The players have begun arriving in Indianapolis and several have started the process of being measured up. Only one player didn't show up from the contingent that arrived on Wednesday -- guard-tackle Willie McNeill of North Carolina.
The first thing that happens when the players arrive is they get introduced to their group leaders.
There are 12 of them -- two for each position, as well as two assistants. Each works for an NFL team. As an example, Mickey Marvin works for the Raiders; Hal Athon for the Redskins. The leaders chaperone the players from the minute they arrive, taking them around.
Of the 60 offensive linemen that weighed in, 57 tipped the scales at over 300 pounds. Here are some of the superlatives from that group:
Heaviest O-lineman:
Pittsburgh tackle Rob Petitti, 347 pounds
Lightest O-lineman:
LSU center Ben Wilkerson, 298 pounds
Tallest O-lineman:
Washington St. tackle Sam Lightbody, 6-foot-9
Shortest O-linemen:
Wisconsin guard Jonathan Clinkscale and New Mexico guard Claude Terrell, both 6-foot-2 1/4
Brigham Young guard Scott Young had the most lifts on Thursday with 43.
The first group of running backs also weighed in. Here are some of the superlatives from those 14 players:
Heaviest running back (Group 1):
Citadel's Nehemiah Broughton, 250 pounds
Lightest running back (Group 1):
Michigan State's Deandra Cobb, 196 pounds
Tallest running back (Group 1):
Notre Dame's Ryan Grant, 6-foot-1
Shortest running back (Group 1):
Wisconsin's Anthony Davis, 5-foot-6 1/2
MEETING WITH MAURICE
Yesterday, about 2 p.m., I received a call from former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett and his agent, Steve Feldman. They asked me to come join them for lunch at the Embassy Suites. Upon my arrival, I told Maurice that he went from looking like Huggy Bear to Mr. Adonis. Last year, he was soft; this year he looks really good. His attitude is great. He's going to run, address the media and do everything he's expected to do.
By the way, Clarett weighed in at 234 pounds.
KNOW WHEN TO RUN
Last night, I went to dinner at Ruth's Chris with three members of the Atlanta Falcons. I ran into Todd France, a young up-and-coming agent who represents, among others, Auburn running back Ronnie Brown and cornerback Carlos Rogers. France realizes that it's in the best interest of his clients to work out in front of all the decision makers so he mentioned that Rogers is going to run.
Agent Drew Rosenhaus shared that a couple of his clients, speedy Miami receiver Roscoe Parrish and Oklahoma State running back Vernand Morency, will work out at the combine.
