The annual NFL scouting combine is a time for prospects to make moves on NFL draft boards — some to the penthouse, others to the outhouse.
Eleven LSU players were invited to Indianapolis. Here are the highlights and lowlights of the former Tigers’ workouts.
The Good: Odell Beckham Jr.
Beckham went to the combine as a borderline first-round prospect looking to solidify himself as one of the first 32 players selected — and it appears he has.
With impressive times in the 40-yard dash (4.43 seconds), three cone drill (6.69 seconds), 20-yard shuffle (3.94 seconds) and 60-yard shuffle (10.93 seconds), Beckham showcased the explosiveness he was known for during his junior season at LSU.
The combination of his elite workout, solid statistics and explosiveness as a return man make Beckham the kind of all-around offensive weapon NFL teams love to take in the first round. Assuming he avoided hurting himself in the interviews — which is unlikely since he’s personable and intelligent — this week was a home run for Beckham.
In a deep and talented class of wide receivers, Beckham has elevated himself and could now be pushing Texas A&M’s Mike Evans to be the second receiver taken behind Clemson’s Sammy Watkins.
The Bad: Jarvis Landry
While Beckham rose up draft boards this week, his partner in crime sunk like a rock.
At 4.77 seconds, Landry ran the slowest 40-yard dash of any wide receiver. To make matters worse, Landry posted the second-worst broad jump and vertical jump among receivers before sitting out the rest of the workouts with a pulled hamstring, according to a tweet from Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.
Landry’s sure hands and willingness to go over the middle of a defense make him more of a finished product than Beckham, but he doesn’t have the same athletic upside.
He entered the combine looking like a solid second- or third-round selection, but his unimpressive workout will lead to questions about his explosiveness.
A slow 40-time isn’t a death sentence — Jerry Rice and Anquan Boldin ran similar times — but teams will view him as a possession receiver, which tends to be treated as a late-round commodity on draft day.
If Landry does fall to the third day of the draft, the team that drafts him will be getting a steal. But he definitely cost himself some money with his performance in Indianapolis.
The Ugly: Anthony Johnson
More than any of the 11 Tigers invited to the combine, Johnson needed a stellar workout to make teams overlook his pedestrian statistics.
He didn’t have one.
Johnson ran an uninspiring 5.24-second 40-yard dash and finished near the bottom among defensive linemen in the broad jump and vertical jump. Despite his imposing size, he posted an un-freakish 20 reps on the bench press, a total eclipsed by teammates Ego Ferguson (24 reps) and Lamin Barrow (22 reps).
Since arriving in Baton Rouge, Johnson has been an underwhelming player who is dominant and explosive in spurts. Teams fall in love with raw ability, and the combine is always an excellent opportunity for such a player to convince NFL executives he can blossom at the next level.
He’s left himself major work to do at LSU’s Pro Day on April 9. He picked an expensive time to have a bad week.