On Thursday afternoon at the 2018 Scouting Combine, the offensive linemen and running backs had their measurements, performed on the bench press, and spoke to the media for their final day of preparation before on-field testing begins on Friday. With the Green Bay Packers in the market for some help on the line, the focus for today stayed primarily with the linemen.
Today, I identified a pair of linemen who could be good fits for the Packers, and we have a few clips from our interviews with each of those players. Also included here are a few random nuggets from other player interviews, including a few comments from some of the running backs in this class.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Brandon Parker, North Carolina A&T
NFL fans may recognize that school as the same one that produced running back Tarik Cohen, who was drafted by the Chicago Bears last year. Here’s Parker, an offensive tackle, on his relationship with Cohen:
Parker measured in at 6 feet, 7-5/8 inches tall and 304 pounds on Thursday, which doesn’t quite come through clearly on video with him sitting on a small chair in the media room. He also majored in electrical engineering, a tough educational program that helps him to process large quantities of information at once:
Austin Corbett, Nevada
A left tackle for the Wolfpack, Corbett is thought as a potential candidate to move inside in the NFL. Teams are apparently interested in what he can do at every position across the offensive line:
But he has plans for after football, as he apparently wants to become an orthopedic surgeon:
We’ll have more on Corbett in the coming days, but we think he’s a player whom Packers fans will love.
Others
Will Hernandez from UTEP blocked for Packers running back Aaron Jones for a few years. He discussed his relationship with Jones and some recent communications between the two:
UTEP guard Will Hernandez said he's been getting tips from #Packers RB @Showtyme_33 all week at the #NFLcombine. Said Jones' rookie season came as no surprise to those in El Paso pic.twitter.com/cUMwUcJjzh
— Wes Hodkiewicz (@WesHod) March 1, 2018
He joked that he needed to respond to your last text once he got off the podium
— Wes Hodkiewicz (@WesHod) March 1, 2018
Iowa guard Sean Welsh has earned the nickname “Dad” from some of his current and former teammates. He thinks it’s because of his mannerisms:
When the defensive linemen come out, we’ll have to pay some attention to Ogbonnia Oronkwo from Oklahoma. That’s because Georgia left tackle Isaiah Wynn called him the toughest player he played against all year (they played in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff):
RUNNING BACKS
The Packers don’t appear to have too strong a need at running back, but we talked to a few in Indy on Thursday anyway.
Josh Adams from Notre Dame had a great season in 2017 as a junior, but he gives a lot of credit to his offensive line. The group was named the best in the country, and Adams is close with them off the field as well as on it. Here he is talking about the personalities of a group that has two potential first-round picks in Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson:
Darrel Williams from LSU has been overshadowed by two other runners, first Leonard Fournette and then Derrius Guice. With Williams and Guice both together here in Indy, the two are pushing each other when it comes to the 40-yard dash:
Finally, Georgia’s Sony Michel says he’s “passionate” about pass protection:
Stay tuned for more from Indianapolis over the coming days.