Lammey: 3 things we learned about the NFL Combine offensive prospects

INDIANAPOLIS — The 2018 NFL Scouting Combine, annually one of the most important stops in the pre-draft process, wraps up this week, though most of the action took place last week.

During the combine, players undergo medical checks where they are poked and prodded by 32 teams. They’re asked about injuries suffered when they were kids, as teams try to find out everything they can about a player’s medical background.

Players go through the interview process with all 32 teams and the national media on hand to cover the event. At the podium in front of the media, players are often asked softball questions like, “Talk about what it would mean to you to play for (insert team here)?”

But team interviews are much different.

Players are put in front of a chalkboard during the team interview portion of the combine with the intent of finding out how much they know about football. In addition to talking football, scouts ask sometimes uncomfortable questions about a player’s background or family history.

So what did we learn on the offensive side of the ball at the combine? Let’s take a look:

Saquon Barkley could be No. 1-overall pick

Entering the combine, most who cover the league speculated that a quarterback would be the first-overall pick. Guys like Sam Darnold (USC), Josh Allen (Wyoming), or Josh Rosen (UCLA) litter mock drafts at the top of the list.

Penn State running back Saquan Barkley might have changed all that at the combine.

There was plenty of buzz after his performance during drills that the Cleveland Browns could now consider Barkley with the top pick.

Barkley kicked things off by recording a 40-yard dash time of 4.4 seconds. Measuring in at 6 feet and 233 pounds, Barkley had a vertical leap of 41 inches and did a whopping 29 reps on the bench press at 225 pounds.

He might be a combination of the safest and the best player in this entire draft. With more running backs getting drafted early in recent years (Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette), Barkley may be the first running back selected No. 1-overall since Ki-Jana Carter (Cincinnati Bengals) back in 1995.

No shortage of confidence at quarterback

Quarterbacks are often incredibly confident, sometimes bordering on cockiness. It’s part of the nature of the position and actually a desirable trait in which teams often seek, so long as it doesn’t go too far.

Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield has taken things too far a few times on the field. Whether it was the flag-planting incident against Ohio State or the crotch-grabbing incident against Kansas, Mayfield has shown no shortage of belief in himself.

He showed incredible passion for the game during his press interview last week in Indianapolis.

“I’m the most accurate quarterback in this draft, by far,” Mayfield said.

Sources told me that Mayfield did a great job during the team interview process.

Sources tell me Baker Mayfield crushed the team interview process at #NFLCombine – several evaluators came away impressed by his work on the chalkboard and football intelligence. #NFLDraft @1043TheFan

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) March 3, 2018

A walk-on at two different colleges (Texas Tech, Oklahoma), Mayfield has made a career of proving doubters wrong. He’s now going to take his incredible confidence to the pro level to see if that trend can continue.

The next Tyreek Hill?

Players with off-field issues often fall in the draft. Their draft stock can be hurt by criminal incidents that happened during their college days.

These type of prospects have to answer questions about this at the combine. They can turn things around with the right mindset about past issues, and they can turn heads with on-field performances.

That’s what Florida wide receiver Antonio Callaway did last week.

Trouble followed Callaway during his time with the Gators. He was accused, and later cleared, of sexual assault in 2016 and did not play in the 2017 season amid a credit card fraud scandal involving nine Florida players.

He clearly has to answer for things off the field, much like Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill did when he came out of college.

Callaway ran the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds and showed “exceptional quickness,” according to NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks, who believes some evaluators view the pass catcher as a WR1.

Currently, Callaway is seen as a seventh-round pick, mainly due to his troubled background. Perhaps the impression he made at the combine will improve his draft stock.

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