Day three of the NFL Combine was perhaps the most awaited of the event. The offensive skill players will always get all the love, but there’s one person everyone has been looking forward to seeing — Manti Te’o.
The Notre Dame linebacker was present, as were the 2013 NFL draft’s top prospects at the defensive line and linebacker positions. While Te’o garnered the most intrigue, a large selection of the defensive players seized their opportunity to perform in the spotlight, too.
Here are my thoughts from the day:
- It’s only right to start with Te’o. The Heisman finalist didn’t test spectacularly, but that was to be expected. Some guys are workout kings and others do their work on the field. He did well during field drills, showing good footwork and change of direction. Ultimately, the linebacker is going to be judged on his game film and the interviews. I don’t believe he’ll go as early as he was being projected to go following the college football season, but he should get selected before the first round is completed.
- As NFL Network’s Mike Mayock noted during the broadcast, LSU’s Kevin Minter performed similarly to Te’o. He didn’t light it up during the 40-yard dash, but showed a good bit of strength during the bench press. Like Te’o, Minter looked good running drills with the other linebackers but was nothing worth writing home about. Still, he is one of the top three linebackers in this class and should be a late-first or early-second round pick.
- Thankfully, linebackers aren’t asked to catch the football all that often. Few of them were able to hang onto it while working on their drops into coverage.
- Ezekiel Ansah continues to back up all the comparisons to New York Giants’ defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul that have been made. Despite being very raw, the defensive end from Brigham Young University’s stock is skyrocketing because of his outstanding athletic skill set. Ansah ran well in the 40-yard dash and looked crisp in field drills. He even did well when dropping into coverage, which he had never been asked to do in college. It’s ridiculous to think of how good Ansah is with just three years of football experience under his belt, much like JPP, who began playing football during his junior year of high school. Any team with a top-20 pick in search of a long-term option at pass rusher should be taking a close look at this guy.
- Georgia’s Alec Ogletree is the top linebacker prospect, but he didn’t perform as such at the Combine. Fortunately for him, none of that really matters. Ogletree is a much better football player than the Combine indicated and should be the first linebacker selected in April.
- I was pleasantly impressed with Connecticut’s Sio Moore. The linebacker has received praise from me before, but it was nice to see him building on what he’s already accomplished for himself since this entire process began. Moore has great size at 6-foot-1, 245 pounds, and still managed to post an impressive 40-yard dash time at 4.65 seconds. He performed well in all the other tests and was solid during the field drills. Mayock has been gushing over Moore since the Senior Bowl and it’s likely some NFL scouts have as well.
- LSU defensive lineman Barkevious Mingo looked great at the Combine, but that wasn’t surprising. One of the top-rated defensive players since the preseason, he ran a very fast 40-yard dash at 4.58 seconds and excelled in the field drills. He was impressive when dropping into coverage. This was a key moment for him as it’s likely Mingo projects better as a 3-4 edge rusher. He won’t be asked to cover often, but it will be valuable to teams knowing he can if they need him to.
- Another UConn standout, defensive end and outside linebacker prospect Trevardo Williams, had a fantastic Combine. He posted solid numbers in the 40-yard dash (4.57 seconds) and bench press (30 reps), while being a bit undersized for an NFL linebacker at 6-foot-1, 241 lbs. Like Moore, Williams has a ton of upside and he put up huge sack numbers for the Huskies. This could entice some 3-4 teams seeking a developmental project with the potential to be a lethal edge rusher at the next level, as CBS Sports’ Derek Stephens notes. A mid-round option, his performance should give a boost to his draft stock.
Louis Musto is a contributor for the Sports Journey Broadcast Network. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.