| Sign Up | Google+

Florida State NFL combine update: EJ Manuel could emerge as top QB

Stay connected for news and updates

USA TODAY Sports

Florida State has won 31 games in the last few years, so it should come as no surprise that the Seminoles sent 13 players to the NFL draft. Remember, all it takes is one team to select a player higher than he is thought to be slotted.

Saturday

Menelik Watson

On Saturday, Watson measured in at 6'5 and 310 pounds, with 34" arms and 10 3/8" hands. Those are very solid measurements. Watson ran a 5.29 40-yard dash, jumped 24.5" vertically and 103" broadly. His three-cone drill was 8.31 seconds and his 20-yard shuttle was 5.01 seconds. Watson is shooting up draft boards and has a shot to be selected in the first round, despite being incredibly raw.

Dustin Hopkins

Hopkins came in at 6'2 and 193 pounds, with 31 3/4" arms (why does this matter for a kicker?) and 8 7/8" hands. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.74 seconds, which is excellent for a kicker. His vertical jump was 33.5" and his broad was 116", which both show strong, explosive legs.

Sunday

Rodney Smith

Smith came in at 6'4 and 225 pounds, which is very solid receiver size. His arms were plenty long (34 3/4") and his hands were big (10 3/8"). Smith ran a solid 4.51 40-yard dash, had a vertical of 34.5" and a broad jump of 120". Smith's 3-cone time was 7.03 seconds, his 20-yard shuttle was 4.07 seconds, and his 60-yard shuttle was 11.84 seconds. The shuttle times were important for Smith, who had to show he could bend and move despite his height. Smith made himself some money at the combine.

Lonnie Pryor

Pryor came in at 5'11 227 pounds, with 30 3/8" arms and 8 3/8" hands. Honestly, those measurements aren't great. However, he did run a reported 4.59 (on TV), though his official laser time was 4.70. Pryor Bench Pressed 17 reps, had a vertical of 30", and a broad jump of 114". Pryor's 3-cone drill was 7.28 seconds, his 20-yard shuttle was 4.55 seconds, and his 60-yard shuttle was 12.13 seconds.

EJ Manuel

Manuel has had a huge combine so far. He came in at a true 6'5, and a very solid 237 pounds. Manuel has 35" arms, which is very long (though this isn't necessarily good for a QB), and 10 3/8" hands (definitely good). He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds, had a vertical jump of 34" (former hoops player) and a broad jump of 118". In addition, he had 7.08-seconds in the 3-cone drill and a 4.21 in the 20-yard shuttle. Manuel has a shot to be a first round pick thanks to this combine, as all of these numbers were among the best for his position.

Injured 'Noles

Chris Thompson

Thompson is recovering from an ACL injury, and came in at 5'7 and 192 pounds. The height hurts some, but he has decent arm length and hands at 30 1/4" and 9 1/4" respectively, and the weight is good. Thompson showed very good strength with 21 bench press reps, and the coaching staff will absolutely go to bat for him with NFL teams.

Tank Carradine

Carradine is recovering from a knee injury, so he only participated in the weigh in and bench press. Carradine came in at 6'4 and 276 pounds, with 34 3/4" arms (excellent) and 10 1/4" hands (also good). Carradine did 28 reps on the bench, which is also good.

Brandon Jenkins

Jenkins, who is recovering from a foot injury, came in at 6'2.5 and 251 pounds. He has 33 1/4" arms and 9 1/4" hands. Unfortunately, none of those numbers are very impressive, and he produced only 18 reps on the bench press.

Monday

Defensive linemen and linebackers will do on-field testing. This will include Bjoern Werner, Everett Dawkins and Nick Moody. Stick around for updates.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Recent Posts

Stay connected for news and updates

The Next Read

There are 414 Comments. Add yours. Load Now. Loading

Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread. Use wisely.

C - Next Comment
X - Mark as Read

R - Reply
Z - Mark Read & Next

Shift + C - Previous
Shift + A - Mark All Read

Comment Settings

Live comment alert: Hide it!

tracking_pixel_5351_tracker