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Georgia receiver Chris Conley may have at least secured himself an NFL draft pick Saturday at the NFL Combine.
Conley arguably was the most impressive offensive player during the on-field testing, showing off elite and almost shocking athleticism.
Conley ran an unofficial 4.35-second 40-yard dash, unleashed a 45-inch vertical leap and bounded to a broad jump of 11 feet, 7 inches. The broad jump mark ties for third in the history of the combine, and the vertical has only been topped by two other players since 2003.
Conley caught a combined 81 passes the last two seasons for Georgia — a modest total for a potential NFL receiver who played four years in college — but he did average 16.1 yards per catch and posted 12 touchdowns. We projected him as a sixth- or seventh-round pick as of the end of January.
Expected to interview well with NFL teams, Conley at least will force some teams to go back and re-evaluate video of his college career within the scope of his outstanding athleticism and explosiveness.
If you don't know Chris Conley, who just ran a 4.35, huge personality — was student-athlete rep in college and writes screenplays.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) February 21, 2015
Many expected big things from Auburn WR Sammie Coates at the Combine, and the former Tigers standout didn’t disappoint. But Conley clearly tested the best of any SEC athlete, and probably any player, as the workouts for offensive players at the 2015 NFL Combine concluded.
After this morning, I'm going back and doing more homework on USC Nelson Agholor and UGA Chris Conley. Both made very good first impression.
— Brian Billick (@CoachBillick) February 21, 2015
UGA’s Chris Conley is going to be a sneaky good pick for somebody and have a much better NFL career than CFB one.
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) February 21, 2015
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
