SEC Players To Watch In The NFL Combine

Whoa. It’s the NFL Combine already? Wasn’t it just a minute ago we were thinking about Spring Games and Auburn had a ton of hope for Jeremy Johnson, and Alabama was worrying about who their quarterback would be, and Georgia was being talked about as a play-off contender?

Here’s the list of players, per SEC Country….

We’ll add a little bit about (most of) the players so you know a bit more about them…

Alabama
RB Kenyan Drake – There will be a lot of focus on his 40 and speed drills after Drake’s injury in 2014 to see if he’s FULLY returned. Drake’s numbers weren’t great last year due to the dominance of Derrick Henry.
RB Derrick Henry – 2015 Heisman winner. I expect him to kill it on the bench press, although not exactly move heads otherwise. That’s because those scouts who have seen him play will have seen him enough.
G Domenick Jackson – Part of a monster offensive line that helped Derrick Henry to a Heisman. Simple.
CB Cyrus Jones – This will be all about the 40-yard dash for this playmaker. We’re not quite sure about him in coverage, but we love him as a punt returner.
C Ryan Kelly – Intelligent and sure center. He’ll be tested on his bench press skills and will hope to interview well.
DE D.J. Pettway – Lucky enough to be a part of the Nick Saban Second Chance Club, he returned to be quite a leader on the Alabama defense despite the fact that many thought he shouldn’t be on the team at all. I’m still not sure about whether his past will play well with NFL coaches – even if his on-field talent makes him a 3-5 round pick. There may be too many red flags, though.
LB Reggie Ragland – The leader of the defense, winning SEC Defensive Player Of The Year. And it really wasn’t close. Ragland is so good, and the scouts will be just checking out the numbers to see if the projections of a first round are correct.
DT Jarran Reed – Exceptionally talented DT who made it impossible for running backs to have a good day. Smothered Leonard Fournette and Nick Chubb, two of college football’s foremost running backs.
DT A’Shawn Robinson – A dominant defensive linesman who was part of an insanely good rushing defense at Alabama. The scouts will be drooling.

Arkansas
QB Brandon Allen – Allen led the SEC in passing efficiency rating, passing yards per attempt, and total yards per play, and threw for 3,550 yards last year. He’s definitely capable. It’ll be interesting in scouting interviews if also explains some inexplicably bad plays he had during the season – especially his red-zone play against Toledo.
RB Alex Collins – 12th all-time in the SEC in rushing yards (3,703) isn’t something to be sniffed at, and Collins’ rushing style could be best compared to Todd Gurley- expect we think Collins has more speed. Can’t wait to see that in the 40.
TE Hunter Henry  – We expect Henry – an All-American and receiver of the John Mackey Award for best tight end in the sport – to shine in the Combine. Has already been compared to Jason Witten. Not a bad comparison.
OT Denver Kirkland – Part of a monster offensive line for Bret Bielma that made the Razorbacks one of the best offenses in the SEC, but scouts are worried about his stiffness. Sounds like he’s needs Viagra.
G Sebastian Tretola – People think he’s a better O-Line option than Kirkland, thanks to his physicality, but like Kirkland, they worry about the fact that he’s too stiff. Did Bret Bielema not teach technique?
RB Jonathan Williams – Could have been one hell of a 1-2 punch for the Razorbacks if he hadn’t been injured before the season started. We will see how he’s recovered for the Combine.

Auburn
RB Peyton Barber – NFL scouts have already said that he’s got no “wow” factor. So he’ll need to find it in interviews and the 40.
OT Shon Coleman – Considering the fact that he overcame leukemia in 2012, it’s a miracle that Coleman’s coming to the Draft. NFL teams might hate him for that very reason, but we hope his bench press and agility numbers make the scouts’ mouth’s drop.
OLB Kris Frost – Yeah – so the scouts might keep on looking at what happened against LSU, and think: “I don’t want a guy like this.” He’s better have good explanations.
CB Jonathan Jones – Part of a horrible Auburn secondary, so we’re not holding out a lot of hope.
WR Ricardo Louis – Seen by many as the luckiest WR in college football after lucky helmet and hand bounces against Georgia and Alabama ended up in his hands, but really he’ll need a great 40 to make people perk up.
LB Cassanova McKinzy – Just read what it says about the LSU game.
WR D’haquille Williams – Yeah. We actually love Duke Williams, but he’s also a petulant pain in the ass. His vertical jump and skills might wow people, but the interviews would be great to be a fly-in-the-wall at.
OT Avery Young – A right tackle who started all his games for the Tigers.

