2015 Combine: DL, LB and DB Drills Results

This weekend provided a great showcase for the four Husky draft hopefuls as the defensive linemen and linebackers did the bench press on Saturday and all of their on-field drills and tests yesterday.  The defensive backs were a day behind, as they did their bench presses yesterday and are wrapped up their on-field drills today to close out the event.  Let's take a look at the numbers and provide a little armchair commentary:

Hau'oli Kikaha:

did not test

Kikaha apparently was ill in the week leading up to the combine and elected not to participate in any of the tests, but did take part in the on-field drills.  His showing at the Husky Pro Day on April 2nd now becomes very important.  There were a number of impressive results posted Sunday by other outside backers/edge rushers (Vic Beasley in particular), so there will be pressure on Kikaha to show that he's not simply a high-effort guy, but one with an adequate amount of athleticism to warrant a Day 2 pick or whether he falls to Day 3.

Danny Shelton:

5.64 40 yard dash; 34 reps bench press; 30.5" vertical jump; 7'11" broad jump; 7.99 3-cone drill; 4.65 20 yard shuttle

Big Danny is not a guy you'd expect to post an impressive 40 time, and really, it's a next-to-useless measure anyway for a prospective NT.  What was impressive was his 30.5" vertical - for a man nearly 340 pounds, that's a lot of burst.  Similarly, his 10 yard split time of 1.88 showed he gets off the line quickly.  His strength was apparent with his 34 reps on the bench press (tied for 2nd best among DL and 6th best overall).  He arrived at the combine a rising star up draft boards from his impressive showing at the Senior Bowl practices, and his performance in Indianapolis kept that momentum going.  Expect him to go in the upper half of the 1st round.

Shaq Thompson:

4.64 40 yard dash; 33.5" vertical jump; 9'9" broad jump; 6.99 3-cone drill; 4.08 20 yard shuttle; 11.78 60 yard shuttle

Shaq provides a bit of a Rorschach test for NFL scouts as well as armchair evaluators in the usefulness of the combine tests.  For those that saw him as a dynamic, athletic playmaker based off of what he did for Washington, his test results are simply evidence that such tests are over-valued.  For those that felt his production didn't quite match his hype and are unsure where he fits in the NFL, those tests are validation that he's a man without a defined position and is more name than player.

His overall numbers were a bit underwhelming given his hype, but it should be noted that his results in the 3-cone drill, 20 yard shuttle and 60 yard shuttle were all top-10 or better for the linebackers and would rank high among the safeties as well.  These events are better at measuring explosiveness and change of direction, and while they don't get the hype that the 40 yard dash, bench press and vertical jump get, they may in fact be more important.

Marcus Peters:

4.53 40 yard dash; 17 reps bench press; 37.5" vertical jump; 10'1" broad jump; 7.08 3-cone drill; 4.08 20 yard shuttle; 11.26 60 yard shuttle

Peters was generally in the middle of the pack in his testing numbers, with none of them exceptional and none of them terrible either.  His bench numbers tied for 13th best among the defensive backs and his 20 and 60 yard shuttle times ranked 14th and 6th respectively.  This shouldn't come as a big surprise - Peters did not excel on the field because he was an elite athlete, but because of his aggressive play, his anticipation and his technique, all of which showed well in his positional drills.  Of course the biggest question about Peters remains his attitude and whether teams believe that he's learned his lesson from getting kicked off the Huskies by Chris Petersen.

Here's a sampling of reactions to how our guys did:

• Peters earned a couple of mentions in this NFL.com roundup of Monday's top performers, with slight disappointment over his 40 time but general praise for how he looked overall
• More important than his work on the field though is how Peters' attempts to own up to his issues off the field are perceived by the league, and count SI's Don Banks as one that thinks he delivered his mea culpa with "feeling"
• That contrition is reportedly going over well with teams as Peters went through the interview process and he's seeing his draft stock rising as a result
• Meanwhile Shelton and Shaq earned mentions in this roundup of the defensive linemen and linebackers, with Shelton looking like a "lock" to be the first interior DL picked and questions lingering about where Shaq fits best
• Shaq made this list of those players that helped or hurt their draft stock with their performances at the combine, and unfortunately he was included in the latter group
• Over at CBSSports.com, Will Brinson lists Shelton as a combine "winner"
• Meanwhile Pat Kirwan interviewed several top prospects and came away impressed with Shelton's enthusiasm for taking on double-teams and his overall work ethic and attitude
• Shelton's 40 yard dash was a source of entertainment for our fellow SBNation friends at Lookit

Feel free to give your own impressions of the combine.  Did any player really stand out to you, good or bad?  Did any of the Husky draft prospects surprise you?