NFL Combine: 5 things to watch
Feb 20, 2013


“If Cincinnati walked away with Kenny Vaccaro, I would be excited if I was a Bengal fan. I think he fits what Mike Zimmer does,” said Mike Mayock of Vaccaro. / USA Today photo

Written by
Joe Reedy

INDIANAPOLIS – Nine years ago, the NFL Scouting Combine was a quiet gathering of coaches, draft prospects and a handful of media. Now, if you turn on your favorite sports networks over the next week, you won’t be able to miss it.

• NFL Mock Draft from ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll...ck_check=1

Take NFL Network for instance. Over the next six days, they will have 24 analysts and reporters on the scene airing over 60 hours of coverage including the position drills, which start on Saturday.

For draft prospects, this is the first job interview of many that will occur over the next two months. For coaches, general managers and agents, it is assessing prospects while finalizing plans for free agency.

While some consider the Combine to be the paradigm of draft evaluations, it is not the ultimate indicator of where someone is going to go.

“Teams look at it as a cross check and not a leader. By that, one of my favorite sayings is fast guys run fast, slow guys run slow. It's not a story until the opposite happens,” said NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock. “So you've got a guy all of a sudden that runs slower than you expect or faster than you expect. You have to go back and watch his tape.”

Here’s a preview of five things to follow from the Combine over the next week:

The Bengals are picking 21st pick in the first round and have three selections in the top 53, which direction could they go?

For once, this is a good draft class when it comes to safeties as most early mock drafts have the Bengals taking Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro. Florida’s Matt Elam and Florida International’s Jonathan Cyprien are two others that have received high grades.

Kiper likes Vacarro because of his overall body of work and said he is an enforcer with cover skills.

“If Cincinnati walked away with Kenny Vaccaro, I would be excited if I was a Bengal fan. I think he fits what Mike Zimmer does,” said Mayock of Vaccaro.

Another possibility could be outside linebacker where Georgia’s Alex Ogletree could fall after a recent DUI address. Fellow Bulldog Jarvis Jones is likely to be picked by 21 but another possibility who isn’t receiving that much attention at the moment is Rutgers’ Khaseem Greene, who has quickness and the ability to rush the passer.

Depending on what happens with defensive end Michael Johnson or right tackle Andre Smith, the Bengals could be in the market for a lineman. Mayock has six offensive and six defensive linemen with first-round grades.

What local players will be in Indianapolis?

There are four from UC – tight end Travis Kelce, defensive end Walter Stewat, running back George Winn and wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins – and Miami University quarterback Zac Dysert.

Most of them have medical issues though. Kelce is unlikely to do any drills after suffering a lower abdominal injury last month while Dysert won’t work out after injuring his hamstring last week. Stewart hopes to be cleared by teams after UC said his career was over last October due to a congenital abnormality involving the C1 arch with his spine.

Kiper is a big fan of Winn’s and said he could be one of those guys taken in the late rounds who has a surprising rookie season.

Who will receive the most scrutiny at the Combine?

That would be Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o, who struggled in the National Championship game loss against Alabama and then divulged that his online relationship with a girlfriend ended up being a hoax.

The most important part of the week for Te’o will be the 15-minute interview sessions that he has with teams and what type of effect this has had on him.

Said Mayock, who was a commentator on Notre Dame games, on Te’o: “What I think happens is that up until is that story became public, he had a plus, plus, plus intangible grade. Was he going to become Ray Lewis? Could he galvanize a locker room? He had a huge intangible grade that would push his on-the-field grade higher. I think he's lost all of that. At best, it's now going to be neutral. Just, hey, what kind of player you are, and where can we slot you?”

Who will Kansas City take with the first pick?

Right now that is anyone’s guess, but the two who have received the most attention are Texas A&M offensive tackle Luke Joeckel and West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith.

Two of Smith’s mentors are former Bengals Charles Fisher and John Thornton. Fisher and Thornton spent time with Smith last month in Florida as he was training for the Combine.

“Geno is very smart. He’s one of the sharpest guys I’ve worked with,” Thornton said.

What about the Bengals free agents?

With agents in town for the NFLPA meetings, the Bengals are expected to have conversations with the representatives of the guys they want to keep. The two biggest priorities though are Johnson and Smith since the deadline to apply the franchise tag is March 4.

For either player, the tag will be over $9 million. The final salaries for the tags by position have not been finalized because the amount of the NFL salary cap has not been determined.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130...ings-watch