Winners and Losers from the NFL Combine
Winner – Jason Spriggs
Indiana lineman Jason Spriggs entered the Combine on the outside of the first round looking in, but he may be ushered into the first round after an outstanding showing in Indianapolis. A four-year starter during his career as a Hoosier, including becoming the first true freshman lineman to start all 12 games in school history, Spriggs started mostly as a left tackle for the first three years, but moved inside to right guard for his senior season in 2015. He received numerous accolades during that final year, being named Second-Team All-Big-10, mentioned as an All-American by a number of publications, and being a finalist for the Outland Trophy. Despite that, Spriggs couldn’t really crack first-round status.
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The Combine was a coming out party of sorts for Spriggs, as he showed great strength with 31 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press (fourth-best among lineman) as well as great athleticism. His 4.94-second 40-yard dash time was best among lineman. His 115-inch broad jump (9′ 7″) was the best among lineman. His 4.44-second 20-yard shuttle time was the second-best among lineman, behind UCLA’s Jake Brendel (who also had a really nice showing at the Combine).
During position drills, he showed off a great technique, solid footwork, nice lateral movement, and good awareness. There were some impressive offensive lineman workouts on Friday, but Spriggs really stood out as very polished and well-taught.
The left tackle position has been evolving for years, and it takes a special combination of size and athleticism to play the position in the NFL. Spriggs has the size at 6’6″ and 301 pounds and certainly seems to have the athleticism as well. He may need to bulk up a little more, but if left tackle doesn’t work out, he did play extremely well as a guard last season (two sacks allowed on 475 pass plays, 79 knockdowns according to official Indiana stats). Whether he remains as a second-day draft pick or makes the jump to the first round, Spriggs will make whatever team that picks him very happy.
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