NFL Says Goodbye To Indianapolis As Combine Ends

The 2011 NFL Combine ended and we have a week’s worth of stories to sort through. Here are five story lines that I felt were important or interesting throughout the week:

-QB Blaine Gabbert doesn’t throw. The former Mizzou QB is, along with QB Cam Newton, one of the top two quarterbacks available. He was the only one quarterback who didn’t throw at the Combine (outside of QB Greg McElroy, who was injured) so we’re still not sure where scouts stand with him. But after Combine week, it’s still Gabbert and Newton leading the pack for quarterbacks.

The 2011 NFL Combine continues on in its final day on Tuesday with the defensive backs working out. This is a position group that’s usually among the most athletic and the fastest so the 40-yard dash times and jumping drills are important here.

The first group of defensive backs have run the 40-yard dash and the early winner if Ohio State’s Chimdi Chekwa who ran the 40 in 4.33 seconds. He was followed by Chris Culliver of South Carolina who ran it in 4.36 and then Nebraska’s Prince Amukamara who clocked in at 4.37 seconds.

We noted that the top two corners in the 2011 NFL draft would be facing off on Tuesday, the final day of the 2011 NFL Combine. LSU’s Patrick Peterson is expected to be the top cornerback taken (for now) while Nebraska’s Prince Amukamara is expected to be the second cornerback taken.

We’re not saying that will change but my ears perked up when I heard Amukamara ran a 4.37 40-yard dash. Clearly, speed isn’t a question for him.

The final day of the 2011 NFL Combine in Indianapolis is here. Defensive backs will be the final position group to take the field for workouts. This group includes what could be a pair of top 10 picks in LSU’s Patrick Peterson and Nebraska’s Prince Amukamara, the two best corners in the draft.

Peterson is the Thorpe Award winner and projected to be the top cornerback taken in the 2011 NFL draft. He left LSU after his junior year, a breakout season that saw many quarterbacks avoid throwing his way. Amukamara is expected to be the second cornerback off the board and he’s hoping to push his way into the top 10.

It seems that we’re seeing another record set at the NFL Combine every year. So far, 2011 has been no different. After Oregon State DT Stephen Paea set a new Combine record for bench press reps, Nevada DE Dontay Moch may have set a new record for defensive linemen in the 40-yard dash.

According to Frank Tadych of NFL.com, Moch ran a 4.45 40-yard dash -- that time being unofficial for the moment. If it stands, it would be a new Combine record for defensive linemen. UAB’s Bryan Thomas ran a 4.47 in 2002.

One of the most intriguing battles that will play out over the next two months leading up to the 2011 NFL draft is Auburn DT Nick Fairley vs. Alabama DT Marcell Dareus. Two weeks ago conventional wisdom had Fairley getting picked ahead of Dareus. That thought process has been changing over the last couple of weeks as some now say Dareus is ahead of Fairley.

If their performance in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis this week means anything, Fairley is still ahead. The Auburn DT put up times of 4.86 and 4.82 in the 40-yard dash on Monday while Dareus posted slightly slower times of 4.94 and 4.92. Both these times come from National Football Post and are unofficial.

It’s believed that the highest score an active NFL player has scored on the Wonderlic test at the NFL Combine is a 48 by Kansas City Chiefs WR Kevin Curtis. Assuming former Alabama QB Greg McElroy is drafted, Curtis will soon have company in the 48 club.

The Star-Telegram reports McElroy scored a 48 on the Wonderlic test -- just two points away from a perfect 50. Former Harvard punter Pat McInally is believed to be the only player who has scored a perfect 50.

Every year at the NFL Combine there’s one prospect who receives the bulk of the attention and stands out above the rest. Last year it was Tim Tebow as huge crowds converged on him to see whether he had the skill set to become an NFL quarterback.

This year, it’s Cam Newton. SB Nation’s Mocking The Draft attended Newton’s media session at the Combine over the weekend and we’ll let them set the scene....

The 2011 NFL Combine rolls along on Monday with quite a few less players. The following position groups have left Indianapolis already: kickers, offensive line, tight ends, quarterbacks, receivers and running backs. The quarterbacks are usually the main focus so the final two days of the Combine won’t have the same star power.

On Monday, though, we’ll see the defensive linemen and linebackers workout. The top of the draft this year is loaded with defensive line talent and multiple personnel evaluators said this week that the defensive end class is really strong. You’ve got DEs like Robert Quinn and Da’Quan Bowers who could make a case to be the top pick while you’ve also got solid defensive tackles like Nick Fairley and Marcell Dareus, another two players could be the top pick.

SB Nation’s Mocking The Draft spent the weekend in Indy at the 2011 NFL Combine. Their coverage is fantastic with a story on just about every player folks are interested in.

Check out MTD to get caught up on all the weekend Combine stories. Here are a few links to get you going:

We have a new record at the NFL Combine, thanks to Stephen Paea’s prodigious strength. (Well, sort of, anyway.)

Paea set a new record on the bench press with 49 repetitions at 225 pounds, showing some of the strength that made him a great player at Oregon State and a promising draft prospect.

The most-discussed 2011 NFL Draft prospect is assuredly Cam Newton. And the Heisman Trophy winner and national champion gave the chattering classes more to talk about at the 2011 NFL Combine today.

