Barwin Wows Scouts At Combine

February 24, 2009

Former University of Cincinnati defensive end Connor Barwin took another big step in his football career with an excellent showing at the 2009 NFL Draft Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

“It was a very good experience. I met a lot of people, I think I helped myself. So the Combine went well,” Barwin said.

Prospects are separated by position and take part in seven drills that help measure their athleticism. Barwin finished with the highest marks in five of the seven defensive lineman categories and finished second in the 40-yard dash with a time of 4.66 seconds.

“His versatility is the best we’ve seen in a long time,” said Jerry Jones, author of the annual NFL Draft guide, The Drugstore List. “He can play defensive end, outside linebacker and tight end. He just continues to impress.”

Barwin’s athleticism combined with his size makes him a unique prospect in this year’s draft.

At 6-feet-4-inches and 256 pounds, Barwin fits the mold of an outside linebacker in a 3-4 set: three linemen and four linebackers. These players are usually larger than the league’s average linebacker, yet smaller than most defensive ends.

“If I’m drafted high, it would potentially be from a 3-4 team,” Barwin said.

After the recent success of 3-4 defenses like Pittsburgh and New England, more teams (Broncos, Packers and Cardinals) plan to change to a 3-4 scheme next season.

“In a way, more teams switching to a 3-4 helps him because it could be exactly what a team is looking for,” Jones said.

Jones still doesn’t see Barwin selected in the first round, but said that his impressive showing at the Combine solidified himself as a second-rounder. Barwin isn’t losing sleep over his draft position.

“I’d love to crack the first round,” Barwin said. “But as a player you can’t worry about that. Whatever happens, happens.”

Another UC player Jones projects to be picked in the second round is cornerback Mike Mickens. Mickens was invited to the Combine, but had to sit out with an injured knee.

“There are some concerns about the injury, but he’s dropped no worse than the second round. Mickens has been all Big East a couple of years. The kid can play,” Jones said.

As of press time, UC defensive backs Brandon Underwood and DeAngelo Smith had not completed their workouts.

Offensive lineman Trevor Canfield didn’t rank high in his group after the drills, but Jones doesn’t think it will affect his draft stock.

“He didn’t help himself, but he didn’t hurt himself too much either. He’s a very serviceable player who could play in the NFL for a long time. Third or fourth round,” Jones said.

All-American punter Kevin Huber hoped to improve his value after he had a shaky performance in the Senior Bowl.

“I think he will be drafted, and he’ll surely be signed by someone if he isn’t,” Jones said. “He got slammed after the Senior Bowl and that’s not fair. He’s one of the best, if not the best, punter in the draft.”

Jones thinks the Combine isn’t always practical when evaluating NFL talent and cautions teams from becoming enamored by sheer numbers.

“There’s something wrong with every player,” Jones said. “And if you pick and pick and pick, you’re going to find out what that is, but there would be a lot of exceptional players in the NFL today who would not be competitive in a combine.”

Players go through another round of drills for scouts during their school’s pro day before the NFL Draft held April 25-26.

“Some players have been pushed up in the draft based on some wonderful Combine performance or Pro Day performance instead of their tapes,” Jones said. “Some teams get wowed and accept some great numbers instead of looking at their careers.”

All six UC players invited to the Combine are scheduled to attend Cincinnati’s Pro Day on March 19.

“This will be, by far, the most UC players ever drafted,” Jones said.