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Five former B1G players at the NFL Scouting Combine who intrigue me the most

Connor O'Gara

By Connor O'Gara

Published:

What SZN is it? It’s #CombineCZN, folks.

Yes, that means it’s time to break down more prospects in shorts doing drills that don’t simulate in-game action. But hey, I’ll be watching and you’ll probably watching.

I’ll have my eye closely on the following five former B1G players:

1. J.T. Barrett, Ohio State QB

After 26 years in college, it’s finally time for Barrett to make the next step. OK, it wasn’t that long, but he left school as one of the most accomplished players in B1G history. His college résumé speaks for itself. He’s the B1G’s all-time leader in total offense, touchdown passes and touchdowns responsible for.

If the draft was strictly based on college accomplishments, Barrett would be one of the stars of the show this weekend. Instead, he’s one of the quarterbacks who will try and show that he deserves to be drafted.

Barrett’s arm strength and accuracy were questioned throughout his career, and understandably so. All of the questions surrounding him are as a passer. That’ll be on full display at the combine.

It’s one thing to watch Barrett compared to other Ohio State quarterbacks. It’s another to watch him line up next to a Sam Darnold or a Josh Rosen.

While I don’t think Barrett ever takes a snap as an NFL quarterback in a real game, I do think that the bar has been set so low for him as a prospect that he can actually surpass some low expectations. Maybe Barrett improved his release and he shows better deep-ball accuracy than he had at OSU (completed 28 percent of deep throws over 21 yards in 2017).

Who knows? Perhaps his illustrious college résumé coupled with a better-than-expected combine at least makes a few front offices think that he’s worth a seventh-round pick or that he’s worth a favorable undrafted free agent contract. Apparently that’s not that crazy of a thought.

2. Tegray Scales, Indiana LB

For those of you who don’t know, Scales is basically a trailblazer. He’s set to become the first Indiana linebacker to get drafted in the 21st century. That tells you all you need to know about the Hoosiers’ defense in the pre-Tom Allen era. Coming into the weekend, Scales has that working against him.

Working in his favor, however, is the fact that he racked up 36 tackles for loss in his last 2 seasons in Bloomington. Scales’ production in the loaded B1G East shouldn’t be questioned. What will be questioned his his size and speed as a middle linebacker prospect.

The weigh-in and the 40-yard dash will be crucial for Scales. Can he clock in around 240 pounds and run a 4.7-second 40-yard dash?

You can bet there are some general managers who are hoping that Scales doesn’t reach those marks because they want him to be a late Day 2 or early Day 3 sleeper. Nobody is going to care about Indiana’s nonexistent linebacker history if Scales’ combine matches his production.

3. Jack Cichy, Wisconsin LB

Speaking of linebackers, Cichy was in position to be one of the nation’s best entering 2017. But yet another devastating injury prevented that from happening.

I can’t wait to see where Cichy is at physically. The only blessing about his injury for his NFL future was that it happened in August and not in December. In other words, there’s a chance that he’s actually close to looking like “Three Sack Jack” this weekend.

Obviously health is the biggest question mark surrounding Cichy’s stock. Posting some big combine numbers would quiet those doubts. There’s a decent chance that Cichy isn’t a full participant, which wouldn’t necessarily be a knock on him. He could decide to wait until Wisconsin’s pro day to be full-go.

But there will be a lot of people in Indianapolis who want to see if Cichy regained that explosiveness and if he’s big enough to project as an NFL inside linebacker. A clean bill of health and a solid combine could vault the former Badger in a hurry.

4. Josh Jackson, Iowa CB

Hold up. Let’s just watch this one more time.

OK, back to why Jackson is extremely intriguing this weekend. The last time that Iowa had a non-lineman/tight end/linebacker drafted in the first round was Tom Knight in 1997. Jackson, barring something crazy, is going to end that streak.

The 6-1 cornerback is all but a lock to get picked in the first round. The question is if he can rise into the top-10 discussion. The FBS interceptions leader will have plenty of eyes on him in Indy. Many are probably curious if Jackson is just another one-year wonder.

You know who else faced that same question last year? Marshon Lattimore. After he impressed at the combine (he tweaked a hamstring, too), those concerns went away. Lattimore went No. 11 overall and won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Obviously there’s no guarantee that Jackson follows in Lattimore’s path. But Jackson will be well on his way if he can run a sub 4.4-second 40 like Lattimore did.

5. Saquon Barkley, Penn State RB

Remember last year when all the talk at the combine was about Barkley AND HE WASN’T EVEN THERE. You bet your you-know-what I’m intrigued by Barkley’s combine showing now that it’s finally here.

This is the same guy who ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash on video before he had any sort of combine training. It’s hard to imagine what combine-specific workouts are going to do to that time. Lost in the shuffle of John Ross’ 4.22-second 40-yard dash last year was the fact that Jalen Myrick set a new B1G mark with 4.28 seconds. Can Barkley record the best B1G time ever?

There’s certainly a possibility that happens. What I think is more likely — and I’ve been saying this for a while — is that all of the people who inexplicably have Barkley outside of their top seven picks are going to get a reminder of just how special of a talent he is. This event was made for an all-around freak like Barkley, who will wow with his speed, quickness and strength.

Barkley is better prepared for the NFL than Ezekiel Elliott, Todd Gurley or any of the other recent NFL comps he got.

By the end of the weekend, don’t be surprised if we’re talking about one of the more impressive combine performances of the 21st century.

Connor O'Gara

Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.