11:20 a.m.:?Geno Smith just did himself a favor. He ran a 4.56 40-yard dash, which is the best of the quarterbacks so far. E.J. Manuel is second at 4.62.
Smith shows underrated mobility in the pocket, but he hasn?t flashed great skills at putting the ball away and scrambling. His mobility should be viewed more like that of Blaine Gabbert than Jake Locker.
11:13 a.m.:?Marquise Goodwin was timed in the 4.1?s by some scouts at the combine. Gil Brandt of NFL.com timed him at 4.17 and 4.19. It will be very interesting to see where his ?official? time stands. He clocked an unofficial time of 4.25.
Chris Johnson has the official combine record of 4.24. Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson were both reportedly timed in the 4.1?s back in the 1980s.
10:56 a.m.:?Tavon Austin and DeAndre Hopkins are shining in wide receiver drills. That should come as no surprise, both should be first-round picks. Hopkins probably has the best hands in this entire class.
The second group of quarterbacks and wide receivers starts up at 11 a.m. Geno Smith, Cordarrelle Patterson, Denard Robinson and Da?Rick Rogers are players to watch.
10:32 a.m.:?There?s some debate out there over how much the combine actually means. For me, it?s a nice update on where these players are two months after the season ended. Players have been training at facilities since the end of December and they?ve been improving their speed, technique, strength, etc.
That?s why it?s slightly annoying to see a player like Justin Hunter say he lost 15 pounds to run a faster 40-yard dash. That?s not an accurate representation of what he?ll be in the NFL. Some players gain weight for the combine, but that?s usually because they?ll have to do the same to play in the league. Hunter ran a 4.41, but what would he have run at this actual playing weight?
10:15 a.m.:?DeAndre Hopkins would be a perfect fit for the Patriots in Round 1, but they don?t have a history of drafting wide receivers who run 4.5 or slower. He has some of the best hands in this draft and just showed it in the gauntlet drill.
10:12 a.m.:?Tavon Austin is tearing the combine apart. He ran a 4.31 in his second 40 attempt and now he just performed perfectly in the wide receiver gauntlet drill.
Austin has proven himself to be one of the best players in this entire class already today. Someone described him as a combination of Percy Harvin and Wes Welker. That may be accurate.
9:37 a.m.:?Stedman Bailey helped himself out with his second 40-yard dash. He ran a 4.50 in his second attempt. That was after running 4.57 in the first try.
Bailey was called the best route runner in college football by his high school and college teammate Geno Smith. Bailey has a bit of Wes Welker to his game.
9:29 a.m.:?DeAndre Hopkins is another player that should be on Patriots fans? radar. Hopkins ran a 4.50, which is about what was expected out of him.
Justin Hunter, who NFL Network said lost weight to run the 40, ran a 4.44.
9:22 a.m.:?Now that I?ve had time to actually wrap my head around Tavon Austin running a 4.25 unofficial 40, there?s no way he makes it to No. 29 in the draft to New England. Despite weighing just 174 pounds and standing 5-foot-8, he?ll be a top 15 pick. Austin is a special player.
Josh Boyce helped himself out with a 4.40. Corey Fuller ran a 4.38 and Marcus Davis ran 4.40 at 233 pounds.
Marquise Goodwin just matched Tavon Austin with a 4.25. Wow.
9:15 a.m.:?Tavon Austin, who should be a Patriots target, just absolutely killed it with a 4.25 40. He wasn?t kidding when he said he was recently timed at 4.29.
9:11 a.m.:?The first group of quarterbacks are done. Now it?s time for the first group of wideouts, which features Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey and some more intriguing burners.
For the QBs, Colby Cameron came out on top with a 4.66 40. Cameron is a Louisiana Tech product.
Collin Klein ran a 4.78 40 on his second attempt.
9:03 a.m.:?The day was kicked off with Tyler Bray running ?a 5.00 unofficial 40-yard dash. Mike Glennon, one of the top quarterbacks in this class, matched Glennon with a 5-flat 40.
MarQueis Gray helped himself out at possibly making an NFL roster as a tight end by running a 4.69.
Collin Klein, who was a front runner for the Heisman at one point, churned out a 4.81. That?s a bit disappointing.
8 a.m. ET:?By the end of the day, NFL draft pundits will be wearing old gold and blue because West Virginia prospects will be taking center stage at Day 4 of the combine.
Quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs will be running through the NFL scouting combine gauntlet (or inferno) today, and three of the most hyped prospects in that group are Mountaineers quarterback Geno Smith and wide receivers Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey. All three players should test well and shine in positional drills.
Because California wide receiver Keenan Allen is sitting out, Austin will be the first player to run the 40-yard dash at 9 a.m. The small, shifty wide receiver says he recently ran a 4.29 40-yard dash, but players have a tendency of slowing down considerably once they hit Indianapolis.
Bailey may not be quite as fast or agile as Austin, but he?s a bigger player who will shine in positional drills, especially when he?s displaying his route-running skills. Bailey will likely want to take passes from Smith in those drills ? the two have been teammates since high school.
Without a top-tier running quarterback, it might be important for Smith to time well in the 40 to set himself apart from the Ryan Nassibs, Tyler Wilsons and Mike Glennons of the draft.
Among other players to watch on Day 4 of the combine are Oklahoma State running back Joseph Randle, Oregon running back Kenjon Barner and UNC running back Giovani Bernard. All could time very well in the 40 and 3-cone agility drill.
Tennessee wide receivers Cordarrelle Patterson and Justin Hunter are among the most athletic in this class, but Texas wide receiver Marquise Goodwin has the best shot to break Chris Johnson?s combine record 4.24 second 40. Michigan ?wide receiver? Denard Robinson might be the player I?ll be watching most closely. He?ll have to display some top-notch speed and agility to be considered more than just a project with so many great wideouts in this draft.
So tune in here all day for all the latest times, news and analysis. If yesterday was any indication, we could see some record breaking times turned in by the skill position players.
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