The anticipation is over as the on-the-field workouts at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine begin Friday morning when the offensive linemen and running backs take the field. Who are the players expected to stand out? Here are three names to keep an eye on.
OT Jason Spriggs, Indiana - It would be a shock if Spriggs does not produce the best testing numbers from the offensive line group. He's already weighed in at 301 pounds and completed 31 reps on the bench press. Spriggs should run in the 4.9s in the 40-yard dash then touch around 33 inches in the vertical jump. Both are standout numbers for offensive linemen.
OL Alex Lewis, Nebraska - Lewis is getting looks at both tackle and guard and his Combine results could go a long way in determining his ultimate position. Lewis is expected to time well in the 20-yard shuttle run (4.5s) and the 3-cone (7.3s), both critical tests for offensive linemen. He could also pop off a vertical jump near 35 inches.
RB Tyler Ervin, San Jose State - He could be the star of the show on Saturday. He's expected to run in the low 4.3s in the 40-yard dash and could even get below that barrier in the 4.2-second range. A vertical jump in excess of 40 inches as well as a broad jump near 11 feet is also a possibility.
What They Said
"I'm going for the million bucks. We'll see if I get it. I'm a second away,"Michigan State center Jack Allen on the prize for setting the fastest 40-yard dash
"This isn't her first rodeo at being homeless. I was homeless from the time I was 7 to 14. It's nothing new. It's just a little bump in the road for us. I'll overcome it," Auburn running back Peyton Barber
"I missed one half of football my whole career at Missouri, and that was because of the high ankle sprain. Fifth play of the season this year. I told them at halftime, you guys do whatever you need to do with it, but you're not keeping me out of next week's game. That's just not who I am. That streak was very important to me," Missouri center Evan Boehm, who set the school's ironman record
"It's crazy just to see how far I've come. It's hard to think about to go from being four years ago to have no idea if I was going to be on a Division I team going into the fall. It's hard to take in how far I've come as a person and a player," Michigan State offensive tackle Jack Conklin, a potential first-round pick who was a walk-on for the Spartans
"The last time I was measured at Ohio State, I was 6-7 and 6/10. So I don't know what happened. We've been on our feet a lot walking around. Maybe I compressed my spine a little bit," Ohio State offensive tackle Taylor Decker on being shorter (6-7) than his college media guide bio (6-8)
"It's different for everybody. There's no clear-cut (way). Albert Einstein was dyslexic and obviously he's way smarter than I am. It's a bunch of classes. You never really grow out of it but you can learn to cope with it." Baylor offensive tackle Spencer Drango on his battle with dyslexia
"I don't think the NFL is open to crop tops," Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott on his hairstyle
"I'm a human biology major. I want to be a trauma surgeon after football is all over. I worked in a cell biology lab this past summer, did a stint in an ER for some shadowing. I just love being able to see the high-intensity environment. Everyone's working together. The quarterback is the head doctor. You have the nurses, kind of the offensive linemen of the thing, doing the dirty work but not getting the credit for it." - Stanford guard Joshua Garnett
"It's how the game has evolved and you've got to take it for what it's worth. You've got to make the teams want to draft you. So that's all upon you and how you perform." - Heisman Trophy-winner Derrick Henry on potentially not being a first-round pick
"Everybody wants to be the No. 1 pick. Being the No. 1 pick would be great. I'd love to play for any team. That's been my goal since I was a little kid, man, just to accomplish one of them goals, it would be great." - Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil
