Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - There are FCS prospects not headed to the
NFL Combine who figure to be drafted in April.
Last year, eight players were left on the sideline and still got the call on
draft day.
But the 22 FCS players who have their bags packed for Indianapolis next week
have a unique opportunity to impress all 32 NFL teams, and they don't want to
waste it. They can rest easy that the pro personnel, not Gisele Bundchen, will
be critiquing them.
FCS prospects, of course, face the stigma of coming from a small school. It's
a label that will follow them even if they go on to enjoy significant success
professionally.
At the Combine, though, they have an excellent chance to show they belong on
the next level - mentally, physically and emotionally.
"Going and wowing will help your stock," said Josh Buchanan, who operates JB
Scouting Inc., which is devoted to smaller-school player evaluation, "but if
you go and you perform much worse than you expect, it will hurt you
drastically."
At the Combine, where players will participate in different positional groups
over four-day spans from Feb. 22-28, the evaluation includes medical exams,
psychological testing and interviews with teams, and workouts (like timing,
stations and skill drills). While some of the BCS talent will opt out of the
workouts to perform them at pro days in the coming months, the FCS players
generally are more willing to participate in the drills when healthy.
The FCS contingent is particularly strong in the secondary. Some of the better
prospects are among the seven cornerbacks, including Furman's Ryan Steed and
Coastal Carolina's Josh Norman. And then there are another four who are
safeties, although Montana's Trumaine Johnson, at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, might
move to the position from cornerback.
"It just so happened that it lined up that you had so many in one year, but I
think this is more a cycle thing," Buchanan said. "The corners, the DBs will
be a little bit down next year because it's so strong this year. You're never
going to see 11 (defensive backs) going to the Combine for five years in a
row."
Appalachian State wide receiver Brian Quick is considered the FCS' top
prospect, but he didn't wow scouts at the Senior Bowl and was never considered
to be an academic whiz. The latter factors in when teams decide how he would
be able to pick up their offense.
But Quick is so physically gifted at 6-4, 220 pounds that he likely would
solidify himself as a second-round selection by having a lights-out Combine.
Buchanan believes Norman and Steed, third- or fourth-round prospects, helped
themselves on the all-star game circuit more than Quick. He also felt
Chattanooga quarterback B.J. Coleman, Tennessee Tech wide receiver Tim Benford
and Quick's Appalachian State teammate, quarterback-turned-cornerback DeAndre
Presley, improved their standing in the eyes of scouts.
"The sad thing is when you're coming from this level and you go to an all-star
game, if you don't help yourself, you ultimately could slide a little bit,"
Buchanan said. "Not that your stock falls, but so many other guys helped
themselves. You might still be a fifth-round grade, but you might end up in
the early- to mid-sixth because several other guys by-passed you with fourth-
round grades."
NFL teams select the list of Combine invites in early December, before the
all-star games. All is not lost, however, for players like North Dakota State
tight end Matt Veldman, Old Dominion defensive tackle Ronnie Cameron and
William & Mary running back Jonathan Grimes, whom Buchanan had hoped would
have graded high enough for the Combine. They still can impress teams at an
upcoming pro day.
But for those players going under the microscope at the RCA Dome, it's a
golden opportunity to create some buzz two months before the draft.
"The ones I've talked to say they're real focused on Indy," Buchanan said.
"They're putting everything into Indy because they know if, 'I do well there,
then I don't even need to do anything (exceptional) at my pro day.'"
The Sports Network