Five Stories To Remember From 2011 NFL Combine

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.

-QB Greg McElroy gets a 48 on the Wonderlic Test. That’s the highest reported score we’ve heard so far and one of the highest ever (a top score is 50). The highest score for an active player is 48 by Kevin Curtis of the Chiefs. McElroy didn’t throw at the Combine because of an injury.

-DT Nick Fairley vs. DT Marcell Dareus debate emerges. Several weeks ago, Fairley was considered the top defensive tackle in the draft. In the last two weeks, though, Dareus has stated his case, and some people are buying it. Reports have indicated that some teams consider Dareus the best defensive tackle in the draft -- not Fairley.

-Cam Newton comes and goes. Newton was by far the biggest star at the Combine. He did OK on the field -- not greatbut not horrible -- and some teams weren’t totally impressed with him during the interview process. He did some things right and did some things wrong but nothing, I don’t think, really affected his draft stock this week.

-Patrick Peterson vs. Prince Amukamara. We’re leaving the Combine thinking Peterson is still the top cornerback in the draft, and we’re not sure that will change. But Amukamara quieted some concerns about his speed running in the 4.3s and possibly bumped his stock up to top 10 status. These are your top two corners and it looks like it’ll stay that way in April.