Florida
DT Jonathan Bullard – Excellent tackler and all-SEC player. Should be great in the NFL.
CB Vernon Hargreaves – Can’t wait to see his vertical jump numbers for a player that we think was the best CB in college football for the last two years. All-time 2nd in SEC history in passes defended (27), and was a consensus All-American last year. He’s a freak.
DE Alex McCalister – NFL scouts would like to talk to McCalister about why he was booted from Gainseville for violating team rules probably more than they care about his stats. He did lead the team in sacks, though.
TE Jake McGee – Tremendous catcher who played four years at Virginia and Florida. Had 41 receptions, 381 yards and 4 TDs for the Gators.
LB Antonio Morrison – After his injury in 2014, there will be questions about his athleticism. He was another brilliant defensive player for Florida. 10th on the all-time SEC list for assisted tackles during his career, and had 96 tackles in 2015.
S Keanu Neal – Hard-hitting safety. In just 11 games he had 96 tackles, two sacks and an INT. Athletically excellent. We hope this translates to the Combine.
WR Demarcus Robinson – There’s no question about his speed, but are NFL teams really willing to take a chance on a player who was suspended four times in three seasons? I’m not sure.
RB Kelvin Taylor – Where Taylor excels is finding a hole and flying through it. We can’t wait for him at the Gators.

Georgia
DE Sterling Bailey – Didn’t exactly kick ass last year, so we’ll see if he blows people away at the Combine. He’ll need to.
OLB Leonard Floyd – Length won’t be a problem for Floyd, who’s a giant, but scouts will be worried about his thin frame. Needs to visit McDonald’s a lot.
FB Quayvon Hicks – Knee injury that made him miss Georgia’s bowl win over Penn State will be scrutinized by scouts. He will have to be exceptional at the draft to move himself up the FB draft board. 
OLB Jordan Jenkins – As Jenkins became the linebacker a lot of offensive co-ordinators wanted to avoid, Jenkins’ numbers fell, but don’t get us wrong- he was still really effective. Good speed numbers could vault him into the first round.
RB Keith Marshall – Questions will be about his speed, although there shouldn’t be anything about his heart after Marshall rebounded continuously from injuries. He might just impress enough to be 4-6 round pick.
DT Chris Mayes – Outside chance of his making the NFL.
WR Malcolm Mitchell – He’s a great wide receiver and was a lynchpin for Georgia’s receiving game in 2015 -even as things were going to the crapper offensively. The key will be his explosiveness and speed – the vertical jump shouldn’t be a problem.
OT John Theus – Seen as being a let-down since his arrival at Georgia, and there are worries about his strength.

Kentucky
LB Josh Forrest – Combine profile noted that Forrest had 9 broken tackles and 22 missed ones in the last two years. Had 93 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two INTs and a forced fumble.
S A.J. Stamps – 67 tackles and 1 INT. Down 10 tackles from 2014’s production of 67 (and 4 INTs). It’s said that he only has “fair” speed – so we’ll have to see his 40 and agility drills.

LSU
G Vadal Alexander – The labels on him are that he’s “slow” and one scout said he wasn’t a great blocker, either. We wait for his speed drills -although we have no doubt about his bench pressing drills. Height’s going to excite people – but we can’t stop thinking about his being a part of a LSU line that really wasn’t that great.
OT Jerald Hawkins – Hawkins has medical issues – he played with a bad foot and ankle  – and it’ll be interesting how great he’ll be at the Combine on speed drills.
OLB Deion Jones – The scouts love the athleticism on Jones, although the biggest questions will be his experience (he only started a year at LSU, which seems to send LBs to the draft every 5 minutes). He could well get drafted in the first two rounds – Mel Kiper’s saying that – and we’re expecting great things at the Combine.
S Jalen Mills – Can’t wait to see him in the agility drills. Also there are questions about whether he should have played on the 2015 team at all after being arrested for second degree battery of a woman in 2014. 
CB Rashard Robinson – That fact that he was booted from LSU a year ago will bring up questions about whether he should be at the Combine at all. He was arrested for breaking into a teammate’s house. 

