Monday was the day for linebackers and defensive linemen to show their stuff. The biggest topic of the day was the injuries suffered by two of the top talents present, USC LB Rey Maualuga and Texas DE Brian Orakpo. Both came up lame with hamstring injuries that shortened their workouts. Neither appears serious, but it certainly did not help Orakpo in his quest to shake the questions about his durability and weight room-centric body. One of the more underreported concerns that scouts have deals with the weight room fanatics like Orakpo and USC LB Brian Cushing. There is an underlying worry that their finely tuned and rocked-up bodies are more vulnerable to strains and soft tissue injuries. This has led to some problems with certain other ?beach body? guys, who shut it down at the first sign of any physical problem and often play like they are trying to avoid injury. Both Cushing and Orakpo have missed time due to those types of injuries in college, so the concerns have at least minor validity. Star of the day: Wake Forest LB Aaron Curry, who put up a fine case to be the #1 overall pick in this draft. He notched the fastest 40 time of any LB (4.56) and was in the top 5 performers in most every other drill, topping the LB board in the primary measuring sticks of explosiveness, the vertical and broad jumps. His career work already jumped off game films, and with his proof here that he?s an elite athlete, the Lions have to strongly consider him with the #1 pick. Trust me, they will. Others moving up Clay Matthews, LB, USC--making a real strong case for 1st round status with his great athletic prowess. He has a great pedigree and proven strong work ethic that teams love. One NFC South DC told me he thinks Matthews is the best NFL player from USC in this draft. Lawrence Sidbury, DE, Richmond--looked like he very much belonged with the big boys in Mobile, and he reinforced that in Indy. He?s got the strength and bulk similar to Jason Jones from last year, who acquitted himself nicely when asked to play 3-technique for the Titans. With his speed, that sort of versatility could get his name called near the end of round 2. Marcus Freeman, LB, Ohio State--everyone expected him to shine in workouts, but where he really has impressed is in his interviews. One coach raved about Freeman?s ability to quickly recognize plays and run through his duties. Connor Barwin, DE, Cincinnati--showed why he belonged on the Bearcat basketball team with his outstanding jumping and shuttle drills. He posted the top DL numbers in 4 categories, not unexpected but still impressive. The buzz on this kid is growing by the day, as he only played DE for one year and showed great natural ability. Give this kid a year or two of NFL positional coaching and he could be a star. The Mike Vrabel comparisons are everywhere, but he actually reminds me more of Jason Taylor. Stryker Sulak, DE, Missouri--proved his consistent ability to get into the backfield quickly at Mizzou was not a fluke. Seen by most as a 3-4 OLB, he showed in drills today he has the baseline athleticism to make the change. Mitch King, DT, Iowa--4.80 in the 40 for a defensive tackle is real fast. He is undersized at 6?2?, 282, but he consistently handled himself in the physical Big 10. With his speed and quickness at his size, King has potential in a variety of DL spots, and that sort of versatility really boosts his value. Detractors would say he?s too small to play inside and too slow to be a rush end, but with King?s motor and attitude, I would not bet against him. Surprise outcome of the day: Pitt LB Scott McKillop, widely panned for his lack of athleticism, clocked a faster 40 time than Rey Maualuga, James Laurinaitis, and Clint Sintim, among others. McKillop has clearly trained very well for the drills here; how well he translates that to the field will determine if he?s a 4th round diamond or another guy who artificially improved his numbers only to disappoint down the road. In light of the following story, I will refrain from singling out the guys who had bad days. Check the Combine thread on the message board for my Monday losers. On a sad note, about 15 minutes after I submitted my TE Big Board, the news broke that the career is over for one of the players on the list. Brian Mandeville of Northeastern was told by doctors to surrender his NFL dream due to a problem with a heart valve. I have not heard the specifics on what exactly is wrong with his heart. But as someone who suffers from a similar condition (I have aortic valve regurgitation, WebMD it) I can assure Mandeville that he?s better off finding out he has a valve issue in a routine examination rather than collapsing with awkward chest pain during a volleyball match at age 32 and scaring the hell out of your wife and teammates. It?s largely manageable and more of an inconvenience than a threat. No more heavy weightlifting, no endurance sports, no hard contact sports (sadly that includes football), no running in the cold. Good luck in whatever you do with your life, Brian. Jeff.Risdon@RealGM.com