While the NFL combine is only supposed to confirm what scouts already know, there were still players who turned heads this week in Indianapolis.
The "Underwear Olympics" is often the most intriguing of the pre-draft events, giving the prospects a chance to show off their true athleticism in a variety of events. Although these don't necessarily translate directly to success in the NFL, teams always seem to fall in love with speed, strength and explosiveness.
When the NFL draft rolls around, some of the names that stood out this week are likely going to be a little higher on boards.
Here are the top performers in each event at the scouting combine and a look at the players who helped themselves the most.
Full combine results at NFL.com.
Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
Although he played defensive end in college, Vic Beasley was aware he was likely going to have to move to outside linebacker at the next level. According to Ron Clements of Greenville Online, the former Clemson star recently discussed his need to show off his other skills:
I played linebacker in high school and some in college, so it's nothing new to me. Teams really want to see me drop in coverage. They haven't seen me with my hand off the ground that much. They want me to play the 3-4 outside linebacker position at the next level, so they want to see me drop.
After the combine, it's clear he has the athleticism to drop back in coverage or do just about anything on the football field.
Beasley showed off an incredible combination of strength and speed that has rarely been seen at this event, via ESPN Stats and Info:
His 35 reps on the bench press were the third-most at any position in the class; however, his true feat was comparing him to others at the position. He finished first among linebackers in the 40-yard dash and bench press while landing in the top five in vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone drill and the 20-yard shuttle run.
It was clear Beasley would be a contender for a first-round pick in April, but it seems like he has solidified this standing.
Chris Conley, WR, Georgia
Although he never put up big numbers at Georgia, Chris Conley showed the value of the combine with his performance, as Peter Bukowski of Sports Illustrated noted:
His 40-yard dash turned heads as a 6'2" receiver who ran a 4.35, the third-fastest time at any position. That combination of size and speed was already enough to make him an intriguing player in this class.
Seth Emerson of The Macon Telegraph noted how this will help him:
However, the receiver was just getting started. He showed off his leaping ability later in the day with a vertical jump of 45 inches, which was the best mark since 2006. When he completed his broad jump of 11'7", it was also the longest in that stretch.
Just for good measure, he showed he wasn't exactly fragile by posting 18 reps on the bench press, which ranked fourth among receivers in the class.
There will be a lot more film study on Conley after this week to see if he can truly make it as an NFL receiver. Regardless, it's clear the young player has the tools necessary to succeed at the next level.
Byron Jones, CB, Connecticut
Saying Byron Jones is explosive isn't quite the same as seeing it for yourself, courtesy of Will Brinson of CBS Sports:
Not only was his broad jump of 12'3" the longest ever at the combine, but it might have been the best the world has ever seen. According to Bryan Fischer of NFL.com, the world record at the former Olympic event of standing long jump was 12'2".
Add in his impressive vertical jump that finished second only to Conley, and it's clear Jones has some athleticism. On a 6'1" frame at cornerback, this will certainly get a lot of teams to take notice.
On the other hand, Jones wasn't even able to show off his speed at the combine after choosing not to participate in the 40-yard dash, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com:
The good news is he made up for it by showing off his quickness and change of direction in the shuttle runs. In case his jumps weren't good enough, he finished with the fastest time of any player in the 60-yard shuttle at 10.98 seconds.
Jones simply put on a show in Indianapolis and left with as much buzz as anyone in the class.
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