Newton and the rest of the quarterbacks are running through their workouts on this Sunday, and his results have already gotten reactions. First, his massive 10-foot, six-inch broad jump got hailed as “explosive” and “elite” by Chris Mortensen, and then he ran his 40-yard dash in a very respectable 4.58 seconds.

As expected, Jake Locker is acquitting himself nicely in the parts of the 2011 NFL Combine that don’t require him to throw passes. The Washington quarterback ran his 40-yard dash in a swift 4.52 seconds, second among quarterbacks to Tyrod Taylor, and prompted a bit of snark and perspective on Twitter from pundits who aren’t exactly convinced that Locker has proven himself worthy of a draft pick yet.

First, from Smart Football’s Chris Brown:

The 2011 NFL Draft entrants at the 2011 NFL Combine certainly have plenty of talent. But will any of them come close to matching the all-time NFL Combine records? You be the judge: thanks to Top End Sports, we have some of the best numbers in NFL Combine History, including for the 40-yard dash.

Caveats: these aren’t the NFL’s official numbers, because the NFL doesn’t keep official numbers, and they only date back to 1999. So if Deion Sanders blazed a ridiculous 40-yard dash time back in his day — and rumor has it that he ran in the 4.19 range — it’s not part of these records.

The 2011 NFL Combine enters its fifth day in Indianapolis, Indiana, today. And this is one of the more important days of the Combine: quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs will do their workouts today, according to the schedule for day five, which means scouts will be looking for playmakers and viewers can catch Cam Newton’s NFL Combine workout:

Group 4 (QB, WR), Group 5 (QB, WR), and Group 6 (RB)

- Workout (timing, stations, skill drills)

- Departure

On Saturday, tight end Weslye Saunders was forced to drop out of the 2011 NFL Combine. The South Carolina alumnus left thanks to an aggravated foot injury. Tony Pauline tweets:

As Pro Football Talk points out, this comes just weeks after Saunders was finally declared eligible for the NFL Draft. His eligibility for the draft was in serious doubt at one point:

News and notes from the 2011 NFL Combine:

USC offensive tackle Tyron Smith is pulling out of the Combine. Our Mocking the Draft says it might not matter that much: Smith lost 22 pounds between his days as a Trojan and now, and that might have helped his draft stock as much as a complete and impressive Combine showing would have.

Former Missouri TIgers QB Blaine Gabbert spoke to the media at the 2011 NFL Combine in Indianapolis on Friday and sounded confident in his work ethic heading into the NFL He said, “Anything’s possible” when asked about going No. 1 overall to the Carolina Panthers and that, wherever he goes, he’s going to work to become a starting quarterback.

Gabbert’s the only top quarterback not throwing at the Combine instead waiting for Missouri’s pro day on March 17. He said he would make “every throw” and wouldn’t shy away from any throw.

Carolina Panthers QB Jimmy Clausen didn’t participate in the drills at the 2010 NFL Combine because he was coming off of an injury but still remembers the importance of the week. Clausen spoke on a radio show this week describing his experience at the NFL Combine and what these guys are going through this week at the 2011 NFL Combine.

The most important things at the NFL Combine probably don’t even involve the actual workouts. First, the medical exams are critical. If a player is injured, this gives teams an opportunity to see where he is with that injury. Second, just getting face-to-face with some of the GMs and NFL decision-makers is critical as well. Teams can talk to players in an uncomfortable environment (i.e. not their school) and at least begin to figure out who he is.

SB Nation’s Mocking The Draft, who is in Indianapolis at the 2011 NFL Combine, passes along the media schedule for the various NFL GMs and head coaches who are speaking to reporters today.

Check out the full list at Mocking The Draft.

Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera spoke to reporters at the 2011 NFL Combine in Indianapolis on Thursday. The topic of conversation, to no one’s surprise, was the 2011 NFL draft. The Panthers hold the top pick and there isn’t a consensus on which way they’re learning.

It’s possible, though, that they’re looking at quarterbacks, most likely QB Blaine Gabbert and QB Cam Newton. Rivera confirmed that they planned to bring Newton in for a private visit, and will likely do so with other top quarterbacks.

Friday is actually a big day at the 2011 NFL Combine even though place kickers and special teamers are the only ones working out. That’s because the quarterbacks, receivers and running backs, who arrived in the second group on Thursday, will be meeting with the media on Friday.

That means we’ll hear from the likes of QB Blaine Gabbert and QB Cam Newton, the top two quarterbacks in this class. We’ll also hear from WR A.J. Green, the top running back in the class. As for running backs, RB Mark Ingram is going to be a popular individual.

Could just be Jerry Jones hoping to learn more about what his alma mater Arkansas Razorbacks ever did to deserve the worst pounding Newton ever dished out while at Auburn, of course.

The chances of Newton ending up in Dallas are very slim, but it would be an oversight for the Cowboys to avoid interviewing a top pick like Newton.

Rex Ryan...you can’t say he’s boring.

The New York Jets head coach took the podium in Indianapolis, site of the 2011 NFL Combine, on Wednesday as his team prepares for the 2011 NFL draft.