Analysts Give Their Take On Spartan Prospects At NFL Scouting Combine
EAST LANSING, Mich. – In exclusive interviews with msuspartans.com at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, several media members talked about the school-record tying seven Spartans in attendance at Lucas Oil Stadium and gave their opinions on the draft-eligible prospects.
Below are a few highlights from the interview sessions:
C Jack Allen
NFL Network analyst Charles Davis: "I love that with the wrestling background, because what do wrestlers know? A couple of things. Number one, they know how to fight and compete. Number two, there is zero quit in a wrestler, if anyone is a good one, and obviously Jack was. And last but not least, leverage. And to be able to play in this league, no matter what your size, low man wins when it's big man on big man and that helps out a lot.
"Now he's a guy, when I look at him, I often think of Corey Linsley over at Ohio State. I know for Michigan State, oh don't bring up Ohio State, but Corey Linsley was a sixth-, seventh-round kid that I liked a lot coming out, maybe didn't hit every measurable he wanted, he's only been starting since he was a rookie with Green Bay. I think Jack Allen has got a chance to be a good player."
Sirius XM NFL analyst Jim Miller: "(Jack's) another guy who had a great week at the Senior Bowl. He comes with a lot of experience. What every team is looking for is the versatility; center-guard combo, he could potentially be a plug-and-play player, probably a mid-rounder."
WR Aaron Burbridge
ESPN analyst and 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Bill Polian: "I like the size, I like the speed, I like his hands, I like his routes. He too is competitive. That's a repetitive statement, but that's what Michigan State's about. You don't play for Mark Dantonio unless you're competitive and tough and resilient. At the receiver position, that's a very, very valuable trait to have. And (Aaron) has it. He's a guy you're going to count on to perform on Sunday. He's probably not going to put up the best numbers here (at the combine), but so what. What you do on Sunday is what counts. And he's a guy that's done it throughout his career."
ESPN analyst Todd McShay: "He's just a playmaker. We were at that Michigan game, and just the way that he was covered up sometimes, a lot of times – how many targets did he have in that game – and I thought Jourdan Lewis from Michigan had one of the better games in his career, and (Burbridge) wound up getting nine catches (for 132 yards). People are yelling at me and saying how can you say that's he playing so well when Burbridge has all this production, well, he was covering him like a blanket and doing a fantastic job, but Burbridge was getting late separation, making tough catches in traffic, and just showing the hand-eye coordination that we saw from him all season long. I'm interested to see what he runs here, I'm interested to see kind of the measurables to go along with the tape, but a player that really stood out this year and obviously was the go-to guy and delivered week in and week out it seemed like."
NFL Network analyst Charles Davis: "He's a guy that when you look at his (career) numbers, because of injuries, didn't quite hit those, and he was a guy that every year, hey, is this Burbridge's year? Finally it hit. Big Ten Receiver of the Year (in 2015). And the jump in numbers…was crazy (up from 29 catches in 2014 to school-record 85 in 2015), big highlight reel plays, and I think his dose of confidence, plus a good week at the Senior Bowl, that gives him an opportunity. I don't think he's going to be a first-round pick, but anything from probably second round, third round is more likely, but he's got a chance."
Sirius XM NFL analyst Jim Miller: "He had a great year after Tony Lippett led then (in 2014), and what he did the year prior. And he (Lippett) got drafted as a corner. Burbridge is a more polished receiver, in terms of running his routes, again, you talk about the pro-style offense, he runs the entire route tree. Solid receiver in terms of plucking the football. He had a great week down at the Senior Bowl, and so like most of these players you just gotta start checking the boxes. Have a good season, which he had at Michigan State, have a good Senior Bowl, now have a good Combine. And he has the ability to help himself."
DE Shilique Calhoun
ESPN analyst and 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Bill Polian: "He's an established pass rusher and even more important than that, he can play every down. He's going to be an every down defensive end. I'm not sure he's not a right defensive end in a 3-4, really, with exceptional pass-rushing skills for that position. He's a guy who has three-down ability, and multi-defense value, so he's a value pick somewhere on the first day of the draft, or at very least, the second day."