Ole Miss
OT Fahn Cooper – Part of an offensive line that continued to shine in two straight wins against Alabama.
WR Cody Core – Had 644 yards and 4 TDs. Numbers have been increasing over the last four years.
LB C.J. Johnson – Two interceptions last year, but will be good to see vertical jump times. And speed.
DT Robert Nkemdiche – He’ll post high for all the athletic stuff, but he’d better not show up stoned to the meetings.
WR Laquon Treadwell – One of the best WRs in the NFL who should shine in the vertical jump. Injury worries will be addressed.
OT Laremy Tunsil – One of college football’s best offensive linesmen despite being suspended in 2015.

Mississippi State
OLB Beniquez Brown – 93 tackles, two passes defended, 1 INT, and a two kicks blocked. However, even with all these numbers he’s not seen as being that inspiring to scouts. He will have to impress in all categories.
CB Taveze Calhoun – Had 2 INTs and 8 passes defended. Was meant to be a part of a great cornerback duo with Will Redmond in 2015, but Redmond got injured.
DT Chris Jones – Second team All-American with 36 tackles, 2.5 sacks and four passes defended. Started all 13 games – so no worries about his durability.
QB Dak Prescott – Mobile quarterback who can make players miss. A leader who brought MSU to relevance in 2014.
CB Will Redmond – Tore his ACL in 2015. Should be interesting to see how he’ll cope with cuts and speed.
WR De’Runnya Wilson – Sure-handed wide receiver, but there will be questions about speed. Can’t wait to see his 40.

Missouri
C Evan Boehm – Four-year starter, and never stopping going on a lousy team last year. About the only bright spark of Missouri’s offense. Won’t go high, but will start.
OLB Kentrell Brothers – Incredible linebacker for the Tigers. Led the SEC and NCAA with 152 tackles and was 2nd in the SEC in solo tackles.
G Connor McGovern – Part of an atrocious offensive line for Missouri in 2015, but he was a three-year starter so you can blame 2015 on OC Josh Henson, who’s now been fired. Scouts like the fact he can play a number of positions.

South Carolina
TE Jerell Adams – Profiled as a player who doesn’t have the “surest hands”. It’s said Adams might make back-up, but we’re still worried about catching drills.
WR Pharoh Cooper – One of the most underrated wide receivers in college football. He’ll be a bargain if he’s picked anywhere outside of the second round. He would have led the SEC in both receptions and yards if his quarterback was competent.
OT Brandon Shell – He’s seen as being “better suited as a back-up”, which means he’ll have to really impress at the Combine for anyone to believe his starting qualities.
RB Brandon Wilds – There are going to be worries about his injury history. And there are better RBs coming into the draft ahead of him.

Tennessee
OLB Curt Maggitt – The biggest worries will be his medical history. He spent more time on the sidelines than he did on the field…. in two out of four seasons he played in just two games.
WR Marquez North – Hopefully a lot of people will see North’s talent in the vertical jump and the 40 – there are worries about his speed, but injury questions will remain all the way through. I would have loved to see North stay for another year, because he’s really good.

Texas A&M
RB Tra Carson – A Texas A&M player who would have shone more if Spavital hadn’t been his offensive co-ordinator. Will need to do special things in the 40 and cone drills to even get thoughts of a drafting.
G Joseph Cheek- Versatility will be the key for Cheek. In interviews he’ll need to emphasize how well he can play at both guard and offensive tackle, and talk up his time with Johnny Manziel. You know, the college Johnny Manziel not the strip club Johnny Manziel.
CB De’Vante Harris – He’s not a great tackler and if we’re honest, he’s not a great defensive player. He’s been either been invited to the NFL Combine because his dad played in the NFL, or that he played in the SEC. We don’t see him being anything special here – unless he blows up the NFL Combine with his vertical leap, broad jump and 40. Then we’ll still come back to his tackling failures.
G Germain Ifedi – From what the scouts say, Ifedi should have stayed an extra year instead of opting for the cash…but they see him as the best A&M offensive linesman with major potential “on the inside”. He will have to impress on bench press skills and the other cool stuff tested for offensive tackles.
P Drew Kaser – First in the SEC all-time in yards per punt (46.2), and will be the best at his position in the Draft.
CB Brandon Williams – Moved from RB to CB and had 37 tackles and 7 passes defended for the Aggies. His vertical jump could be key to see him move up a little, although we’re not expecting miracles.

Vanderbilt
OLB/DE Stephen Weatherly – Vandy’s “D” may not have been great, but Weatherly stood out with 3.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 39 total tackles. Seen as a DE or LB. Drills will be key to even hearing his name called, though.