Two Wyoming stars solidify their positions in getting drafted in this years NFL Draft with good NFL Combine performances.
Wyoming was represented this past weekend at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana by two departing stars in wide receiver Robert Herron and defensive back Marqueston Huff. Both players put up up good numbers in Indy but hope to improve on those marks on March 13th during Wyoming's Pro-Day, where they will be joined by star quarterback Brett Smith.
The 5'9", 193-pound Herron finished the weekend with quality testing numbers but still room for improvement going forth. He performed quite well in the bench press with 18 repetitions of 225-pounds to put him ninth amongst all wide receivers at the combine. He followed that up with a 4.48 second forty-yard-dash that is quite respectable (good for 17th place) but a number he hopes to lower this coming Pro-Day. There was a feeling that Herron could run as low as the 4.3's in the forty. His other testing numbers followed with a 35.5 inch vertical jump, a broad jump of 125 inches (10 feet 5 inches), a three cone of 6.84 seconds and finally a 20-yard-shuttle time of 4.27 seconds.
One things to remember about Herron is the fact his 4.48 forty may be a good time but he has the ability to play even faster on the field with his ability to get off the line of scrimmage very quickly and in and out of his breaks quickly. Robert was able to show those skills in drills after all the testing was done.
As for Huff, the 5'11", 196-pounds free saftey/cornerback, he put up very similar numbers to Herron in many different testing categories. He had 15 repetitions of 225-pounds in the bench press, a 4.49 second forty-yard-dash which put him 13th among all secondary participants, a vertical jump of 35.5 inches which tied him with Herron, a broad jump of 118 inches (9 feet 10 inches), a three cone of 7.26 seconds and lastly a 20-yard-shuttle of 4.19 seconds to round out his testing.
Most franchises are looking at Huff as a free safety prospect but there is still the possibility he could end up at cornerback. With so many teams preferring bigger corners to perform man press coverage, Huff could still see time out on the edges. With that said, his ability to cover and his more than adequate size makes him a interesting free safety prospect as well in the pass happy NFL. Having played both positions a Wyoming is a definite plus in Huff's favor entering the NFL.
Both Herron and Huff are expected to be taken in the 4th to 5th round area but there is still a possibility that Herron could sneak into the second day of the draft in the 3rd round. Herron unfortunately is a victim of a extremely talented and deep wide receiver class. Both prospects along with Smith have the opportunity to raise their stock further with big performances at Wyoming's Pro-Day even though teams are getting closer to setting their draft boards.
Not only do the NFL hopefuls still have their Pro-Day to look forward to but team visits and individual testing/work-outs to be done before the NFL Draft, which will take place at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City on May 8th-10th.