NFL Combine: Bradford expresses confidence

Sam Bradford sported a new look. But the same attitude.

Bradford appeared Saturday in the NFL Combine media room with a short haircut but the same no-nonsense, confident persona he had before a shoulder injury threatened his status as the top player in the draft.

Bradford said he’s 85 percent recovered from reconstructive surgery and expects to be 100 percent by March 25, when he’ll throw for NFL scouts at his personal pro day in Norman.

Bradford said he had a long day Friday, being evaluated by teams’ medical personnel, and “no one found anything they weren’t expecting to find. It feels real good. I’m happy with where it’s at.”

Bradford said he’s throwing every other day, 20- to 40-yard passes, and hopes to start throwing every day when he returns from the Combine. “I’m putting as much as I can on it,” Bradford said. “It’s getting stronger every time.”

Increasing speculation has the Rams picking Bradford No. 1 overall, provided his shoulder is deemed healthy. Bradford was expected to be the No. 1 overall prospect before he suffered the shoulder injury against Brigham Young last September. His status tumbled, but he appears to have climbed almost all the way back.

“I never really felt that way,” Bradford said of thinking his draft stock had been damaged. “I knew nothing had changed concerning the player I was. Doesn’t change my work ethic.”