Taking a week off from my weekly Chicago Bears draft board, I want to dedicate this post to this weekends NFL Combine. The post is restricted to the Bears most glaring needs which are OL, DT, CB, and WR. The Scouting Combine and Pro Day are the type of events that help General Managers, scouts, and coaches determine what round certain prospects should be at when the draft rolls around. For the prospects, the two events give them a head start on the pro game with drills and terminology.
Angelo like every general manager will be looking for some solid high round prospects and some steals in the later rounds. Here are my 10 combine prospects Bears fans should keep an eye on.
Offensive Tackle
Derrick Sherrod Mississippi State
The Mississippi State LT has a lot of skill but the knock on him is that he doesn't finish blocks. I really do not see a lot of teams passing up on the 6-6 312 pound athletic tackle as a good O-line coach like Tice can coach that out of him.
Joseph Barksdale LSU
Walterfootball.com labels him the best technician of all the tackle prospects, and when you watch the highlight tape of him you can make a good case. That is something to keep an eye on at the combine because it boggles my mind that if he is that, why is he rated as a 3rd to 4th pick round pick.
Offensive Guards
John Moffitt Wisconsin
Gabe Carimi line mate can very possibly step in right away and help a team out in the trenches. I expect the former Badger to have a steller combine and increase he stock to a mid second round pick.
Justin Boren Ohio State
Boren is the proto typical Tice lineman; a big offensive mean offensive lineman that's punishing in the run game. He should be on the Bears radar in the 3rd or 4th round.
Center
Tim Barnes Missouri
Barnes played in a very heavy passing offense at Missouri so you can imagine he saw just about every blitz possible. Stefen Wisniewski and Jake Kirkpatrick will get most of the attention since they are the top Centers prospects, but for a late round Center keep your eye on Barnes.
Defensive Tackles
Drake Nevis LSU
Nevis is explosive off the line of scrimmage, but scouts and coaches will look to see if he can be an every down lineman. If he shows scouts that he can be a starting 4-3 DT, his stock will soar up to the 1st round.
Marvin Austin North Carolina
You watch the highlight tapes of Austin and can't help, but see what the hype is all about. If you ask me he's a mid 3rd round pick, but a very impressive combine will make him a solid choice in the 2nd round.
Cornerbacks
Johnny Patrick Louisville
Patrick stock might soar from a 3rd round to 4th round prospect, to a mid to late second round prospect after a solid combine. Patrick has solid man coverage and ball skills to potentially develop into a lockdown corner at the next level.
Wide Receiver
Jonathan Baldwin Pittsburg
What I want to see from Baldwin at the combine is his 40 times and how far ahead is he in his route running. The 40 time I just would like to see how it takes him to reach his top speed, and route running you pretty much would like to see how raw he is in that area.
Vincent Brown San Diego State
He shined at the senior bowl and you will like to see if he can keep it up at the combine. Vincent Brown is one of my favorite WR prospects in the draft because he's a very smart route runner who can help a team right away.