{"id":33817,"date":"2016-03-02T13:46:13","date_gmt":"2016-03-02T19:46:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=33817"},"modified":"2016-03-02T13:46:13","modified_gmt":"2016-03-02T19:46:13","slug":"gridlock-on-the-gridiron-scouts-torn-over-varied-showings-at-nfl-combine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/gridlock-on-the-gridiron-scouts-torn-over-varied-showings-at-nfl-combine\/","title":{"rendered":"Gridlock on the gridiron: Scouts torn over varied showings at NFL Combine"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Tolly Taylor<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some 1,200 journalists tried to tackle the 335 prospects at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. The takeaway: there are so many strong prospects on the defensive line, third rounders will look like first rounders in April’s draft. Wide receivers? Raised eyebrows as well, but for all the wrong reasons.<\/p>\n

Coachspeak<\/strong>
\nThe lights turned on and cameramen clicked record for the head coaches and general managers, who starred on Day 1. Chicago Bears head coach John Fox called the Combine a \u201cfirst look\u201d at prospects. <\/p>\n

\n

#Bills<\/a> Rex Ryan: "I don't wanna talk about anyone else's team. Especially the Patriots." #medillsports<\/a> #NFLCombine<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/psYTwFx5yP<\/a><\/p>\n

— Tolly Taylor (@TollyTaylor) February 24, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2018Superback\u2019 or Superman?<\/strong>
\nOn Day 2, Northwestern\u2019s Danny Vitale benched 225 pounds 30 times, tying for first among running backs and fullbacks with Nebraska\u2019s Andy Janovich. The next day, he would be tops among fullbacks in the 40-yard dash, the vertical jump and the 20- and 60-yard shuttles. <\/p>\n

[vimeo 157450142 w=474]<\/p>\n

Party problems<\/strong>
\nDay 3 featured defensive prospects, several with histories of injuries or run-ins with the law. The biggest surprise was an Ole Miss mishap. <\/p>\n

[vimeo 157450468 w=474]<\/p>\n

Great expectations<\/strong>
\nJust two days after he boasted about clocking a 4.26-second 40-yard dash, Ohio State wide receiver Braxton Miller was more tortoise than hare. <\/p>\n

[vimeo 157450325 w=474]<\/p>\n

Quick take: slow times<\/strong>
\nWide receivers competed in seven drills on Day 4, but it was their 40-yard dash times that stood out. And not in a good way. <\/p>\n

[vimeo 157450343 w=474]<\/p>\n

Photo at top: Bears head coach John Fox addresses the media on Day 1 of the 2016 NFL Combine. (Adam Rossow\/MEDILL)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Tolly Taylor Some 1,200 journalists tried to tackle the 335 prospects at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. The takeaway: there are so many strong prospects on the defensive line, third rounders will look like first rounders in April’s draft. Wide receivers? Raised eyebrows as well, but for all the wrong reasons. Coachspeak […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":236,"featured_media":33898,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,585],"tags":[1903,1901,1694,1902,1906,1907,1904,1113,805,192,1605,1905],"class_list":["post-33817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","category-winter-2016","tag-andy-janovich","tag-braxton-miller","tag-chicago-bears","tag-danny-vitale","tag-defensive-linemen","tag-indianapolis","tag-john-fox","tag-nfl","tag-ohio-state","tag-promo","tag-scouting-combine","tag-wide-receiver"],"yoast_head":"\nGridlock on the gridiron: Scouts torn over varied showings at NFL Combine - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/gridlock-on-the-gridiron-scouts-torn-over-varied-showings-at-nfl-combine\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gridlock on the gridiron: Scouts torn over varied showings at NFL Combine - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Tolly Taylor Some 1,200 journalists tried to tackle the 335 prospects at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. 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