ESPN analyst Todd McShay: "He can rush the passer. He's going to have to improve in terms of consistency versus the run, lower-body strength and those sorts of things, but at the end of the day, if you can rush the passer there's a place for you in the league, and he does that with relentlessness (and) quick hands. He's a savvy pass rusher. It will be interesting to see, but I think wherever he gets drafted, probably in the day-two range, I think that he's going to be brought in initially just to get heat on the quarterback, and then he can continue to improve his game in those other areas."
NFL Network analyst Charles Davis: "I think teams that don't mind huge guys at defensive end, remember the Colts? We're here in Indianapolis, they had those really under-size guys with (Dwight) Freeney and (Robert) Mathis rushing the passer. Teams like that, I think Shilique Calhoun is a defensive end. I like him better there, even though he's got the basketball background, I'm not sold that the move to outside linebacker is beneficial for him, although I'm not saying he can't do it. But him putting his hand on the ground and going and getting someone, that's his strength. I think that the team that gets him and plays to that will be very happy with his production."
Sirius XM NFL analyst Jim Miller: "This draft is loaded with pass rushers, so for Shilique Calhoun, (he) has the ability right now to probably go in the top of the second round. A lot of teams are looking for that pass-rushing ability because he's a lanky, rangy defensive end, 4-3 defense type of guy is what he fits best in. A team like Atlanta, that was the worst in the NFL in pass rush with only 19 sacks, they're looking to boost that total. So expect Shilique Calhoun to go somewhere in that area that really needs a pass rusher."
OT Jack Conklin
ESPN analyst and 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Bill Polian: "He's all football player – he's powerful, he's aggressive, he comes off the ball. He might end up at right tackle when it's all said and done, but he ran more than well enough (Friday) to tell you that there are people playing left tackle in this league at that speed. But the thing that impresses you is the heart, the intensity, the power with which he plays. He's a 'sure-make' guy. I can't tell you at what position, where along the offensive line, but he's going to make it and he's going to play for a long period of time."
ESPN analyst Todd McShay: "He's come a long way, he really has. It's really impressive. I think it's kind of indicative of the Michigan State program. Sometimes two-star, three-star players to these national recruiting services, they bring in, develop, and turn into really good, productive NFL players. So he's just another one in a long line. The thing that jumps out to me, not an elite athlete necessarily, but functional in terms of mobility, but he's strong, he's tough, he's physical at the point of attack, and he's one of those guys that enjoys finishing. I think maybe it's left tackle, probably more likely right tackle, but wherever it is, I think he's going to be a good tone-setting starter in the NFL."
NFL Network analyst Charles Davis: "Those sort of things, we always run into how athletic is a certain player? Because Jack has a reputation of being a mauler, as you well know. A big, strong, physical kid. But he's got good foot work, moves well. And then to see him not just run straight ahead fast, but looked like he flashed pretty well in the drills too where he had to move and change direction, I think that only helped him, because I think he was already in the first round, and (Friday) it was probably solidified."
Sirius XM NFL analyst Jim Miller: "Really impressive what he's done. He's a pack-a-lunch, bring a flashlight type-of-guy, and there's a lot of teams in the league that look for that. And again, because Michigan State runs the football, a lot of teams now running these spreads, some guys don't even get in the three-point stance. Conklin is ahead of the curve in terms of his development and readiness to play in the National Football League. A lot of people have him probably late first round, a team like Seattle could be losing their left tackle in Russell Okung, and I know they're high on a guy like Jack Conklin."
QB Connor Cook
ESPN analyst and 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Bill Polian: "They're going to see a guy that makes good decisions, that's accurate with the football, that can drive the ball. The thing I like best about him was the drive at the end of the Iowa game, the (Big Ten) Championship Game, when he's obviously playing hurt, and then a year ago against Baylor in the (Cotton Bowl) game, where he went right out there, head-to-head, that was (Sandy) Koufax and (Don) Drysdale going head-to-head, Baylor would score, back he would come. It didn't faze him one iota. So you like that competitiveness and you like obviously the preparation. He's gotta be well prepared in order to do that. He's a guy, again, I think people aren't talking a lot about him, but they will hear a lot about him come the fall."
ESPN analyst Todd McShay: "I think the best decision he made was to come back to school for another year. I can't stress it enough to all of these quarterbacks that are looking at maybe leaving after their junior year. He became more of a student of the game, you could tell just watching his eyes and progressions, he was seeing things faster. He was throwing to spots and anticipating throws. I thought he made a significant improvement from his junior year to his senior year.
