Combine notes: ban gets less banny; Haskins to throw … The NFL has reportedly further tweaked its decision to bar Mississippi State DT Jeffrey Simmons, Louisiana Tech DE Jaylon Ferguson and Colorado State WR Preston Williams from participating in next week’s scouting combine in Indianapolis because of off-field incidents involving violence in their past. After originally indicating that the three could not attend at all, the league said they could at least attend and undergo the medical evaluation part of the process. Now, the three will also be available for team interviews — each team is allowed to a 15-minute interview with up to 60 players – but they will still prevented from on-the-field drills and testing. And that is a big development for the players as how they explain those incidents will be major components of their final grades.
Meanwhile, Ohio State QB Dwayne Haskins, who is in a hotly contested battle with Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray to be the #1 QB in this year’s draft field, has indicated that he will participate in passing drills at the combine. For his part, Murray says that he hasn’t made up his mind whether or not he will throw. That’s certainly a good decision by Haskins if he ultimately follows through as it appears that Murray has the momentum right now, although truth be told the combine is a lousy venue for evaluating a QB’s arm; the passers really don’t get a chance to get into any rythym while they are working with unfamiliar receivers. As such the pro day venue will be far important in that regard, although NFL teams like to see people go out and compete at the combine. For the record, the QBs will be on the field for their physical drills next Saturday.
