I’m in Indy once again for the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine, though I arrived mid-day on Friday and am not in the group of media cleared to watch the workouts. In fact, I’m spending most of the weekend in the adjacent hotel lobby, where agents, ex-coaches, various media members and loads of prospect family members steadily flow in and out.

Friday saw the offensive linemen and running backs take to the Lucas Oil Field turf to work out. Among the notables…

--Alabama RB Derrick Henry clocked an official 4.54 40-yard dash at 6’3” and 247 pounds. While at least five pounds of that weight might be in his copious coiffure, that is still really trucking for such a large human being. Expect the Heisman Trophy winner to be in play in the 25-35 overall range. More than one person here has suggested the Titans at No. 32 (first pick of the second round) is a very legit possibility.

--Georgia RB Keith Marshall ran the fastest 40 at 4.31 seconds. His unofficial time was 4.29 but most of the official numbers wound up being between .2 and .4 seconds slower across the board. Either way, Marshall demonstrated why he won the North Carolina HS 100-meter dash as a senior. His Bulldogs career was often derailed with injury, missing two full years with a torn ACL that did not heal properly. It’s healthy now, and his well-polished rushing style is impressive enough even without the top speed mark here. Teams are going to have trepidation on the durability front, but remember Marshall was once regarded as teammate Todd Gurley’s equal. I see him being a third or fourth round pick.

--Ohio State RB Ezekiel Elliott continues to earn plaudits as the top running back in this class. His workout numbers did not disappoint,

 

Ascertaining exactly where in the first round Elliott comes off the board is the challenge. One team to keep an eye on: the Oakland Raiders at No. 14 overall. They’re not hiding their desire to bolster the offense and ease up Latavius Murray’s workload. Elliott’s ability to play any type of running back role in the book makes him so valuable.

--Henry’s Crimson Tide backfield mate Kenyan Drake also turned in a great, explosive workout with a 4.45 40 and a 123” broad jump at 6’1” and 210 pounds. When I saw Drake at the Senior Bowl I thought he was the fastest guy in the open field I’ve seen all year, and this basically confirms it.

--California’s Daniel Lasco won the most explosive award with great numbers across the board:

  • 4.46 40-yard dash
  • 23 bench press reps
  • 1.53 10-yard split
  • 41.5” vertical
  • 135” broad jump

Those last three figures were all best in class for the running backs. Like Elliott, he doesn’t look like he’s straining at all when at full gallop either. Lasco was great in 2014 but struggled last fall with both a hip injury and a predictable offensive scheme. He looked electric in person during Shrine Game workouts, but even in those fairly controlled environs it was evident he really doesn’t want to get hit or venture where the big boys roam very often. Still a late-rounder in my book, and I’m fairly certain the NFL is reading between the same covers. But Lasco definitely helped himself.

--Seven of the 29 running backs did not run due to injury. The interesting one here is Arkansas’ Jonathan Williams, who did non-contact work during Senior Bowl week and expressed at that time he felt he would be ready for a full-go in Indy. He definitely isn’t faking the foot injury, as he missed the 2015 season and still just isn’t quite ready to go. He’s got a lot of buzz in the online draft community but my sense is that is not shared by the NFL decision-makers, perhaps because they haven’t seen him play in over 16 months.

--Ole Miss OT Laremy Tunsil did nothing to dissuade the fairly rampant speculation he will be the first overall pick, even though he didn’t run or do anything else other than the positional activity drills. Tunsil absolutely shined in the mirroring and movement, looking almost freakishly fluid for a 312-pound man. Tunsil indicated he will do a full workout at the Rebels’ pro day next month.

That might be a very interesting event, because teammate Robert Nkemdiche struck him with a Greyhound bus in his presser. The defensive tackle--who will work out Saturday--confirmed the long-running rumor that Tunsil was in the room with him on the night when Nkemdiche leapt out of a fourth-floor hotel window. Synthetic marijuana was found in the room. Tunsil will have to answer to this, and how he handles a “rogue” teammate will say a lot to teams.

