2013 NFL Combine Saturday winners and losers

Feb 24, 2013, 3:11 AM UTC

USA TODAY Sports

INDIANAPOLIS - Saturday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis was the first full day of workouts with offensive linemen and tight ends finishing up drills while other players continued to weigh in and receive medical checks. There were WINNERS and LOSERS both on the field and off. It’s so staggeringly important that both words were capitalized.

WINNERS

Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame

At the combine on Saturday, Eifert firmly solidified himself as the top tight end in the draft. He ran one of the fastest 40-yard dash times for tight ends with a 4.68 and the fastest three-cone drill with a 6.92. Eifert proved his athleticism and may have shored up a spot in the first round of the draft.

Manti Te'o, MLB, Notre Dame

He said everything the right way during his press conference, proving the superiority of his media training. That’s not why Te’o was a winner on Saturday. He catfished us. After being taken hook, line and sinker by a fake girlfriend, Te’o got on back on the media. With everyone collected in the media room at noon, it was announced Te’o wasn’t showing up until 3 p.m., and eventually came through at 2 p.m. The confusion caused members of the media to miss lunch, which is the most important part of the combine every day. The consistent crowds prove as much.

Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma

Johnson may not overtake Luke Joeckel or Eric Fisher as the first tackle taken, but he's now strongly considered a top 10 lock. The former tight end looked like one during offensive line drills. Johnson sped 40 yards in 4.72 seconds, the second fastest time ever for an offensive lineman. That wasn't Johnson's most impressive athletic feat, either. In the ever-important three-cone drill, Johnson tied with center Brian Schwenke for the fastest time with a 7.31.

Tank Carradine, DE, Florida State

In late November, Carradine tore his ACL. The week before the draft, he’s going to go through all combine drills. Get a spot ready in the first round of your mock draft for Carradine – maybe even a top 15 pick. Carradine, who knew the exact date of everything from his injury to his surgery and his pro day, told me he’s run a 4.62 and 4.64 40 in the past. At his size, 276 pounds, that’s uncanny.

Brandon Weeden, QB, Cleveland Browns

Congratulations, you get to stay as the quarterback of the Browns! Wait, should this actually be in winners?

Gavin Escobar, TE, San Diego State

Which drill is the most important at the combine. It’s not a timing drill. It’s the receiver gauntlet. In his drill, Escobar was perfect, catching every pass thrown at him. It’s not only because of his gauntlet showing, but don’t be surprised if Escobar is the second tight end off the board.

LOSERS

Sam Montgomery, DE, LSU

For the media, a player's honesty is refreshing. But chances are former LSU defensive end Sam Montgomery lost himself some money draft position on Saturday. Matthew Fairburn and myself grilled Montgomery. Why were his stats down? Was he asked to play differently in 2012? Did he have any simple bets with teammate Barkevious Mingo. Montgomery gladly, and frankly, answered each question. Perhaps he should have kept a little bit to himself.

Montgomery admitted to not giving effort against easy teams, saying he was merely a boy. On a day where Manti Te’o sucked the media in like a vacuuming black hole, Montgomery’s press conference was the most bizarre.

iCarly

Sharrif Floyd, Disney super fan and Florida superstar defensive tackle, doesn't like you.

Idiotic members of the media

Here are the five worst and, of course, most-asked questions to ask at the combine:

- “Why did you gain/lose weight.” No player will ever have a negative answer for this question. They’re either losing weight to get faster or gaining weight to get stronger (but still totally stay just as fast, man).

- “Who is your agent?” Media is allotted 10-15 minutes with a player. This information is readily available. Quit being so lazy, sports journalists of America, and look it up.

- "Have you met with <insert team>?" Almost every player gets asked this two or three times. It means nothing. NFL teams are allowed to meet with 60 players at the combine. There are 333 players invited. If every team does its full quota of interviews, that's 1,920 interviews. The best players, who most often get asked this question, will talk with every team leading up to the draft. Don't overreact to it. It's fairly useless information.

- “What 40 time do you expect to run?” Just watch tomorrow and you’ll find out.

- "What player do you model yourself after?" Every defensive end says Julius Peppers. Every tight end says Jimmy Graham or Rob Gronkowski. Every outside linebacker says Clay Matthews or Terrell Suggs. Those are the answers every time. Stop the madness.

The guy who asked Te’o if he has a real-life girlfriend

We’re done here, folks. Stay tuned for more coverage of the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine here at SB Nation.