Potential Studs and Duds at the Combine



John Harris from CollegFootballNews.com has put together his list of player who will impress and who will disappoint exclusively for the NFL Draft Blog readers. Here is how he sees it:

Five who will impress at the Combine

1. Lorenzo Booker, Florida State running back - Speed and quickness. Quickness and speed. Two distinct assets for Booker... and he'll be given the opportunity to flaunt his skills in Indy. His burst and explosiveness will have some GMs and coaches dreaming up ways to get this guy the ball in space.

2. Adam Carriker, Nebraska defensive end - the last time the Combine had a 6'6", 290 pound defensive end, who wears the number 90, with freakish athletic ability, said individual went #1 in the draft last season. Carriker's biggest asset, his motor, won't be on display, but his size, combined with his quickness and speed, will make a huge impression...figuratively and literally.

3. Johnnie Lee Higgins, UTEP receiver/kick returner - the blazing Higgins might have one of the best 40 times in the combine and combined with his production as a senior this year at the wideout position, teams will take a hard look at this guy as a downfield threat.

4. Eric Wright, UNLV cornerback - If teams can get past the baggage...and that's a HUGE if, Wright has tremendous skills at one of the most coveted positions in the draft. The former USC corner should run extremely well and can cover anyone in the Dome in one-on-one drills.

5. Isaiah Stanback, Washington quarterback - Now, the caveat here is how healthy Stanback is and what position he plays, but if he runs the 40...teams will be finding a place for this kid to play. He was on the Washington track team and was one of the team's best sprinters. I don't think that he had a chance to fully develop as a QB, but he'll run better than Brad Smith, former Mizzou QB, last year and could be a 'slash' type player at the next level.

Five who will not impress at the Combine
1. H.B Blades, Pitt linebacker - For as much as I like Blades (and I like Buster Davis better), the combine is not for him. He's short and stocky and doesn't run extremely well. This is not the venue for Blades to improve his draft stock.

2. Chris Leak, Florida quarterback - There won't be one thing that Chris Leak can do here to help himself - he's short (lucky to be 6', if that) and does not possess a rocket arm (velocity measurements won't be high). Two strikes that QBs at the combine have a hard time overcoming in order to be a first day pick.

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