On an overcast day in Dallas, Texas the rain held off for a terrific group of players to assemble and compete in a terrific combine event that was held at the Dallas Cowboy training facility at Valley Ranch.
The event had players of many different talent levels, and some of the players got to meet and interact with some NFL stars, who were on hand at the complex to film a TV commercial.
Quarterbacks-
The quarterback position had a solid amount of players with accurate arms.
Kody Spano
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The top player at the combine was probably Oklahoma State commitment Kody Spano.
At 6-foot-2, 200-pounds, he ran a solid 4.93 in the forty-yard dash despite the fact he was slowed some with a stiff back. The one on one and positional work is really, where he shined as he threw many catch able balls.
There were a number of other players who could be considered as the strongest player at the position. Jerome Tiller and Ivan Delgado both have tremendous frames and they tested very well. Tiller ran a 4.5 forty and showed his athleticism by excelling in the vertical and standing broad jump. Delgado ran a 4.6 in the forty and showed a strong arm in the one-on-one part of the competition.
Jake Fenske from McNeil is a player that is not on everyone’s radar, but he showed some nice footwork in the drills. 2009 prospect Tyler Tettleton from Norman North High in Okla., was one of the quickest players in attendance. He ran a 4.53 in the forty and followed that with a 4.05 in the pro-shuttle.
Running Back-
Running Back was probably the weakest position at the camp, but the top player in the state was present in Oklahoma Sooner commitment Jermie Calhoun. He was the overall top rated player in attendance and showed that he is not afraid to compete as he participated in most of the drills. He had nice size and was a solid player all day long.
Receiver-
Jeff Fuller and Dan Buckner
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A number of the states top wide receivers were in attendance. Texas commitment Dan Buckner looked like he put on a few pounds the Army Combine in early January. He showed that with his size and speed that it will be hard for defensive backs to check him in bump and run coverage.
Jeff Fuller was also an excellent looking athlete that was hard or nearly impossible to shut down in the one-on-one competitions.
Daymond Patterson and Lanear Sampson from North Mesquite did not participate in the agility drills, but they did shine in the one-on-ones. Patterson remains one of the slickest receivers we have seen this year, and he time and time again he proved that is nearly impossible to shut him down.
Sleeper James Hanna from Flower Mound rivaled Fuller and Buckner as the most physically imposing receivers at the event, and he put up some outstanding numbers for a player with a 6-foot-5, 218-pound frame. He ran a 4.53 forty, a 4.17 pro-shuttle and jumped 9’9 in the standing broad jump.
Arlington Seguin High has another top talent in DeAndre Brown. He was a nice looking athlete that had good size and some solid combine numbers.
There were not a lot of tight ends at the combine, but there were two very good ones in Taylor Thompson and Jonathan Gimm. Gimm tested extremely well and made good adjustments to the ball while it was in the air. He made a few tremendous catches. Thompson was a real freak, and it was easy to see that he is going to be a very highly rated recruit by the time it is all said and done.
Offensive and Defensive Line-
A number of players stood out on the line, and Scout Combine co-director and Regional Recruiting Analyst Bob Lichtenfels called it “the best group of linemen we have had all year” when addressing the players as the event wrapped up.
R.J. Washington
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R.J. Washington is the first player that has to be discussed when talking about the linemen. He was freakishly fast. He posted a 4,78 in the forty, but his speed in the drills and one-on-ones was just too much for anybody to handle. In the figure eight drill he was responsible for making a host of players do a number of up and downs.
Two-way lineman Thomas Parsons from Smithson Valley was another one of the camps super sleepers. He was always first in line and tested very well for a player 6-foot-6, 260 pounds. He ran a 4.78 in the forty-yard dash and was the most aggressive player in the one-on-one portion of the event. Players started to actually cringe when it was their turn to go against this warrior.
Clay Hebert from Klein Texas was another solid player that is flying low on a lot of college’s radars. He was solid in the positional drills and already holds an offer from Rice.
Texas A&M commitment Jeffrey Hyde was also a tremendous talent. He had was solid in the one-on-one portion and was probably considered as the leader on the offensive line. He had some nice footwork and was an aggressive player.
Linebacker-
There were some tremendous linebackers in attendance in players like Emmanuel Acho and Dravannti Johnson. They will be rivals on the field as they are going to be playing at Texas and Texas A&M respectively. Both were physically impressive and could have a good shot at playing on Sunday’s some time in the future.
Joseph Ibiloye, Andrew Wolridge, Brian Moore, Alfred Dupree and James Ekumah are all players that should be getting a whole lot of division one interest this year.
Defensive Back-
Aaron Williams
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There were a whole lot of good defensive backs at the combine, but it would be a shame to not mention Texas commitment Aaron Williams when discussing the best. He posted a blazing fast 3.90 in the pro-shuttle and has clearly been working on his coverage skills. On one out and up he was on the receiver like a blanket. He had some good battles with fellow Longhorn commitment Dan Buckner.
Spencer Reeves, Keanon Cooper, Howard Hodge, Greg Brown, Kip Edwards, Jayah Kaisamba, Lyvell Marzett, Cameron Onic, Elijah Olibode, Walter Kobelan, Joe Stoner and Kydarian Wilkins were all players that will be signing with division one schools next February. With the amount of talent on the field at this position it is easy to see why the defensive backs were the most well represented positional group at the camp.
The official results of the combine will be available at ScoutCombines.com on Tuesday evening.