INDIANAPOLIS — Friday is Day 3 of the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Defensive linemen and linebackers arrived Thursday and spoke to the media today. Cornerbacks and safeties arrived today for measurements and medical examinations. They will be speaking to reporters Saturday. Both groups are available to meet with teams tonight for interviews, as are the quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends.

RELATED: Day 1 | Day 2

Offensive linemen, running backs, kickers and punters performed their on-field workout today, which included timing, stations and skill drills. Their combine is now officially complete, so most of them will depart for home.

Here are the news, notes and quotes with regard to the best conference in America.

run, fat boy, run

Rarely, if ever, are offensive linemen asked to run in a straight line for very long. Nevertheless, the 40-yard dash is a good measure of overall athleticism for the big boys in the trenches.

Ryan Kelly of Alabama ran the best among the SEC alumni, posting a time of 5.03 seconds to finish sixth among the blockers. Missouri’s Connor McGovern clocked a 5.11 for eighth. Fahn Cooper of Ole Miss posted a 5.17 for 12th.

Jason Spriggs of Indiana took the crown with an impressive 4.94 seconds.

clean bill of health

There are a lot of “tweeners” in the draft every year, meaning players that the scouting community isn’t entirely sure where they fit just yet position-wise. An offensive tackle might have to slide inside to guard, or a defensive end may need to shift outside to linebacker.

The specific system run by a particular team sometimes serves as the tiebreaker. Florida defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard is viewed by some as a three-technique tackle in a 4-3, while others could see him as a five-technique end in a 3-4.

Most prospects respond with a canned “I’ll play anywhere” when asked what their preferred position is in the pros. Bullard took a more direct approach.

“Three-technique now,” he said. “I like being closer to the ball. I think it gives me (an advantage) on the guard. On pass-rushing situations, I can just key the ball and get off with my first step.”

A three-technique tackle is primarily responsible for being a one-gap penetrator, wrecking plays between the tackles before they ever have a chance to develop. That is one enviable skill Bullard put on display quite frequently during his time with the Gators.

Somewhat surprisingly, even though Bullard dealt with his fair share of injuries last season in Gainesville, he quickly made it through the medical examinations.

“It went well,” he said. “I actually got through faster than most people. They’re still down there.”

one more rep

Of the 15 top performers on the bench press at running back, the SEC was responsible for six of them.

Georgia’s Keith Marshall led the way with 25 repititions at 225 pounds, which was second among pure tailbacks — a pair of fullbacks both did 30 reps.

Derrick Henry of Alabama tied for eighth with 22 reps, while Brandon Wilds of South Carolina tied for 10th with 21. Peyton Barber of Auburn was 12th with 20, and then Tra Carson of Texas A&M was right behind him in a tie for 13th with 19. Alex Collins of Arkansas finished 15th with 18.

Not counting the fullbacks, USC’s Soma Vainuku proved to be the strongest runner with 26 reps.

thanks, but no thanks

Neither Dak Prescott of Mississippi State nor Brandon Allen of Arkansas chose to participate in the bench press at the Scouting Combine.

It’s far from an unusual decision for prospects at the game’s most important position. Former Auburn star Nick Marshall was the only quarterback to do the bench in 2015, and he wasn’t a legitimate prospect as a passer — he’s currently playing cornerback for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The best performance on the bench for a signal caller in the last decade was 26 reps by Hartwick College’s Jason Boltus, who never played a down in the NFL.

better days ahead

Chris Jones was one of the most heralded signees in Mississippi State history, as the five-star defensive end was ranked the No. 2 recruit in the country at his position, No. 1 in the state of Mississippi and No. 20 nationally.

While Jones contributed for the Bulldogs right out of high school, his career numbers suggest that he never really improved from one season to the next. He recorded 3.0, 3.0 and 2.5 sacks as a freshman, sophomore and junior, respectively, while his tackles for loss went from 7.0 down to 3.5 and then back up to 7.0.

Deciding to enter the draft despite one remaining year of eligibility, Jones can appreciate the fact that he probably didn’t live up to his lofty billing with the Bulldogs.

“I’m my biggest critic, and I always felt like I can do better,” he said. “I never feel like I reached my potential because I’m always willing to learn and be coachable and get better. I don’t ever feel like I reach my expectations.”

Nevertheless, according to Jones, he is getting attention in Indianapolis from the New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots thus far. Some draft analysts see him as a long-shot first-round possibility.

free falling

“I’m going to stick to my story.”

