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):(Follow the blog on Twitter and Facebook.)
- Chad Reuter of NFLDraftScout.com writes that Fairley and Alabama's Marcell Dareus cemented their status as elite players.
- Wes Bunting of Rivals also came away impressed by what he saw in Fairley.
- 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.
- Watch the NFL.com guys talk about Fairley vs. Dareus here.
- 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.
- Some interesting stuff on Newton by Peter King, who first reported the "entertainer and icon" line.
- 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.
- Some think Buffalo might be blowing smoke about not wanting Newton at No. 3.
- 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.
- ESPN's Bill Williamson takes a look at the defensive players Denver might consider at No. 2, with Fairley among them.
2 comments:
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.
Fairley does pretty good for a 3 star recruit
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