"I think he and Kevin Hogan from Stanford are the only two guys that if forced into playing in the NFL next year would be mentally ready to do so. So it speaks to the development that he went through. I thought he was inconsistent in his junior year; (he) showed flashes, but a lot more consistent this past year. I just think this one last year in college really helped him and prepared him, whether he's forced to start a game or two his rookie year, or just serve as a back-up. But I think he'll be more prepared."
NFL Network analyst Charles Davis: "I saw one of those Big Ten Championships, the Ohio State game, and he did some things in that game that we really hadn't seen. Remember the options that he ran, picked up first downs with his legs, made winning plays down the stretch. That was a game where they just beat them into submission essentially, that was a true pound-green-pound game.
"But he kept blossoming as a player. And I know there's all this stuff swirling around, he wasn't elected captain, it was this. Thirty-four and five (record as starting quarterback at Michigan State) speaks volumes about what a guy can do, what his capabilities are, and he's a guy that's firmly in the conversation of being a first-round quarterback. It's a big week for him to talk to the scouts and to the coaches and the teams, but all in all his talent speaks for himself.
"And the last thing I'll say about him, that he didn't get enough credit for, I think is toughness. Because that shoulder injury that had him miss Ohio State this year, he came right back and continued to play. He may not have been 100%, but he was good enough to win another Big Ten title. So I think they've got to play up that toughness aspect with him because he's got it."
Sirius XM NFL analyst Jim Miller: "Well, for me personally, I'm a big fan of Connor Cook. A lot of people have him going in the second round; I think he works his way into the first. He's a big, strong-armed quarterback, comes with a pro-style offense, well coached at Michigan State. He can get in and out of plays in terms of checks. And he grows. He comes with a lot of wins, a lot of experience, and for me, he's even played hurt. So I think coaches do look to see if guys are tough guys, and I think Connor Cook is one of those guys. To me, with all the other quarterbacks, there's probably potentially three to four quarterbacks that could go in the first round, and I think Connor Cook is one of them."
DT Joel Heath
NFL Network analyst Charles Davis: "Not a surprise (having his best year as a senior). I mean, this is a program that, I remember when I was playing at Tennessee, our head coach Johnny Majors would talk about guys that wanted to leave all the time, and he used to say 'guys, those who stay will play.' Joel Heath persevered. You talk about the injuries, getting through things. That toughness, that part of being a Spartan, that toughness that Coach Dantonio puts into the program and preaches, and now the kids do it themselves. That's what we say this last year, a lot of them put together a very nice season."
Sirius XM NFL analyst Jim Miller: "I think he's a tough guy. He never takes a play off, he works hard to the quarterback every single play, or tracking down ball carriers, and he's just a worker bee. Ninety percent of the NFL locker rooms are made up of the worker bees. I was a worker bee in the NFL; granted, I played quarterback, but it was a struggle to make the roster sometimes every year, but you stick for a long time in the NFL, and that could be Joel Heath."
DE Lawrence Thomas
NFL Network analyst Charles Davis: "He's moved around positions. So for him to get solidified in a spot and finally get some time, you know what, he was a tight end or fullback for a while, that athleticism that you spoke about, let him continue to get settled in playing the defensive front. He may not wow you with numbers, I don't think he's going to be a guy that's all of a sudden going to be a double-digit sack guy in the NFL. But I think he's got enough strength and ability to hold the point of attack and make a few plays running up and down the line of scrimmage. People will be intrigued by him a little bit."
Sirius XM NFL analyst Jim Miller: "Big guy that can move. Here's a guy, when you look at Lawrence Thomas, he impressed everybody down at the Senior Bowl because he's a big guy who's an athlete. A lot of teams, I'll bring up Seattle again, they've used guys like this and put them in different positions. They've taken defensive linemen and put them as offensive guards, they've taken defensive linemen and placed them at fullback, they even had an old tight end in (Garry) Gilliam who's know a tackle out there in Seattle. So they want the athletes. They kind of project him (Thomas) into different positions. But I think Thomas now has found a home on the defensive side of the ball because he's a big man; not only can he stop the run, but he has the ability to put a little pass rush on the quarterback as well because he's such a versatile athlete."