Post-Combine Rountable

1) Of all the Frogs invited, who do you think had the best showing at the combine this weekend?

Mason: First thing’s first. Doc’s the realest. Good ol’ J-Doc slayed the combine in true Legolas fashion. If you haven’t seen his run at the gauntlet drill then you need to go look at it ASAP. For the most part I roll my eyes whenever scouts say a receiver lacks elite speed, because while yes you need to be relatively fast on Sundays, a wide receiver’s success stems from how well they fit in the offensive scheme and how their personal strengths allow them to outmatch the defensive backs covering them. All that being said, I was impressed with Doctson’s 40 yard dash. However, his performance during catching drills just showed off what us Frogs already knew...he’s got clouds for hands and is great at adjusting his body to the ball.

Melissa: I think the easy answer here is Josh Doctson. Widely considered an early to second round pick, Doc did everything right over the weekend and should have all but secured a selection in the opening round. He ran well, he was perfect in the gauntlet, and I think he vaulted Corey Coleman and put himself in the conversation for some teams to look at him as a better option than the Draft’s assumed #1 WR, Laquon Treadwell. In fact, I will change my twitter avi to Shawn Oakman until training camp opens if Coleman goes before Doc. But, as far as top TCU performers, the most important performance may very well be Derrick Kindred, who ran his way into an almost certain draft pick (he was a maybe going in), and impressed scouts with his toughness in talking through his season long shoulder injury.

Sam: Hands down Josh Doctson. My goodness. If he doesn’t go in the first round, I will seriously consider giving up on football. I’m serious. He was a top performer in four out of seven drills (vertical jump, broad jump, 20-yard shuttle and 60-yard shuttle) and also posted a comparable 40 time at 4.50 seconds. His gauntlet was phenomenal. That spinning catch? Brilliant. It would be foolish not to consider him as first-round talent.

Marsh: I don’t think it’s fair to say anyone but Doctson. That being said, I think for what he brought in, Derrick Kindred significantly improved his draft stock. A solid 40 time, plus the reputation of being a tough, intelligent player, will help him out a lot.

But yeah, the answer is still Doc. Though he may not go first round, and that says more about the team needs of other NFL teams, not Doc. Every team would love Doctson, but not everyone needs him–and that’s okay. For selfish reasons, I want Doc to go the first round. It’s a sexier look to be in that Thursday, primetime frenzy, but if he goes to a great team in the second round–I can’t complain.

2) Who do you think had the worst?

Mason: Nobody did bad, but Boykin was underwhelming. He had the second fastest 40 time of the QBs, which to me doesn’t really mean that much if we are still considering Boykin as a QB, but I didn’t see anything that separated him from the rest of the pack. As homers, we’ve seen him play every down, every play, every game, and etc. Every scout on every NFL team can’t say the same. Frankly I do still believe that he has a chance to be a quarterback in the NFL, not necessarily a starter, but a guy who you can rely on to come in and get the job done when called upon. Similar to what we saw A.J. McCarron do for the Bengals (well..almost). He’s still got that quick release, elusiveness, and arm strength that scouts like, but it would’ve been nice for him to be one of the headlines of the combine. I see him as being tutored a la Tyrod Taylor and then stepping up when he’s needed.

Melissa: This one is tough, as there weren’t any major bombs among the Frogs in Indy. But, I think (besides Kolby not breaking the record, even though he was not 100% healthy), the only guy who didn’t come out better than advertised is sadly Trevone Boykin. He ran ok, but is clearly one of those guys who has game speed over track speed, and seemed to interview just fine, but San Antonio continues to haunt him and he will have a lot of work to do in the next couple months to take the tarnish off his image and assure teams that he is not a risk. While he seemed to float the idea of switching to receiver, his 4.77 40 might have hurt his stock in that regard as well, and he is looking more and more likely to fall to the late rounds or be signed as a free agent.

Sam: Sadly, I’ll have to say it was Trevone Boykin. I think everyone was expecting him to be much faster. He was the second-fastest quarterback in the 40, mind you, but there’s just so much working against him right now -- his height, his playing style, his "character issues." Plus the quarterback pool in this year’s draft is super deep. Don’t get the wrong idea. I believe in Boykin and stand by him. But he has a hard road ahead.

Marsh: The Iowa kicker ran a faster 40 than Trevone Boykin. It’s now a 'he’s down, but he’s not out' type of situation. Once Boykin gets into the camps and shows that he can make skilled, intelligent passes, as well as prove that despite his 40 time, his agility will carry over to the next level and he’ll find a place on an NFL roster. I think the idea of him being an NFL wide receiver might be off the table but think about it this way: Tom Brady didn’t have a good combine. In fact, he had one of the worst combines for a player starting in the NFL today. The combine can boost your stock, but it’s not a make or break.

3) Do you think that their performances this weekend will have a decent impact on their draft stock? If so, whose draft stock will be affected the most, for better or for worse?

Mason: Before the combine I guesstimated that Doctson would go anywhere from the 15th-35th pick in the draft. Now I’m changing that from anywhere from 7th-31st, trying to account for trades and what not. However, I think Kindred will see the biggest leap in terms of where he could be drafted. I think he went from being a undrafted free agent, to a day 3 pick. I don’t think anyone’s draft stock fell though. I think Boykin’s was set in stone since the end of the 2014 season.

