INDIANAPOLIS --It was all about the front seven Monday at Lucas Oil Stadium, and while Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o's shaky day was the biggest story, others managed to potentially enhance their prospects:
DE DION JORDAN, OREGON: With surgery on a torn labrum scheduled for Wednesday, he had a last chance to impress, and he did, finishing among the top 10 defensive linemen in the 40 (fourth, 4.6) and broad jump (fourth, 10 feet, two inches). But he looked particularly smooth in the position drills, and with a full recovery expected in three to four months, the injury should have no impact on him from training camp onward.
DE MARGUS HUNT, SMU: Hunt's 38 bench-press repetitions Sunday tied for the combine lead among all positions, but his 4.60-second speed in the 40-yard dash Monday did at least as much to consolidate his rise through the draft. At 277 pounds on a 6-foot-8 frame, he appears to be able to carry 10 or 20 more pounds, perhaps on his lower body. That would help him have enough bulk to handle the work of a 3-4 defensive end. But his 4.6 time was also better than all but two linebackers who worked out Monday. Still raw, it would take Hunt time to learn the nuances of outside linebacker in a 3-4, and it's probably a bridge too far, but his physical possibilities are boundless and someone will take a chance on him in the first round.
LB JAMIE COLLINS, SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI: A bit lost in the shuffle after the perennially competitive Golden Eagles endured a shocking 0-12 meltdown last year, Collins, the second-heaviest linebacker at the Combine (250 pounds) showed that he has the best raw athleticism of those who worked out Monday, leading all linebackers in the broad jump (11 feet, seven inches) and the vertical leap (41.5 inches) while posting the fourth-best 40-yard dash time (4.64 seconds) and a solid 1.57-second 10-yard split (unofficial, per my stopwatch). Collins is explosive off the snap, evidenced by 45 tackles for losses in college, and may have sealed his status as a second-day pick. The only negative? You'd like to see more on the bench press than 19 repetitions from a 250-pounder.
LB SIO MOORE, CONNECTICUT: A solid combine workout (4.65 seconds in the 40, the second-best total among linebackers in the bench press) underscored the progress he made last month when he impressed during Senior Bowl week. There, he was a late, mid-week invitee and quickly adapted, becoming the most active North team linebacker during full-speed practice repetitions. The only negative? He'd hoped for more than 29 bench-press repetitions at 225 pounds, considering that he said he had 31 reps with a 230-pound weight in training. But he might need to work on his agility; his three-cone and short-shuttle times were 16th and 10th among the 17 linebackers to run each.
DT NICK WILLIAMS, SAMFORD: The 6-foot-4, 309-pounder was one of the fringe prospects at the combine, but was the only defensive tackle above 300 pounds to record a sub-5-second 40-yard dash. A solid all-around collection of workouts (mid-pack in bench press, vertical and broad jump), lightness on his feet honed by a youth spent playing basketball and upside from not taking up the sport until late in his high-school career could lead a team to take a chance on him earlier than expected.