--Indiana OT Jason Spriggs earned a lot of buzz with a great workout.

 

He also ran the second-fastest short shuttle of any linemen, an impressive feat at 6’5.5” and 301 pounds with over 34” arms.

His game film says second round to me, and Spriggs reaffirmed that range during Senior Bowl practices. But workout numbers similar to this elevated Taylor Lewan to a top-10 pick two years ago and I had a very similar grade on Lewan. Of course the Titans are already looking to move him from left tackle, but the NFL learns slowly sometimes…

--As much as Spriggs impressed, Notre Dame tackle Ronnie Stanley did not. While he measures impressively at 6’5.5” and 312 pounds with long (almost 35.5”) arms, he did not move nearly as well as scouts anticipated. His 5.20 40 time and 1.85 10-yard split are on the lower end of the OL spectrum, and his 3-cone time of 8.03 is very disappointing. In the “rabbit” role in the mirror drill, Stanley struggled with balance and changing direction; Tunsil was actually waiting for him to make a move a couple of times.

It was awkward for a player noted for his ability to get out to the second level and handle speed rushers. Stanley did not bench press, which won’t mitigate the biggest knock on his game already--lack of functional power. Do not be surprised at all if Spriggs--and Ohio State’s Taylor Decker, who also impressed--winds up coming off the board before Stanley.

-Of the less-heralded linemen, one who made some waves was Joe Thuney from North Carolina State. He just missed the top 40-time, clocking at 4.95 to Spriggs’ 4.94. However, Thuney notched the fastest 10-yard split at 1.70. His broad jump was near the top, as was his 3-cone and short shuttle.

On tape, Thuney isn’t all that great. He looked like a much better prospect at left guard in 2014 than he did at left tackle in ’15, and the scouts I’ve talked to about Thuney see him playing guard in the NFL. He’s got short arms and doesn’t play with the coordinated movement or functional power to measure up inside. His impressive workout likely gets him drafted, perhaps as early as the 5th round.

--The entire OL class underwhelmed on the bench press. The top performer was Arizona State guard Christian Westerman with “just” 34 reps at 225 pounds. The player I would have bet to win the competition was Missouri guard Connor McGovern, who topped out at 33 with some apparent cramping issues. Only two other players, Spriggs and wildly uncoordinated Colorado tackle Stephane Nembot, broke 30.

Westerman is a player to watch going forward. Aside from his gigantic, 11” mitts for hands, he’s one of the most technically-sound blockers in this draft. His quickness and ability to engage with balance and power while moving are both incredibly appealing to zone-blocking teams. He could sneak into the bottom of the second round.

Around the League:

--I’m surprised at how many people seem surprised that the Chicago Bears announced they will use the franchise tag on wideout Alshon Jeffery. This shouldn’t have caught anyone off-guard, especially national football media members.

--I talked to a Washington source about Kirk Cousins, who is a local-interest player for me as I live in his hometown of Holland MI. I’m told Cousins is looking for the value of the franchise tag (just under $20M for a year) but with the security of at least three years. Read that as, he wants the security of a 4-year, $80M deal with the last year essentially superfluous for both sides. This person believes Washington will not give him more than $50M over three years and also won’t come up on the guarantees throughout the contract. Do not expect resolution anytime soon, but Cousins will be back in Washington for at least 2016.

--Because I cover the Lions, I’ve already been asked by at least four different people here what is going on with Calvin Johnson. Here’s what I know…nothing. Nobody else does, either. The Lions don’t, his teammates don’t, even his agent doesn’t know. That is all because Calvin hasn’t made his final decision yet.

While it’s true he did tell select people last summer that 2015 would be final season, so did Steve Smith. He announced he was done but has already come out of retirement. Players do this all the time. If you’re looking for someone who would have any insider insight, the smart money is on NFL Network’s Nate Burleson, who played with Calvin for years and was the yin to his yang. They’re still close friends, and Megatron keeps his circle tight. Beware any others rapping about him.