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Donald Driver has retired. Greg Jennings is all but gone in free agency. That means it's time for the Green Bay Packers to start looking at some wide receivers to fit into the lineup at some point down the line. Today we examine the wideouts who will be in Indianapolis next week for the NFL Scouting Combine.
Top Prospects
Keenan Allen (Cal) is shooting up draft boards recently, and the National Football Post even projecting him as high as 6th overall to the Browns. Allen has the size (6'3") of an elite receiver and plenty of speed to make it as a top target in the NFL. Cordarrelle Patterson (Tennessee) is not far behind, and could also sneak into the first round with a good showing at the Combine.
Mid-Round Sleepers
We know about Quinton Patton (Louisiana Tech) and his comparisons to Greg Jennings...Markus Wheaton (Oregon State) had a very good performance in practice for the Senior Bowl and has excellent speed...Marquise Goodwin (Texas) just reportedly ran a 4.28 in the 40-yard dash (according to Goodwin himself), and though he'll need to put on some weight, he could be a dangerous deep threat and kick returner. Cobi Hamilton is an intriguing mid-round prospect as well, and had a wildly productive senior season at Arkansas; he could be a good fit as a big, speedy receiver and should go sometime on the second day of the draft.
Best Names
Patterson has to be the winner here, with those double-consonants taking the cake. Stedman Bailey (West Virginia) is just fun to say, while Kenbrell Thompkins (Cincinnati) is an interesting one as well.
Most Interesting Small School
I debated here, but FCS school Eastern Washington is the biggest curiosity here. If you're not familiar with the school, they took a page from Boise State's book and play on eye-gouging turf. Junior Brandon Kaufman is EWU's representative at the Combine, though he's expected to be drafted very late if at all.
As always, underclassmen are shown in italics.
Player | School |
Allen, Keenan | California |
Austin, Tavon | West Virginia |
Bailey, Stedman | West Viginia |
Bonner, Alan | Jacksonville State (Alabama) |
Boyce, Josh | TCU |
Brown, Marlon | Georgia |
Davis, Marcus | Virginia Tech |
Dobson, Aaron | Marshall |
Fuller, Corey | Virginia Tech |
Goard, Tyrone | Eastern Kentucky |
Goodwin, Marquise | Texas |
Hamilton, Cobi | Arkansas |
Harper, Chris | Kansas State |
Harrison, Mark | Rutgers |
Hopkins, Deandre | Clemson |
Hunter, Justin | Tennessee |
Johnson, Darius | SMU |
Kaufman, Brandon | Eastern Washington |
King, Tavarres | Georgia |
Lemon, Alec | Syracuse |
Mellette, Aaron | Elon |
Moe, T.J. | Missouri |
Moore, Tracy | Oklahoma State |
Patterson, Cordarrelle | Tennessee |
Patton, Quinton | Louisiana Tech |
Robinson, Denard | Michigan |
Rogers, Darick | Tennessee Tech |
Sampson, Lanear | Baylor |
Sanders, Ace | South Carolina |
Smith, Rodney | Florida State |
Spadola, Ryan | Lehigh |
Stills, Kenny | Oklahoma |
Swope, Ryan | Texas A&M |
Thompkins, Kenbrell | Cincinnati |
Vernon, Conner | Duke |
Wheaton, Markus | Oregon State |
Williams, Terrance | Baylor |
Wilson, Marquess | Washington State |
Woods, Robert | USC |
Check out the rest of the Scouting Combine coverage:
Offensive Line Preview | Defensive Line Preview | SBNation.com Combine Central