The 2009 draft prospects used Sunday to test their various football (and non-football) skills at the NFL Combine and the results were mostly mixed for Bulldog participants. First, Matthew Stafford, considered by most to be this year’s top signal caller, decided to run the 40 and participate in some of the day’s other tests but opted to wait for Pro Day in Athens to throw the football. As currently the top-ranked QB according to most scouts, Matt had more to lose than to gain by competing in passing drills and, therefore, made the more strategically—and financially sound—decision by waiting for Pro Day. However, USC’s Mark Sanchez, without question Stafford’s biggest competition at the position, threw well on Sunday, signaling the battle for the top spot among QBs is still ongoing.
Personally, I would have liked to see Matt compete with Mark in the passing drills; doing so would have gone a long way in proving to scouts that he has the confidence and competitive streak essential in top NFL quarterbacks. Meanwhile, Stafford did impress some with a 4.81 time in the 40 (third among all quarterbacks), showing he has enough quicks to pick up yards running the football when nothing is available downfield. As for his size, most thought Stafford was taller than he really is (6-2), and he did drop some extra weight, now down to 225. It’s also worth noting that Matthew finished among the top 10 quarterbacks in the vertical jump (tied for eighth) and the all-important broad jump (10th).
For running back Knowshon Moreno, the combine was like trick-or-treating in a creepy neighborhood; you go home to find in your bag of delectable treats a few razor blade-embedded apples mixed in.
First, the bad news: We knew Knowshon would be far from the fastest running back in this year’s crop, but a 4.61 forty is scarier than anything we would have imagined. To put that number in perspective, five running backs were taken in the first round of last year’s draft and Oregon’s Jonathan Stewart was the slowest of the bunch even after running an impressive 4.48 forty. This year, Moreno’s time doesn’t even rank among the top 10 running backs.
There was some good news for Knowshon, however, as the productive back finished in the top five among running backs in the short-shuttle (4.27 seconds) and the long-shuttle (11.63), two events that are monumentally important for his position since they mostly help measure body control and change-of-direction skills. According to reports, Moreno also looked far more fluid and comfortable catching the ball out of the backfield than his main competition, Ohio State’s Beanie Wells. And, even though some disappointing results prevented him from moving up, Moreno still remains near or at the top of the running back board and among the top 20 or 25 prospects in this year’s draft.
Finally, don’t forget to circle March 19 on your calendars, as that is when Moreno, Stafford and all of Georgia’s other NFL prospects will take part in the Athens Pro Day.
Janovitz can be reached at sjanovitz@scoreatl.com.
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