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Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Tuesday links: Wrapping up the NFL Combine

Defensive tackle Nick Fairley was the last former Auburn player to do his drills at the NFL Combine on Monday. Here's a sampling of stories on how he fared (plus so Cam Newton stuff):

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  • Chad Reuter of NFLDraftScout.com writes that Fairley and Alabama's Marcell Dareus cemented their status as elite players.
  • What exactly did Fairley do that was so impressive? Well, his workout numbers were good. He ran a 4.87-second time in the 40-yard dash, which is pretty good a guy his size. He moved well in drills too, showing strong footwork in linebacker and movement drills. Size might be something of a questions. Fairley measured in at 291 pounds, lighter than most tackles (Dareus, by comparison, is 319). I find it hard to believe that an NFL team couldn't get Fairley to whatever weight they want, however. Also, as someone mentioned in the comments section of a previous post, Fairley measured in at 6-foot-3 7/8, so it's not like he's that far off from his listed height at Auburn of 6-foot-5.
  • Some sites listed Fairley as one of the winners from the combine.
  • Others not so much. Sports Illustrated's Peter King, meanwhile, claims to have it on good authority from someone in the know that Fairley won't go No. 1 overall. (Points No. 4 and 5) Then again, this is the draft, so any information circulating right now might be misinformation.
  • King also takes a shot at a mock draft. He has Newton going No. 4 to Cincinnati and Fairley going No. 8 to Tennessee (which would be interesting, considering that's where Tracy Rocker is). It should be noted that there are 59 days to the draft and everything figures to change by then.
  • ESPN's John Clayton says Newton's potential is too good to pass up, although he thinks an ideal situation would involve him sitting and watching his first professional season.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dareus will probably be a better fit as a 3-4 end, due to his size and build. Nick is more of a classic 4-3 DT, and he can still add some bodyweight.

2 great DTs, just different in what they bring to a team.

Unknown said...

Fairley does pretty good for a 3 star recruit