The second day of the NFL Scouting Combine is in the books, and while we’re still waiting for our first on-field action there was still plenty to buzz about on Friday in Indianapolis.
For starters, unless you were Baylor’s Jason Smith it was a rough day to be an elite tackle prospect. Alabama’s Andre Smith announced that he wouldn’t be participating in any of the combine workouts; while that in and of itself isn’t usually a huge red flag, Smith’s rationale for skipping—he was slow to find an agent and as such had only recently begun working out—hardly smacked of the initiative and preparation teams sinking millions into a top 10 pick might be expecting.
As it turns out, Andre’s decision not to work out might have been a smart move. As Groups 1, 2, and 3—offensive linemen, tight ends, and specialists—hit the weight room for the bench press, Jason Smith pumped out 33 reps at 225 pounds to tie for fourth-best among the day’s contestants. The other two top-tier tackles—Virginia’s Eugene Monroe and Michael Oher of Ole Miss—ranked 29th and 35th among linemen with 23 and 21 reps, respectively.
To put that into perspective USC’s David Buehler, the only kicker to participate in the lifting, squeezed out 25 reps.
Texas Tech guard Louis Vasquez set the pace with 39 reps, five more than anyone else could muster.
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