Pro day reports: Florida and Oklahoma
Other pro day reports: Miami | Mike Williams | Alex Smith | Aaron Rodgers
Oklahoma's pipeline to the NFL appears to be on the verge of becoming a gusher.
After having seven players drafted over the past two years, the Sooners are expected to have as many as 11 players selected this year, including four possible first-round picks. If the Sooners' draft haul comes to fruition, it would rival the vaunted 11-man classes the Miami Hurricanes produced in 1991 and 2002.
Defensive end Dan Cody and offensive tackle Jammal Brown are considered first-round locks, while wide receiver Mark Clayton and safety Brodney Pool appear to be late first-round targets.
Among the others who are expected to be selections: wide receivers Mark Bradley and Brandon Jones and linebacker Lance Mitchell (likely third-round choices); safety Donte Nicholson and cornerback Antonio Perkins (fourth round); defensive tackle Lynn McGruder and quarterback Jason White (likely sixth- or seventh-round picks).
The defensive ends in this draft haven't helped themselves. Cody was thought to have a shot at being a top-10 pick, but he didn't blow anybody away at the Sooners' pro day.
Cody skipped the workouts at the combine, and it was thought he would run in the late 4.6s in his pro-day 40. Instead, Cody ran in the mid-to-late 4.7s. Though he's still a first-round pick, he probably slid a bit.
Cody's slightly disappointing showing comes on the heels of Wisconsin's Erasmus James, who ran in the low 4.8s in the 40 at the combine and probably pushed himself from the top 10 down to the middle portion of the first round or beyond. Georgia's David Pollack and Iowa's Matt Roth also posted slow combine times – 4.75 and 4.81, respectively.
Florida's pro day on Wednesday was marred by wind and soggy 50-degree weather.
Running back Ciatrick Fason, who will likely have to bulk up to be an every-down back, drew a prickly response for not working out at last month's combine. Considering Wednesday's conditions, it looked even more like a mistake. Fason was clocked in the high-4.5-second range in the 40.
Linebacker Channing Crowder, whose knee surgeries and off-the-field issues have raised red flags, remains a popular prospect because he fits the profile of the "flexible" 3-4 linebacker – someone who can also play some defensive end. Crowder ran in the high-4.6 range.
Both Fason and Crowder were said to have looked "solid" in drills. Still, the day was somewhat of a disappointment, although it appears scouts aren't going to go overboard with the numbers because the players ran outside in less than ideal conditions.
A handful of teams are looking forward to one last look at Kansas State's Darren Sproles, who has done nothing but help himself since his season ended. The running back is expected to go through at least a portion of the workouts at K-State's March 14 pro day.
The 5-6, 187-pound Sproles may rest on his 40-yard dash time from the combine, which was clocked within the low-to-high 4.4-second range. Some entered the combine believing Sproles could be a quality specialist and looked at him as a fourth-round choice, but one more solid workout could push him into the upper third round.
There has been a great deal of talk that Texas linebacker Derrick Johnson's combine workouts may get him snapped up by the Browns at the No. 3 spot, but it's not likely.
Johnson ran well in drills and the 40 (high 4.4s to low 4.5s) and registered an impressive 37½ vertical, but he's still not viewed as a game-changing player like a LaVar Arrington. Unless the Browns trade down between the fifth and eighth picks, many think Cleveland would be reaching a bit for Johnson.
The battle for the No. 3 quarterback slot in the draft is going to be decided this month in workouts, and one player who has fallen out of the mix is Georgia's David Greene.
Despite being the winningest quarterback in college football, scouts aren't wowed by Greene's arm strength or downfield accuracy on the long ball. Interestingly, Greene tied for the second-lowest Wonderlic score among quarterbacks, with a 19 (out of a possible 50). Only Miami's Brock Berlin had a lower Wonderlic with a 13.
Utah's Alex Smith had the highest score among all quarterbacks, notching a 40, followed by Akron's Charlie Frye (38), Harvard's Ryan Fitzpatrick (38) and Cal's Aaron Rodgers (35).
One interesting trend were the low Wonderlic scores of several Miami players. Aside from Berlin's 13, several others scored well below the averages of their position groupings, including running back Frank Gore (6), tight end Kevin Everett (12) and wide receiver Roscoe Parrish (10). Conversely, conerback Antrel Rolle (21) and guard Chris Myers (25) had above-average scores for their groups.
Akron's Frye might be the most intriguing player among the second-tier group of quarterbacks.
The Senior Bowl MVP, Frye is yet another productive quarterback from the Mid-American Conference who rarely had a chance to show his skills against top competition. He performed well at the combine, measuring 6-4 and weighing 225 pounds and running a sub-4.8 40, and he is thought to have good arm strength and accuracy.
Though scouts still seem to be a bit more enamored with Auburn's Jason Campbell and Purdue's Kyle Orton, some feel Frye has an outside shot to sneak into the late first round with another good showing at his pro day.
While Nebraska hasn't been the dominant program of the past, the Cornhuskers still should spread an ample amount of talent throughout the draft.
The guy who has risen the quickest since the end of the season is 5-10, 188-pound cornerback Fabian Washington, who posted about a 4.3 in the 40 at the combine and had an absurd vertical jump of 41 inches. Washington looked good going through drills at his pro day on Wednesday, though he chose not to run his 40-yard dash again.
Washington wasn't the only one to impress. Safety Josh Bullocks duplicated his sub-4.5 40 times from the combine and looked good going through drills. He should join linebacker Barrett Ruud as a solid third-round pick. Guard Mike Erickson and cornerback Willie Amos, both of whom weren't invited to the combine, had good individual workouts and will likely be drafted somewhere on the second day.
A few of the injured offensive linemen that teams are eyeing will try to work out later this month or early in April. The two big prospects are former Nebraska center Richie Incognito and Tennessee tackle Michael Munoz.
Incognito impressed scouts at the combine before injuring his knee, and he may try to work out one more time at Arizona State's pro day on April 6. (Incognito was dismissed from Nebraska's program.) Meanwhile, Munoz has had shoulder problems and is currently aiming for the Volunteers' second pro day on March 30. At this point, both are considered second-day picks.
Oregon State cornerback Brandon Browner, who was considered a possible late first-round or early second-round pick until he ran a 4.63 40 at the combine, will run one last time for scouts on March 24 at Hawaii's pro day in California.
For now, the 6-3, 221-pound Browner is considered a third-round pick. He'll have to run far better to keep teams from switching him to safety.