It was a rather dubious quote that came out of the mouth of Ole Miss defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche about a minute or so into his time with the media.

Back in December, the former Rebel fell from a fourth-floor window in Atlanta — his hometown — in a bizarre incident. When police searched his hotel room, they found marijuana paraphernalia and charged him with drug possession. According to Nkemdiche, he has solely under the influence of alcohol. He blamed the drug charge on the fact that the room was full of people but registered in his name.

Needless to say, about half of his Q&A with reporters revolved around that particular trangression. Potentially a top-5 talent, more recent mock drafts from various outlets have him dropping to the middle or even near the bottom of Round 1 due to character concerns.

Turning on the tape won’t help his cause much, either. Despite oozing with physical gifts, he admitted to not finishing plays from time to time and even being “lazy.”

40 yards to glory

Marshall got the media room’s collective attention when he ran a blistering 40-yard dash of 4.31 seconds.

That’s the best time in Indianapolis to this point, and it’s only seven-hundredths of a second behind the record 4.24 that current Arizona Cardinals running back Chris Johnson posted in 2008. Not bad for a guy with a history of knee trouble.

Alabama’s Kenyan Drake finished third among ball carriers with a time of 4.45 seconds. Apparently, it was a banner day for reserve tailbacks from the SEC.

Even at his much talked about 247 pounds, Henry recorded a very good number: 4.54 to tie for 11th. He’s done nothing but help himself in the draft process so far and could be pushing his way into first-round consideration if he catches the attention of the right general manager.

Wilds and Collins both finished in the top 15 by running in the 4.5s, which is respectable for the position.

tailback u

Here’s a fun exchange I had with Georgia defensive tackle Chris Mayes regarding Marshall, his former teammate with the Bulldogs.

“Keith just ran a 4.31 in his 40-yard dash, and he was second or third on your depth chart most of the time. What’s it like playing against running backs like that on your own team?”

“What did he run?”

4.31

“That’s unreal. That’s crazy.”

After complimenting him for overcoming so much adversity, Mayes went on to say that Marshall could have been every bit as productuve as fellow UGA alumnus Todd Gurley if not for his injury issues.

mending fences

Alabama defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson made a comment last month prior to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Clemson about not liking the media.

As it turns out, the 6-foot-4, 307-pounder didn’t really mean it. There were simply too many days — and too much time talking to reporters — between the national semifinal win over Michigan State and the final vs. the Tigers.

“You get annoyed every once in a while with media just asking you those questions, but I was just ready to play,” Robinson said. “Their team kept talking trash. I was just ready to play. I was tired of talking to the media. I was just ready to play.”

So you like us after all?

“Yeah, you’re good people.”

The crowd assembled in front of him shared a good laugh.

Robinson, by the way, wasn’t laughing.

double duty

Georgia wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell was the only consistent weapon for a vanilla Bulldogs passing game last season, leading the team through the air in receptions (58), yards (865) and touchdowns (5).

But here in Indianapolis, one anonymous-for-now team would rather see Mitchell defend passes during his workout Saturday than catch them.

“I found out yesterday that some team, I don’t know what team, asked me to do some DB drills tomorrow,” he said.

Mitchell spent a little time in Athens as a defensive back early in his career when UGA was ravaged by injuries and suspensions in the secondary, so he’s up for the challenge despite not being given much notice.

“I have no problem with it,” he said. “Being a competitor, being somebody who wants to be great in every area, every time you get the option, the only reason you turn it down is you physically can’t. And right now, I’m physically fine.”

only the strong

The SEC had five of the top 15 performances on the bench press among wide receivers, with Auburn’s Ricardo Louis leading the way with 18 reps. That tied him for third at the position.

Marquez North of Tennessee tied for fifth with 17, while both Mitchell and Pharoh Cooper of South Carolina put up 15 to tie for 11th. Cody Core of Ole Miss tied for 14th with 14.

Michigan State’s Aaron Burbridge and Oklahoma’s Sterling Shepard of Oklahoma did 20 reps each to share the top spot.

good and bad

On the positive side, Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd weighed 245 pounds in Indianapolis, which is up significantly from the 231 he was listed at this past year in Athens.

That being said, the former Bulldog didn’t necessarily put on a bunch of muscle during his preparation for the Scouting Combine. According to Floyd, he was playing at 241 or 242 in 2015. Putting 231 in the program on game day was simply a bit of gamesmanship by coach Mark Richt.

On the negative side, he was chomping gum throughout his Q&A at the podium. Floyd’s agent should fire his media trainer immediately.