At this time, the are 5 UK Wildcats that have been invited to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in February. There are 4 which include: John Conner (FB), Corey Peters (DT), Micah Johnson (LB), and Trevard Lindley (CB). Interestingly, Sam Maxwell who led the CATS with 5 INTs and was a Co-MVP for the defense is also invited. Those not invited include: Zipp Duncan (OLT), and Jorge Gonzalez (OC).
The invitees have been the big name players for the CATS over the last year to year and a half, The two O-lineman not invited (Duncan and Gonzo) were the heart and soul of the O-line of one of the best Offensive Lines in UK history. Zipp went up against UK opponents best D-lineman week after week and graded out well. Gonzo was a preseason Remington favorite for the Dave Remington Award (for the best Center in Football).
I can understand that Christian Johnson was not invited due to previous injuries and academic issues, and Justin Jeffries did not have a good season, but the Duncan and Gonzalez omission is unfathomable. Oh well, as they say, "If you don't go in the 1st 4 rounds of the draft, it is much better to be a Free Agent!"
Below is a complete list of the 2010 NFL Invitees (So Far!)
http://www.nfldraftbible.com/All-Access-Football/2010_nfl_scouting_combine_invite_list.html
Sam Maxwell is listed...please check the list again.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up! Obviously, I missed it
ReplyDeleteI may be mistaken but I thought Maxwell had 6 ints this year which lead all Division 1 linebackers.
ReplyDeleteHope our boys perform well. Obviously they will be great ambassadors for the University either way but I hope they make some extra money for themselvesat the combines.
ReplyDeleteMickey
Lindley-should stick as an extra CB for somebody. Hope he shows he can play special teams.
ReplyDeleteConner-for teams that use a true FB, he will be a steal for somebody. He will be a good personal protector on Punt, a good wing on field goal, etc. He may have the longest NFL career of all of them.
Peters-should be a nice DT if he gets w/ the right team. He could back up for a while and eventually be a starter in the league.
Johnson-the most "NFL looking player" in the bunch. 4-3 MLB or 3-4 ILB. Will be a good ILB in the pros. Hope he stays healthy & finds a way to stick.
Maxwell-hope his shoulder is healed. If someone takes a chance on him, he could have a huge upside. nice coverage skills, solid tackler, can blitz well. I hope he makes it.
*As far as the O-Linemen go, maybe Duncan can sign a FA deal w/ somebody. Gonzalez will probably be seen as "too unathletic". While C. Johnson & Jeffries probably won't make it, the NFL is full of OL that look like them (6'4" to 6'6", 330-350 lbs.). I'm surprised neither of them got a look by body type alone.