Kelly, Smith and Bowman must do and say
Published: 2/20/2008 2:00 PM
Last Modified: 2/20/2008 2:00 PM
It is an enormous week for college prospects at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. What players like Malcolm Kelly, Paul Smith and Adarius Bowman do on the field -- or, more specifically, what times/measurements/scores they post -- will have major bearing on where they will be selected in April's NFL Draft.
Still, it's not just about doing, it's about saying. If Kelly, Smith or Bowman are granted the opportunity to sit down and conduct interviews with NFL personnel, they'll want to impress in that venue as well.
Consider the case of Adrian Peterson. The Oklahoma star blew away the Minnesota Vikings with his combine workout a year ago. Then he sat down with Vikings brass in a hotel room and clinched what would become a No. 7 selection.
"From the handshake on," Minnesota coach Brad Childress told the Minneapolis Star Tribune, "he was the same in that room [as he always is]. Big, bright-eyed. Sitting there and asking questions. You felt like you knew some things about him where you could just see crystal clear. The enthusiasm for the game gushed without him having to say much, where you could see the sparkle. Where you kind of know, this is real."
-- Guerin Emig
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
