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West Virginia's Geno Smith came into the combine hoping to solidify himself as the top quarterback in the class and try and make a case to be the No. 1 overall pick in April.
He did just that.
First, he measured in at 6-foot-2 and 218 pounds which was his exact listed weight so no surprise there. He ran a blistering 4.59 in the 40-yard dash, which put his athleticism on display. Smith backed that up with a great week in the drills, showing the elite athleticism that many thought he possessed. He won't make it out of the top 10 after this.
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Another quarterback who impressed this week was Tennessee's Tyler Bray. Bray, a junior, came in at 6-foot-6, 232 pounds. He is a pocket quarterback in the perfect sense so his 40 time does not matter. In the drills, he impressed, showing a great, quick release with great arm strength. He's still likely to be taken in the second or third round but he has some huge upside.
E.J. Manuel of Florida State continued to help his stock, adding onto a strong Senior Bowl. He came in at 6-foot-5, 237 pounds and ran an impressive 4.65 forty. He showed his arm strength in the throwing drills and also showed improved accuracy. He came into the draft process as a fourth round prospect, rose to the late second or early third round after the Senior Bowl and could rise up to the early second or possibly even late first after this impressive Combine performance. He has big time upside and looks to have the work ethic needed to succeed as well.
Two quarterbacks who did nothing to improve their stock when the needed to were Arkansas' Tyler Wilson and Ryan Nassib of Syracuse. Both measured in at 6-foot-2 and neither ran well in the 40. Both had smallish hands and both were up and down in the drills. They will both likely go in round two or three and I don't believe either of them have much upside.
Matt Barkley had a good combine despite not throwing or doing any work outs. There was concerns among scouts that he was smaller than his listed 6-foot-2, 220 pounds that USC had him at but instead, he was an inch bigger and seven pounds heavier, coming in at 6-foot-3, 227 pounds. He also had the third biggest hand of any quarterback. With a good throwing session at his Pro Day, he could go as high as the top 15 but more likely will settle in as a late first round pick that someone trades up for.
Some late round quarterback prospects had solid combines as well. Two of them were Duke's Sean Renfree and Arizona's Matt Scott. Renfree measured 6-foot-3, 219 pounds but the big thing was the talk that was generated amongst the media members at the combine. He came in as a fifth round prospect in my book but could go in the fourth if a team wants a quarterback. Matt Scott displayed his impressive athleticism, running the fastest 10-yard split at 1.58 and a 4.66 overall. He could be an option in the fourth or fifth round for a team looking to switch to a read option offense eventually.
Draft Prospects Profiles: Ezekiel Ansah | Johnathan Hankins | Dion Jordan | Walter Stewart | Cordarrelle Patterson