While four of our players will be at the Combine, others are training hard to prepare for our Pro Day on March 20. There should be lots of NFL eyes there. Other schools having their Pro Day on 3/20 are Ball St, Baylor, Central Fla, NC St., Ohio, Sacramento St., Tennessee and Utah. Since NC St's QB Glennon and CB Amerson are at the Combine, only a poor showing there will have them on campus on the 20th. Same for UTenn's WR Cordarrelle Patterson. That leaves the door open for greater scrutiny for Jory Johnson, Ryan Griffin, Michael Smith, Nick Williams, Adam Masters, and Ryan Wirth. The exact list of who will participate is still in flux but rest assured they are all working hard at special camps in Florida and elsewhere to get ready. Frankly some are simply under the radar. Listen to what Sio Moore had to say in a recent interview touting UConn's underrated talent: "Shoot, you look at guys like [tight end] Ryan Griffin, [defensive tackle] Ryan Wirth, [receiver] Nick Williams, [offensive lineman] Adam Masters. ... If Adam Masters didn't get hurt late in the season I'll bet he'd be one of the top offensive linemen listed. He's that good," Moore said. "I'm just glad I had the opportunity to play with them."
It's also interesting to note where each of the non-combine players is listed in the draft rankings and compare their measurables (Ht Wt 40 speed) against the highest ranking comparable player. Some of these 40 times may be old but that's what is listed as of Feb 1st on Draft Scout:
1. Ryan Griffin: #22 TE 6'6" 254 4.89 vs #1 Zach Ertz-Stanford at 6'5" 250 4.79 If Ryan can improve his 40 time and show improvement in blocking technique, he should move up. An average of 15 TE's get drafted each year while 44 get invited to NFL Camps.
2. Adam Masters: #49 OG 6'4" 298 5.12 vs #1 Chance Warmack-Alabama at 6'2'' 317 5.34. If Adam can show a full recovery from injury and come in bigger and stronger, he has a shot. An average of 14 OG's are drafted while 45 get invited to NFL Camps.
3. Michael Smith: #85 WR 6'0" 197 4.56 vs #1 Keenan Allen-Cal 6'3" 210 4.53. There are others with better 40 times and bigger size. He'll need a special day to garner attention. An average of 31 WR are drafted while 115 get invited to NFL Camps.
4. Nick Williams: #144 WR 5'9" 184 4.54 vs #4 Tavon Austin-WVU 5'9"175 4.38. Nick will likely better his listed 40 speed. He's a prototype W.Welker Slot/R with return skills. An Average of 31 WR are drafted while 115 (many with return skills) get invited to NFL Camps.
5. Jory Johnson: #29 OLB 6'0" 226 4.72 vs #4 Khaseem Greene--Rutgers 6'1" 236 4.64. Jory is a tackling phenom and with improvment in 40 time and with a stronger frame and better conditioning could be a climber in the rankings. An Average of 24 OLB's are drafted while 70 get invited to NFL Camps.
6. Ryan Wirth: #118 DT 6'2" 272 ? vs Star Lotulelei-Utah 6'3" 320 5.14. An admitted long shot, Ryan's speed and technique are plusses but he'll need to be bigger and stronger by Pro Day. An average of 21 DT's are drafted while 48 get invited to NFL Camps.
Good Luck to all our Huskies at the Combine and at Pro Day!