Melissa: Doc should have solidified himself as a first rounder, but that’s not a huge jump. I think the guy who will see the biggest difference is Kindred, who could see himself go several rounds earlier than projected, and made himself a ton of money in the process.

Sam: Josh Doctson stated his case for sure. What I’d like to see is his combine performance replicated, if not improved, on Pro Day.

Marsh: Like I said above, Doctson impressed teams, and now instead of being an early second rounder, he may now be a toss up for teams choosing between him, Coleman, and Treadwell in the first. Aside, like I said above, Kindred probably saw the biggest spike with Kolby Listenbee not being far off.

4) Do you feel like any scouts/coaches, from any teams in particular, fell in love with any of the Frogs this weekend?

Mason: I’ve heard rumors of Cowboys’ scouts raving about Doc for awhile now, but I don’t think he’ll be there by the second round. I mean Cincinnati has become TCU’s NFL team, but then again there have been fingers pointing to the Rams, and any team that is looking for a shiny new WR to help out the offense. Other than that I know Kolby had a good time chatting with some of the Packers’ coaching staff.

Melissa: Kolby Listenbee seemed to have a really great session with the Packers, who are in desperate need of both speed and someone to catch the ball. The Bengals have been linked with Coleman in a lot of mock drafts, but I have the feeling that we are about to see another TCU reunion in the Queen City.

Sam: Doctson apparently had a formal interview with the Detroit Lions. And with all this talk of Calvin Johnson possibly retiring, it makes you wonder…

Marsh: All of them. But really, Doc and Kolby. I could see Listenbee going to the Saints and getting hail marys from Drew Brees. That’d be the dream scenario for him. Though, my podcast partner in crime, Andrew Brown, pointed out he’d fit really well on the Packers too. And as much as I loathe cheeseheads, I’d think he’d be a great fit there. Plus, the teams I just listed have established veteran quarterbacks, which is something that’s not even guaranteed to Doctson.

5) At the combine Jaden Oberkrom ran a faster 40 yard dash time than Tom Brady. How does this make you feel?

Mason: He’s going to be Adam Vinateiri 3.0 (with 2.0 being Stephen Gostowski).

Melissa: I guess someone needs to check the PSI on his balls, too?

Sam: We’re not getting back together, if that’s what you’re asking. :P

6) With the draft still a couple of months away, who do you think is going to draft/sign in free agency these former Frogs?

Mason: Well I plan on putting out a Frog mock draft later on (if Jamie lets me) along with a piece on where I want everyone to go, instead of where I think they’ll go. So I won’t spoil that here....but I guess at the moment I have an itching feeling Doc will be wearing black and blue next season.

Melissa: Doc to the Bengals (1st), Listenbee to the Packers (3rd), Big V to Detroit (5th), Kindred to New England (5th), Boykin to New England (7th), Oberkrom to Philly (7th).

Sam: I see Doctson, Listenbee and Kindred being drafted. Boykin, Oberkrom and Big V might end up going the free agency route. As far as which teams, it’s hard to say and I’m awful with predictions. I picture Doctson going to a team in the late first round. If the Lions don’t work out, Vikings or Bengals, maybe?

Marsh: Doc, Kolby, Kindred, Aaron Green. Maybe Big V. But Boykin and Oberkrom will be picked up pretty quickly as free agents. Boykin will be a close call. He still has time to get drafted. It’s not out of the questions yet.

7) Any other thoughts on the combine this weekend?

Mason: I see the combine as the first round of a golf tournament. The attention is going to be on the big name players, and nobody that’s not an expert doesn’t really care about watching all of the other participants. But the purpose of the combine is to help out those smaller prospects. It is all about finding that diamond in the rough and making the most out of that player. Take a look at Steel City’s own Antonio Brown. He was a 6th round pick from Central Michigan and now he’s been one of the top receivers in the league. So to sum it up, I’d say that the combine is overrated when evaluating those day 1 draft prospects, but it’s underrated for all of the other prospects.

Melissa: Doc and DK put on a show and that’s great for both of them, though not surprising. Kobly will make up for a relatively average weekend in Indy by running significantly faster at his pro day, where he will likely be much closer to full health. Big V has got to hit the weight room and improve his upper body strength, but he shower excellent athleticism and ensured hearing his name called in Chicago. And be prepared for the full on Trevone Boykin redemption tour, as he will be doing as much as he can to prove he can be the guy both on and off the field.

Sam: I remember when last year’s Combine went a little downhill for the Frogs. This year, I think our people did an excellent job overall. We tied for second in the NFL’s "Olympics Medal Count," so that’s nice. But I like to think of the Combine as like your SAT score in a college application. Yes, it’s important, but it doesn’t define your whole application. There’s still your transcript, your community involvement, your essay, etc. For draft prospects, there’s still individual meetings, Pro Day, tape, all that good stuff. I mean, seriously, what’s running a straight line for 40 yards really going to do for you? Really? But nonetheless, it’s fun stuff to watch.

Marsh: At least no one’s junk came out.