‘Checking off the boxes’ is what all the participants at the scouting combine are striving for. And so far, one of the guys who is doing just that is Notre Dame OG Quenton Nelson. Nelson checked off another box earlier today when he threw up 35 reps in the bench press drill for the offensive linemen. That was after Nelson had more than one NFL team whispering ‘maybe an OT’ when he checked in with almost 34” arms at yesterday’s tape session. Nelson’s BP total was second among the OL today, behind the 37 reps posted by super strong UTEP OG Will Hernandez. Auburn’s Barden Smith also posted 35 reps to tie Nelson for second-place at the position, while Virginia Tech’s Wyatt Teller with 30 was the only other OL to break the 30 mark.
On the other hand, the BP was not at all kind to Oklahoma OT Orlando Brown. And while taller players like Brown, who measured in at almost 6-8 yesterday, are at a disadvantage in the bench press, that’s still a lousy number for a potential first round prospect, especially one that weighs 345 pounds. Today’s BP session also wasn’t great for Oregon OT Tyrell Crosby who managed only 17 reps, along with Western Michigan’s Chuk Okorafor who got stuck at 19 and Pitt’s Jaryd Jones-Smith, who aced yesterday’s weigh-in, but couldn’t translate that to the BP where he managed only 16 reps. Meanwhile, among the interior offensive linemen, rising Iowa C James Daniels lost a little momentum when he posted only 21 reps.
Among other big-name OL prospects this year, Texas OT Connor Williams posted 26 BP reps, while fellow OTs Mike McGlinchey of Notre Dame, UCLA’s Kolton Miller and Martinas Rankin of Mississippi State each had 24 reps. For the record, Georgia OG Isaiah Wynn did not lift today. For all intents and purposes, Ohio State C Billy Price also didn’t lift today; he did get 2-3 reps in, but was forced to stop because of an injury and his further participation in the combine is up in the air at this hour.
Speaking of checking off the boxes, Penn State RB Saquon Barkley also got himself another checkmark earlier today when he posted 29 reps the bench press for the backs. In fact, Barkley tied for the lead among the backs with Georgia’s Nick Chubb; indeed, the figure for both was the 13th highest among combine RBs in the past decade.
However, the bigger test for Barkley comes tomorrow when the backs run their 40s. Barkley raised a few eyebrows yesterday when he weighed in at 233 pounds. That’s a good playing weight for Barkley, but observers expected him to come in a little lighter to prep for his 40. If Barkley runs under 4.5, especially if he gets close to 4.4, he will truly be making the case that he has to be considered for the top picks in this April’s draft. On the other hand, that momentum could wane if Barkley doesn’t break 4.5, although he is clearly still a top prospect.
Among the other top RBs, LSU’s Derrius Guice managed 15 reps in the BP, while Oregon’s Royce Freeman had 17, Georgia’s Sony Michel 22, Tennessee’s John Kelly 15, Notre Dame’s Josh Adams 18, Alabama’s Bo Scarborough 14, San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny 13, while Auburn’s Kerryon Johnson had 11.
