2011 Scouting Combine Report: Offensive Linemen

As the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine unfolds, I’ll be passing along the rankings of the players that worked out as they relate to Patriots’ needs. Today, the offensive linemen, along with tight ends and specialists, got to run through the various drills and positional workouts. Offensive line is my #2 need for the Patriots, so today’s focus will be on that group. For a pretty good explanation of the various workout and positional drills, click here. Here are the top performers among the offensive linemen for the various drills:

Bench Press

1. C Ryan Bartholomew, Syracuse – 34 reps
2. OT Chris Hairston, Clemson – 33 reps
3. OL Zane Taylor, Utah – 33 reps
4. OT Marcus Cannon, TCU – 33 reps
5. C Kristofer O’Dowd, USC – 31 reps

40-Yard Dash

1. C Jason Kelce, Cincinnati – 4.93 sec
2. C Ryan Bartholomew, Syracuse – 4.97 sec
3. OL Derek Newton, Arkansas State – 5.01 sec
4. OT Nate Solder, Colorado – 5.05 sec
5. OT Jarriel King, South Carolina – 5.09 sec

Vertical Jump

1. G Daniel Kilgore, Appalachian State – 32.5″
2. C Kristofer O’Dowd, USC – 32.5″
3. OL Kyle Hix, Texas – 32.0″
4. OT Nate Solder, Colorado – 32.0″
5. OL Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin – 31.5″

Broad Jump

1. OT Jarriel King, South Carolina – 9’6″
2. OT Jah Reid, Central Florida – 9’3″
3. C Jason Kelce, Cincinnati – 9’2″
4. OT Nate Solder, Colorado – 9’2″
5. OL Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin – 9’1″

3-Cone Drill

1. C Jason Kelce, Cincinnati – 7.22 sec
2. OT Anthony Castonzo, BC – 7.25 sec
3. OL Brandon Fusco, Slippery Rock – 7.29 sec
4. OT Derrick Sherrod, Mississippi State – 7.43 sec
5. OL Michael Person, Montana State – 7.44 sec

20-Yard Shuttle

1. C Jason Kelce, Cincinnati – 4.14 sec
2. OT Nate Solder, Colorado – 4.34 sec
3. OT Anthony Castonzo, BC – 4.40 sec
4. OL Brandon Fusco, Slippery Rock – 4.43 sec
5. OL Michael Person, Montana State – 4.50 sec

NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks wrote about which prospects improved their draft stocks with today’s workouts, and three were offensive linemen: Colorado’s Nate Solder, BC’s Anthony Castonzo, and USC’s Kristofer O’Dowd. You can read his analysis by clicking here.

Here are some more Patriots-related offensive linemen Combine stories from around the web:

• Ian Rapoport from the Boston Herald talks about how Mike Pouncey wants to get drafted somewhere ahead of where his twin brother Maurkice went last year, which was 18th overall. That would mean the Patriots, sitting at #17, would be his last chance to do that should he not get drafted earlier, and the Patriots just so happen to have an interior linemen need…
• ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss also weighs in on Pouncey-to-Pats at 17th overall
• Rapoport feigns over Wisconsin OT Gabe Carimi after what was an entertaining press conference.
• Tom E. Curran from Comcast Sports Net discusses, among other things, BC’s Anthony Castonzo and his successful Combine experience

Sunday, quarterbacks, runningbacks, and wide receivers will running through their drills and defensive linemen and linebackers will be doing the bench press. The plan will be to provide a full update on the runningbacks, as I have them in the Pats’ top 5 needs. Wide receiver has been mentioned by some other analysts as a top need for the Pats, so if a player wow’s during workouts, I’ll pass that along as well. I’ll report the defensive linemen and linebacker bench press numbers after they complete all of their workouts.

If you have NFL Network, you can watch the Combine live on TV or you can follow it live on NFL.com by clicking here.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN