8 - Tuesday, March 3, 2009
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Former Wolverines shine in NFL audition
Despite initially low
expectations, Trent,
Jamison and Taylor
strong at Combine
By TIM ROHAN
Daily Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS -
The Michigan football team
and San Jose State had an
equal number of invitees
at this year's NFL Combine.
In years past, Wolverines could
impress NFL scouts by school
and name recognition alone. But
this year, they had to stand out
by working hard at their NFL job
interview.
The NFL Combine took place
February 18-24 at the Indianapo-
lis Colts' Lucas Oil Stadium. The
players who are deemed the most
likely to be drafted are invited to
the event each year.
After finishing the 2008 season
with a 3-9 record, Michigan sent
just four seniors to the combine:
defensive tackle Terrence Taylor,
cornerback Morgan Trent, defen-
sive end Tim Jamison and long
snapper Sean Griffin.
Despite the small number of
athletes, the maize-and-blue con-
tingent certainly made its pres-
ence known.
THEIR STRENGTHS AND
WEAKNESSES
Taylor, Michigan's run-stuffing
defensive tackle, saw his produc-
tion fall in his senior season. Jami-
son is caught between being too
small to play defensive end in a 4-3
NFL defense and not being athlet-
ic enough to play the outside line-
backer position in a 3-4, according
to analysts. Trent's ability to cover
and his tackling were both ques-
tioned. And, well, Griffin is just a
long snapper.
NFL Network draft analyst
Mike Mayock said the Wolver-
ines' tough season, especially on
defense, could hurt any prospect's
stock. But that just gave Taylor
and Jamison motivation to prove
the critics wrong.
"I want to show my power, my
explosiveness and my strength,"
Taylor said Saturday before he
worked out. "One of the things
I wanted to show as a defensive
tackle (is) how I can get up the
field fast ... how fast I can cut and
get up field. Those are key things
for an interior defensive lineman."
Taylor, weighing in at six feet
and 300-plus pounds, said his
decrease in production had alot to
do with his position change. As a
junior, Taylor played on the strong
side of the defense. He faced a lot
of running plays, and as a result,
tallied a high number of tackles.
He moved to the weak side his
senior season.
On the other hand, Jamison
wanted to simply do well in the
defensive line drills. Along with
that, he tried to improve his over-
all consistency and patience.
Experts weigh in on Michigan
before workouts
Mayock and ESPN draft expert
ToddMcShayweren'tveryimpressed
by any of the Wolverines before they
worked out at the Combine.
"(Taylor is) quicker for a wide-
body defensive tackle," McShay
said. "And when he plays 100 per-
cent, when he gives a great effort
and when he's fresh, he can be dis-
ruptive. He's inconsistent. ... A lot
of his weaknesses are coachable,
but there are so many busts at that
position because of just that - the
inconsistent motor."
McShay saw Taylor as more of
a 4-3 traditional defensive tackle
and he didn't think Taylor's "style"
would be conducive to taking on
blockers in the 3-4. Mayock saw
Taylor's role as completely differ-
ent and pegged him as a 3-4 defen-
sive tackle.
The experts also had questions
about Jamison.
"(Jamison's) a little bit of a tween-
er between defensive tackle and
defensive end," Mayock said. "And
he's going to have to show somebody
he can play on the outside."
Added McShay: "I think he's
better suited at D-end, probably in
a 4-3.... (He's) toughversus the run,
he's going to do a good job. He's
kind of the opposite of Taylor. He
plays hard every down, (he's) dis-
ciplined, does all the little things.
But he's limited athletically. Not a
great speed rusher."
McShay also said that, while
he was watching tape, he noticed
juniorBrandon Graham reallystood
He had the best time for his posi-
tion in the 60-yard shuttle, com-
pleting the drill in 11.07 seconds.
Trent was also in the top 10 for
the bench press, the vertical jump,
the broad jump and the 20-yard
shuttle. He ran the 40-yard dash
in 4.54 seconds.
Jamison didn't finish as a top
performer in any category. His
draft stock might have been hurt
when he ran the forty-yard dash
in 5.03 seconds. Considering he
checked in at 6-foot-2 and a light
256 pounds, his 40-yard dash time
was expected to be faster.
CARR, RODRIGUEZ AND THE
IMPACT OF THE SPREAD
OFFENSE
When Lloyd Carr stepped
down as Michigan football coach
before last season, Rich Rodriguez
brought his spread offense to Ann
Arbor. That'transition is already
affecting the crop of Wolverines
heading for the NFL.
Jamison downplayed the tran-
sition, citing the fact that the
defense still played a 4-3 forma-
tion. Both Jamison and McShay
said they believe Rodriguez could
turn around the program.
Taylor was a little bit more can-
did about the coaching change.
"It affects us in so many ways,"
Taylor said. "With Coach Carr,
you're familiar with him. You
know what to expect. It makes
everything so much easier. You're
not stressed about things and
(have) less to think about. All you
are worrying about is performing
on the field and school.
"New coach comes in your
senior year. This is your last year.
... You've got to practice a differ-
ent way. So much new, (thrown) on
you in your last year and you've got
to pick it up so fast."
A popular topic at the NFL Com-
bine was the increasing amount of
schools in the NCAA playing the
spread offense. Many coaches and
front-office officials weighed in on
how the NFL would have to adjust
to evaluating the talent developed
in the new style of offense.
"It's a transition," McShay
said. "I think the NFL's adjusting
because it has to. The NFL's devel-
opmental league is college football.
... Tweaking some schemes to get
guys in comfort zones, especially
playing early in their career - it's a
necessity. And it doesn't translate
completely.
"You're not going to see guys
running the zone read and all that
stuff because of the speed."
McShay cited last year's AFC
Championship between Baltimore
and Pittsburgh as an example.
"(The Baltimore Ravens) ran
the inside handoff off the shot-
gun a couple times in the first
half," McShay said. "Second half,
(Ravens' quarterback Joe Flacco)
plucks it, and turns the corner,
looks like he's going for 10, 15
yards. (Steelers safety Troy) Pola-
malu shoots out of a rocket and
takes him for a three-yard loss.
That's why you can't run those
things consistently in the NFL."
McShay also talked about how
wide receivers won't have as much
space to work with as they do in
the spread offense. He also said
the lack of high grades for quar-
terbacks who played in a spread
offense formation shows that most
spread players struggle with the
transition to the NFL. In the pros,
receivers are pressed and forced
to read routes - things that don't
happen when a receiver plays in
the spread offense.
But some things about Michigan
will never change - particularly
the intangibles.
"Everything about Michigan
is professional," Taylor said. "We
don't take shortcuts. We don't
need to cheat our way. We put up
hard work. We play in front of the
most people in the world. Michi-
gan is always in the spotlight.
"You've already been through
it. You've already been inside the
fans that love their football teams.
You've been a part of dealing with
the media every day. You play the
top level at Michigan. So it's an
easy transition (to the NFL)."
The Michigan players tried to
impress NFL scouts and execu-
tives at the NFL Combine and the
Wolverines' draft futures are not
largely out of their hands. But it
is up to the players whether they
excel at the next level.
The advice Carr used to give
Taylor and the rest of the Wolver-
ines reigns true now, more than
ever: "control the controllables."
Presumably, the rest will now take
care of itself.
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FILE PHOTO
Morgan Trent finished in the tap 30 in five cornerback events at the NFL Combine.
out and that the talent level between
him and Jamison was "noticeably
different." Graham decided to stay
in Ann Arbor next season.
Trent received the highest
praise of the Wolverine group.
"Trent's a long, lean corner,"
Mayock said. "He's going to run
well. He's a smart kid. He's not
real physical. But he can play in
the league for a while."
COMBINE RESULTS
Thought of as mid-to-late round
selections, the four Michigan
players turned some heads when
the defensive linemen worked out
Monday and defensive backs had
their turn Tuesday.
Taylor took charge by leading all
defensive linemen at the combine
with 37 reps at 225 pounds on the
bench press. He was second among
all players, behind just Texas Tech
offensive lineman Louis Vasquez,
who had 39 reps. Taylor ran the
40-yard dash in 5.27 seconds.
But Trent was the real star for
Michigan, finishing among the top
10 for cornerbacks in five events.
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