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With two days left at the NFL Scouting Combine and defenders still to perform, several players from the SEC appear to have improved their stock heading into an important final month of training prior to pro days.
Among the most impressive performers thus far has been Georgia wide receiver Chris Conley who edged stellar times from Alabama’s Amari Cooper and Auburn’s Sammie Coates with a 4.35 in the 40-yard dash on Saturday. Conley’s burst tied for the third-fastest time recorded at this year’s combine and his 45-inch vertical was three more inches than his nearest competitor.
RELATED: Georgia WR destroys combine workout
Texas A&M’s Trey Williams posted the second-fastest time overall in the 40 for a running back, managing a 4.49. Cameron Artis-Payne from Auburn was next from the SEC with a 4.53.
Mitch Morse proved he was ‘Mizzou Made’ in Indianapolis before departing on Friday, finishing in the Top 10 of every drill out of 52 participating offensive linemen. Morse’s 36 reps of 225 was second-best at the combine and his 4.50 time in the 20-yard shuttle was good enough for third.
RELATED: Combine 40 times for SEC QBs, RBs and WRs
Morse played left tackle for the Tigers last season but will likely play guard at the next level. He entered the combine with a seventh round to undrafted projection, but likely improved his stock substantially. He stood out among SEC blockers along with Florida’s D.J. Humphries, an athletic 6-foot-5 tackle who moved effortless despite an additional 20 or so pounds from his playing weight of 285 with the Gators.
NFL Network analyst Charles Davis projects Humphries as an early-round pick, perhaps the first tackle taken overall:
“When it’s all said and done, I think he will be the No. 1 left tackle.” – @CFD22 on @GatorZoneNews OT D.J. Humphries
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) February 20, 2015
Cooper has competition as the projected top wide receiver following West Virginia pass-catcher Kevin White’s blazing 4.35 time in the 40 and 36.5-inch vertical. Cooper’s official 40 time was 4.42 and his individual drills were flawless.
4.43 for Amari Cooper. https://t.co/9iAMTVUFvb — SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) February 21, 2015
Amari Cooper and ODB profiled very similarly on everything but vertical. Both’s short shuttle and 3-cone were elite.
— Raymond Summerlin (@RMSummerlin) February 22, 2015
Despite working out as a defensive back at the Senior Bowl, Auburn’s Nick Marshall took part in quarterback drills — at the request of several teams according to his agent — and suffered mixed results. He misfired twice, but did test well in others areas among quarterbacks including the second-fastest 40 at 4.54 (Marcus Mariota first at 4.52) and highest vertical leap at 37.5 inches.
RELATED: SEC QBs better athletes than passers in Indy
Defensive linemen and linebackers including Mississippi State’s duo Preston Smith and Benardrick McKinney will handle on-field workouts today, while defensive backs, headlined by Alabama’s Landon Collins, get their crack to impress scouts and GMs on Monday.
