An NFL source told Scout.com that the Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers were among the teams who requested
15-minute formal interviews with defensive end Jermaine Cunningham while he
was at the Combine. And the Florida Gator defender could be playing defensive end or linebacker in the upcoming months.
At 6-foot-3, 266 pounds,
the three-year starter finished second on his team in sacks during his senior year,
logged an impressive 64 tackles and 12 tackles for a loss. He really knows
how to use his speed and his rip move off the edge to create problems for his
opponent.
At the Combine, I asked him how he would respond if a team just point-blank
asked him why they should use one of their draft picks on him.
"I'd just say that I've got a high motor, on every play I'm a
competitor--I want to win every play that I play," he said.
The Pittsburgh Steelers,
Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans and the San Francisco 49ers were among the teams that hosted Virginia Tech's Jason Worilds
for a formal Combine interview, according to an NFL source. Based on the scheme of the team that selects
him, Worilds is another player who could play defensive
end or linebacker at the next level.
AP/Michael Conroy |
The 6-foot-2,
252-pound defender left school a year early to pursue his NFL dream and is
striving to bump his projected stock from a high-second round selection into
the first round. As a sophomore, he sacked the quarterback eight times and
dropped the opposing ball carrier for a loss 18.5 times. And while he didn't
match that sack production in 2009 since he faced more double-teams, he still
logged an incredible 32 quarterback hurries, proving that he can consistently
put pressure on the quarterback.
"According to a lot of people, when you watch me play, the first thing
that jumps out at you is my initial burst up the field. I think that is
definitely one of my strong points, and it helps me demand respect from the
offensive tackles from a speed perspective," he said during a phone
interview prior to the Combine. "Once they start respecting my speed, I
can open up my repertoire of moves."
While he was in Indianapolis, Worilds continued to stand out among his
peers. He finished first among defensive linemen with a 38-inch
vertical jump and third in the three-cone with a 6.95-second
time. He also finished seventh in the 20-yard shuttle (4.29 seconds)
and ninth in the 40-yard dash (4.72 seconds).
You may not have seen much of defensive end Austen Lane since he played
his college ball at Murray State, but this guy plays physical and fast.
At 6-foot-6, 267
pounds, he grabbed some time in the spotlight at the Senior Bowl by getting
good pressure on the quarterback and recovering a fumble that he converted
into six points for his team. And there's no doubt that his effervescent and
engaging personality left anything but a positive impression on teams--such
as the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers--who,
according to an NFL source, met
with him for formal interviews. He can't keep his passion for the game
from bubbling to the surface when you talk with him.
"Oh, man. When you cross these white lines,
nothing else matters, everything else goes away," he said during a
post-practice interview at the Senior Bowl. "I'm like a kid at a
playground out here--this is my playground out here. When I'm out here, I'm
smiling every day."
Lane's quickness at the snap and sound technique will help him come off the board in the early rounds of this
year's NFL Draft.
When they look at the Indianapolis Colts' recent draft success at wide
receiver with players such as
Anthony Gonzalez, Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie, other NFL teams should be
monitoring who Indianapolis is eyeballing as they evaluate the 2010 draft
class.
AP/Darron Cummings |
One of those receivers is the Citadel's Andre Roberts.
An NFL source told Scout.com that the Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh
Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans and Chicago Bears were among
the teams that held a formal Combine interview with Roberts last week.
A highly-disciplined route runner who has startling quickness and
acceleration at the snap, Roberts was a standout performer during Senior Bowl week,
showing good hands and concentration while catching passes and fielding
kickoffs and punts as a returns specialist. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound receiver
told Scout.com that in addition to returns work, he anticipates being a slot
receiver at the next level.
"I take a lot of pride in my route
running," he said. "With me being a shorter guy and being in the
slot, that’s something I do take a lot of pride in."
Roberts grabbed a team-best 77 passes for 792 yards and eight touchdowns last year. He averaged 15.5 yards per punt return and 22.0 yards on the three kickoffs that he returned.
Indiana's Rodger Saffold raised his stock last week in Indianapolis with
his position drills work, a second-place finish in the broad jump with a
9-foot 5-inch leap, and a third-place finish in the three-cone with a
7.42-second time.
An NFL source told Scout.com that the
Cleveland Browns, Seattle Seahawks, New York Giants, New York Jets,
Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles are just a few of the many teams that interviewed Saffold at the
Combine.
The 6-foot-4, 316-pound offensive tackle already
impressed pro talent evaluators with his toughness and durability after rolling up 41 consecutive starts--especially since he played through
the 2008 season with a brace due to a back injury.
"I don't know if
anybody has ever had lower back pain, but when you have a fracture back
there--I mean, I couldn't put on my own socks," he said. "It was
hard putting on my own shoes. Just being able to rehab and do what I needed
to do to get back on the field for my team was good enough for me."
Ohio University wide receiver Taylor Price was told by NFL teams during his
formal interviews that they will be considering him in the second or third
round of this year's NFL Draft. And an NFL source told Scout.com that
the Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys,
Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears were among the teams that met with
Price in Indianapolis.
Price's straight-line speed while running his routes and his acceleration
after making the catch is commanding a lot of attention from scouts. He tied
for second in the 40-yard dash at the Combine with a 4.41-second time and
finished in the top ten in both the bench press and the vertical jump.
The 6-foot tall, 204-pound receiver caught a team-high 56 balls for the
Bobcats in 2009 for 784 yards and five touchdowns despite that fact that
Ohio's passing game wasn't very precise.
"I’m able to adjust to any ball, down low, behind me," he said
at the Combine. "I feel I never got a perfect ball in stride in college.
I look at that as a strength."
You can follow Ed Thompson on Twitter (@Ed_Thompson). A member of the Pro Football Writers of America, Ed Thompson's player interviews and NFL features are published across the Scout.com network and at FOXSports.com.