NFL Scouting Combine Open Thread

This Friday marks the beginning of the annual NFL Scouting Combine, at least the on-field and weight room testing portion. The Bruins are well represented (as is the Pac-12 Conference) with 5 participants in Indianapolis trying to improve their draft stock. I'll go through each participant for the Bruins in order of their appearance.

Friday/Saturday

The offensive lineman have their interviews and take part in the bench press on Friday, but do on-field exercises on Saturday along with the specialists to kick off the fun part of the Combine.

Xavier Su'a-Filo

XSF declared early for the draft after his redshirt junior season, which was a mostly expected move with his advanced age due to the two-year mission he took after his freshman year. Xavier impressed with his measurements on Thursday, coming in at over an inch taller than listed on UCLA official roster and almost exactly the same weight. At 6 foot 4 (and 1/4) inches tall and 308 pounds, Xavier profiles as an ideal guard in the modern NFL. Very athletic player and (unsurprising to anyone) performing well in the press conference portion of the Combine, I'd look for XSF to improve his standing and potentially rise into the mid-to-late first round discussion.

Sunday

The quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers take the field on Sunday and all UCLA fans are all glad to not be watching Brett Hundley take part in these drills. However, his favorite target the last two years will be putting his skills on display.

Shaquelle Evans

Evans should come in at a little over 6 feet tall and around 210 pounds, so he's not a huge target but certainly big enough where his size is a positive. Most projections that I've seen have Evans going somewhere between the 3rd and 7th round, it is an extremely deep WR class this season so it just depends on how Evans fits into a team's profile. A good performance this weekend could move him towards to top part of those projections.

Monday

This is the big day for UCLA fans, as the Bruins have 3 participants on Day 3 of the on-field testing that features defensive linemen and linebackers.

Anthony Barr

Barr will likely be the first Bruin selected in the NFL Draft, barring a big drop in his draft stock (something that has been floating around the internet). The Combine is made for a player like Barr to show off, as his elite athleticism and size can put on an incredible show. If Anthony Barr can run in the 4.5 range, looks good in the on-field drills (especially pass coverage) and measures and shows up in as impressive of shape as he looks to be on paper, there is no reason for Barr to fall out of the top 15 (and all the way up into the top 5 potentially).

Jordan Zumwalt

Zumwalt is another player that could really excel in a setting like the Combine, he's not going to impress anyone with his lean frame but he'll probably put up fast times in all the speed drills and will without a doubt interview great and have as high of an energy level as any player in Indianapolis. Zumwalt is in the same boat as Evans (and Marsh) in that he could go anywhere from the 3rd round to the 7th round (probably more towards the 5th round, due to size concerns). He is a player that is going to make a roster without question because of his ability to play special teams and his energy level.

Cassius Marsh

Marsh will be the first defensive player up for UCLA on Monday (I believe the DL goes before the LBs usually) and has been doing well in his preparation for the Combine. He will be trying to remove the "tweener" label as a player that isn't quite big enough to be a DE and not quite athletic enough to play OLB (similar to Michael Sam, who will continue be a huge headline all weekend). Cassius is talented enough to stick at either spot, but will not be an instant impact guy. He's a player that a GM could fall in love with after the Combine and UCLA Pro Day and go as high as the 3rd round, or go undrafted (which would be infinitely more surprising to me).

It'll be a fun weekend and share your comments as these 5 Bruins chase their dreams of playing in the NFL. I'll try to keep track of anything new from Twitter or on the NFL Network as the Combine takes place and I'd encourage you all to do the same.

As always, Go Bruins!