UM Players Average At NFL Combine
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (CBSMiami) – The days of the University of Miami dominating the first round of the NFL Draft has long since passed. The latest group of draft-eligible Canes is struggling mightily at the NFL Combine and none look likely to go in the first round.
It's led to many NFL experts questioning why the players including defensive tackle Marcus Forston, Olivier Vernon, Tommy Streeter, and Lamar Miller. The players all declared for the draft without hearing from the NFL Draft's advisory board.
The Draft board will advise players on which round of the NFL Draft they will likely be selected. Underclassmen will submit paperwork to the Draft board and await a response before declaring for the NFL Draft.
The current crop of UM players decided to no go that way and it could end up costing them financially.
"From a football perspective, for the most part, they had no business coming out," NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock told CBS4 news partner the Miami Herald. "I really think you're going to be disappointed."
While at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, the Hurricanes players have done nothing to rebut Mayock's frank assessment.
Vernon displayed some strength, lifting 225 pounds 31 times, but was also slow at 4.8 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Forston, who was a major-league bust at UM, continued disappointing measuring in at 6'1" and weighing 301 pounds. He ran a 5.17 40-yard dash, but did manage to lift 225 pounds 35 times.
Still, the Combine numbers very rarely boost a player's draft status, Mike Mamula notwithstanding. Instead, it's typically the play on the field that will help determine the player's draft position.
Unfortunately for a player like Forston, who played just three games in 2011, managed a total of 60 tackles and 7 sacks in four years of play at the U. His up-and-down game will likely cause him to go undrafted in the upcoming draft.
All of the players come from disappointing recruiting classes that were ranked highly under former coach Randy Shannon, but never produced any results to speak of on the field. All of them left after new coach Al Golden took over and put more discipline into the program.
Out of the UM players who are at the Combine, the most likely to be drafted in the first two days are guard Brandon Washington and running back Lamar Miller, according to the Herald.
Miller ran the 40-yard-dash in 4.40 seconds, which was tops amongst the running backs. He said he came out because of fear of injury at running back. Miller could go as high as the second round and could be a perfect fit for a team looking for a back who can carry the ball 18-20 times a game.
(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Miami Herald contributed to this report.)
