Day One of the NFL Scouting Combine was pretty much all talk… but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t anything to be learned.
As expected, LSU guard Herman “The House” Johnson was the hit of the weigh-ins despite measuring in at a svelte (for him) 364 pounds on his 6-7 frame; Johnson weighed 385 at the end of the college season and indicated his target weight is 355—and that he feels quicker and more comfortable at the lighter weight. During Johnson’s press conference we learned that he weighed 15 pounds, 14 ounces at birth and reported to LSU as a freshman at 411 pounds. He also mentioned that at least a couple teams have talked to him about playing right tackle.
Eyes were also on Alabama tackle Andre Smith, who was rumored to have battled weight issues during his junior season. During his press conference Smith indicated that he hadn’t had a problem with his size in college and maxed out at 345 at Alabama. He weighed in at 332 at the Combine, which was good, but said he was undecided about working out at the combine.
The remaining three elite tackles in the 2009 class—Michael Oher of Ole Miss, Virginia’s Eugene Monroe, and Jason Smith of Baylor—all weighed in at 309 pounds; so did Arizona’s Eben Britton, who could also sneak into the bottom end of the first round. And UConn’s William Beatty, who was viewed as a little light at the Senior Bowl, added 15 pounds and weighed in at 307.
Oher, the subject of the Michael Lewis book “The Blind Side”, surprised press conference attendees by admitting that he hadn’t actually read the book; then again, he lived it so he already knew the ending. Oher also told reporters that he didn’t have a preference who played him in the movie being made from the book.
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