leap at 37 inches, the seventh-best broad jump at 10’5″ and a sub 6.8 three-cone drill time.

“I loved to see that,” said NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock. ”I didn’t expect him to run the time he ran. I mentioned on the air, his Alabama game kind of woke me up to him a little bit, and Johnny [Manziel] helped that of course; got him the ball a lot on a couple of secondary scrambles. But Swope ran in the 4.3′s, he had 11 catches against Alabama. I have to go back and watch some more tape of him. That’s what I say when you see a guy you don’t expect to run mid-4.3′s, it forces you to go back and watch tape. That’s what I’m going to do, spend some more time trying to figure that kid out.”

Swope has been forecast as a fourth-round pick.

Mayock liked Geno, but…

NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock was asked for his thoughts on QB Geno Smith’s performance at the NFL Combine. Mayock liked the fact that he participated in all the throwing drills and felt he put his physical skills on display, but in the end it comes down to game tape and Mayock, like he does with all the QBs in this draft class, has questions.

“I saw everything that I saw on tape about Geno, and that is he flashed everything you want to see in a franchise quarterback on tape during the season,” said Mayock. ”He has a big arm, good arm, he moves well, he can be accurate. Everything I saw on tape I saw here. He’s a natural thrower; he doesn’t force the ball. What I go back to is I don’t care as much about this – I’m happy he did this because it just shows me he’s not afraid; Cam Newton did it and he didn’t throw the ball well and he still was the first pick in the draft. To me, it’s more important what you see on tape.

“I want to bang the table because I want to like Geno Smith. We interviewed him, I love what he had to say, but there are just too many inconsistencies on tape for me to say that Kansas City or anybody that high should take him. He’s more of a 20-32 [overall pick player]; I’ve said that based on watching six of his games. I’m going to watch the rest of them, but there are just so many inconsistencies with both Geno Smith and the entire quarterback class that I trouble banging the table for any of them.”

Smith did have one of the better throwing performances at the Combine Sunday. He clearly had the liveliest arm of the group and threw a good deep ball. He also showed his athleticism with the fastest 40 time (4.59) and highest vertical leap among the QBs.

Barkley met with Bills

It really shouldn’t come as a surprise knowing Bills GM Buddy Nix has said the team wanted to meet face-to-face with all the top prospects at the quarterback position this year, but USC QB Matt Barkley did have a formal interview with Buffalo at the NFL Combine.

Barkley left Indianapolis Sunday evening as all of his Combine responsibilities were over (he didn’t work out). According to SI.com’s Peter King, Buffalo was one of nine teams on his formal interview schedule. That list also included the Jets, Eagles, Steelers, Raiders, Chiefs, Jaguars, Cardinals and Bucs.

He also had informal meet and greets with Seattle, Cleveland and Atlanta per King.

Barkley will throw at his pro day on March 27th at USC and is confident he’ll be even better than he was before his shoulder separation, which is what kept him from participating this week in Indy.

Best on the bench DEs

Here’s a look at the best bench press counts for the defensive ends group here at the NFL Combine.

Margus Hunt – SMU – 38
Abry Jones – Georgia – 30
Stansly Maponga – TCU – 30
Trevardo Williams – UCONN – 30
Datone Jones – UCLA – 29
Tank Carradine – Florida St. - 28
Ty Powell – Harding – 28
Corey Lemonier – Auburn – 27
Malliciah Goodman – Clemson – 26
Bjoern Werner – Florida St. – 25
Tourek Williams – Florida International – 25

Hunt’s 38 reps were the most among all defensive linemen including the defensive tackles.

Bills get face time with hometown prospect

He had an informal meeting with Bills officials at the NFL Combine. So there’s a possibility that Akron, N.Y. native J.C. Tretter might be on the team’s radar screen for the draft in two months.

Tretter confirmed that he met with Bills team officials in an informal setting at the Crowne Plaza Union Station Hotel in downtown Indianapolis this week. The 6-4, 307 pound Cornell product is expected to come into the NFL as an interior offensive lineman, after playing tackle for the Big Red the last few years.

Tretter was at the Senior Bowl in Mobile last month, but he was unable to practice or play because he broke his nose a few days before the workouts began. He admits that was a setback, especially for a small college prospect like himself.

“It’s not just showing what you can do,” Tretter said, “but when you love playing football, there’s only so many games you’re going to be able to play in your life, so you don’t want to miss one. Not missing a game in college, not missing a game in high school—to miss that one, that’s a tough pill to swallow. But you gotta kinda let it go and not dwell on it, because that’s going to affect your future performances. You gotta forget about it, do what you can, and get out here to the combine and impress here.”

Tretter had a good showing at the combine, and he may have done enough to boost his stock above the 4th or 5th round, where most experts have him pegged.

Top DT bench marks

Here’s a listing of the top defensive tackles bench press counts from the NFL Combine here on Sunday.

Brandon Williams – Missouri Southern St. – 38
Akeem Spence – Illinois – 37
Josh Boyd – Mississippi St. – 32
John Jenkins – Georgia – 30
Chris Jones – Bowling Green – 30
Bennie Logan – LSU – 30
Sheldon Richardson – Missouri – 30
Jesse Williams – Alabama – 30
Jordan Hill – Penn State – 28
Jared Smith – New Hampshire – 28
Nick Williams – Samford – 28

McCaleb, Davis lead RB 40 times

Auburn’s Onterrio McCaleb and Arkansas’ Knile Davis were the top two finishers in the 40 for the running back group here at the NFL Combine on Sunday. Here’s a look at the top 10 times.

Onterio McCaleb – Auburn – 4.34
Knile Davis – Arkansas – 4.37
Jonathan Franklin – UCLA – 4.49
Michael Ford – LSU – 4.5
Kenjon Barner – Oregon – 4.52
D.J. Harper – Boise St. – 4.52
Giovanni Bernard – North Carolina – 4.53
Mike James - Miami – 4.53
Christine Michael – Texas A&M – 4.54
Mike Gillislee – Florida – 4.55
Zac Stacy – Vanderbilt - 4.55