Former Sooner linebacker Curtis Lofton needed a breakout performance at the NFL Scouting Combine to enter serious discussions about emerging as a first-round selection.
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Now it seems NFL franchises will have to overlook his combine performance for that to be possible
Monday, Lofton ran a 4.77 40-yard dash time, which didn't rank inside the top 10 for inside linebackers (already as a whole being termed a "slow group”).
Lofton was hoping to run somewhere in the 4.6 range.
Still, even with an average 40-time, Lofton is expected to be one of the first two inside linebackers taken, probably somewhere in the second round, thanks in part to this being a weak class for inside linebackers and in part to his productive junior season at OU.
•Big day for Sooner DBs: So far, the combine has been anticlimactic for Sooner fans, largely because Malcolm Kelly, Allen Patrick and Joe Jon Finley chose not to run over the weekend due to nagging injuries.
But today, cornerbacks Reggie Smith and Marcus Walker and safety D.J. Wolfe are expected to perform.
The combine can be viewed throughout the day on the NFL Network.
•Smith meets with Patriots: Smith told the Boston Globe on Monday that he spoke with New England Patriots officials Sunday night. Cornerback figures to be a target position for the defending AFC champ, which has the seventh overall pick.
•Pruitt's son in hospital: Greg Pruitt Jr., the son of former Sooner All-American running back Greg Pruitt, is at an Ohio hospital surgical intensive care unit in critical condition after being shot Sunday night, according to Cleveland's NBC affiliate WKYC. Pruitt, who played at North Carolina Central University, signed with the Baltimore Ravens as a rookie free agent on May 4, 2007.
By Jake Trotter
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I would love to see Curtis go in the 2nd like he was told by some scouts, but I'm not sure. I guess it would all come down to a teams needs and what players are available. I say Kelly is the only 1st rounder for OU this year. Reggie may test well but I don't know if he's 1st round or 2nd.
Small and slowish does not make for a high draft pick. Curtis may turn out to be a very good NFL linebacker, but based on his measurables and only one year of performance (great though it was), teams are going to be reluctant to burn a 1st round pick and have to pay all that money for a guy with Curtis' characteristics. He is more likely to go in the 2nd, and could very well go in the 3rd. Bottom line: he should have stayed in school, put together another impressive year, and then things like a slower time and smaller size would be outweighted by his record on the field.
I don't think he'll be in the 1st round, but he was great in the drills. One of his weaknesses is stiff hips, but in those drills he showed he can use them. And also showed great hands! Kelly or Smith will be a first round pick, though. Maybe both. But not Lofton. You never know, though.
actually barney, the article was about more than just the 40 time. It mentioned where he might land in the draft due to a weak class of LBs this year and his performance last season.
Obviously you didn't watch the whole combine yesterday because Lofton did a great job in the drills and they made a comment that OU had a great chance of continuing their streak of first round draft picks.
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