Combine Approaching: Part I

The NFL's annual draft combine begins Wednesday in Indianapolis, and for many players, this is a pivotal point in the pre-draft process. The combine can make some players - and it can break some players. Perform poorly, and your stock plummets. Impress the scouts, you could see yourself rising the draft charts.

Let's take a look at a couple of these make or break prospects on the offensive side of the ball.

Quarterback: Chase Daniel (Missouri), Graham Harrell (Texas Tech)
Both players have seen their stocks drop like a rock since the pre-draft rounds began. A good combine could go a long way towards restoring their value, and might push them into the top seven or eight signal-callers. A bad combine could very well seal these two players' fate; we could be talking about being drafted in the fifth round or later - if at all.

Running Back: Glen Coffee (Alabama), P.J. Hill (Wisconsin)
Coffee is towards the bottom of the second tier of running backs in this draft. A good combine might make him the fourth back off the board, but a bad combine could push him out of the top 10. Hill is at a disadvantage because he is at the bottom end of the height spectrum (5'11") but at the top end of the weight spectrum (265 pounds). If he can use the combine to show that he can be a bigger version of Jacob Hester, he'll certainly get looks from teams in the fourth or fifth round. But if he doesn't show the versatility of the lighter running backs, Hill will be looked at as a late-round fullback at best.

Wide Receiver: Patrick Turner (USC), Mike Thomas (Arizona)
Turner must have a good combine to stay on teams' minds. At 6'5" tall and 221 pounds, he certainly has the size. But he has underachieved throughout his college career, and he has to show teams he has the drive and desire to be a top receiver. Turner is falling off of many draft boards, but a good combine could put him back on. Thomas, on the other hand, is undersized at 5'8" tall and 187 pounds. He must prove to teams that his lack of size is not a severe disadvantage.

Tight End: Only 16 tight ends were invited to the combine this year, and basically everyone other than Brandon Pettigrew (Oklahoma State) has something to prove.

Offensive Line: This is a weak class in terms of guards and centers, while the tackles are pretty strong. I think the big thing to watch will be who differentiates themselves in the big four of Eugene Monroe (Virginia), Jason Smith (Baylor), Andre Smith (Alabama) and Michael Oher (Mississippi). The question remains as to who is number one in this group. The combine may be able to answer that question.

TOP 5: Quarterbacks

(1) Matthew Stafford, Georgia
(1) Mark Sanchez, USC
(3) Josh Freeman, Kansas State
(4) Nate Davis, Ball State
(5) Rhett Bomar, Sam Houston State

The question at the quarterback position remains: Who is number one? Is it Stafford or Sanchez?. Depending on who you ask, you will get a different answer. I have done nothing to settle that debate because I truly see them on equal footing for now. That could change, of course, as teams continue to evaluate their performance at the various scouting stops.

Everyone agrees, however, that after these two, it's really slim pickings. Freeman has ascended the draft charts to be the (almost) consensus number three, with Davis close behind.

Everyone also seems to be in agreement that Texas Tech's Graham Harrell and Missouri's Chase Daniel are quickly falling out of favor. I was never high on Harrell, but I think Daniel could surprise as a late-round draft pick.

Other names to watch: Drew Willy (Buffalo), Cullen Harper (Clemson), Rudy Carpenter (Arizona State)
These are not the next three names on my list, but they're three guys who should garner some attention on day two and, if drafted, have a lot of potential.