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From the Lincoln Journal Star:

 

Huskers put skills to test

By CURT McKEEVER / Lincoln Journal Star

Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 - 12:27:28 am CST

 

Adam Carriker of Nebraska puts an arm on Bernard Jackson of Colorado and sacks him during 2nd quarter action Nov. 24, 2006, in Lincoln. (LJS file)

 

You might think these NFL hopefuls are splitting hairs worrying about dropping one-tenth of a second from their 40-yard dash time.

 

You’d wouldn’t, though, if you realized that bat-of-an-eye difference can determine how much money they find dropped in their buckets following the April 28-29 draft.

 

And so to the former University of Nebraska players who participated in the annual pro scout day in the Hawks Championship Center on Wednesday — even the coveted ones who got to show their wares at the invitation-only NFL combine in Indianapolis last month — the sounds that mattered most were the clickings of stop watches.

 

“Half the scouts had me at a 4.8 at the combine, half had me at a 4.9. If everyone had me at a 4.8, I wouldn’t have ran again today,” said defensive end Adam Carriker. “The fact that a lot of them had me at 4.9 kind of ticked me off … because I am not a 4.9.”

 

The 6-foot-6 Carriker, a projected first-round pick who weighed in at 291pounds Wednesday, said he clocked a 4.72.

 

So what’s that mean compared to his slower time in Indy?

 

“That’s a lot of money right there,” he offered. “They’re probably going to add a tenth of a second onto my time today, because it’s such a fast track, so it’ll probably be a 4.8 in their minds, which is where I want to be. Weighing what I weigh running a 4.8, that’s pretty good.”

 

Four of the five Huskers who went to the combine — Carriker, fellow defensive end Jay Moore, running back Brandon Jackson and linebacker Stewart Bradley — were among those who participated in Wednesday’s physical testing that drew the likes of St. Louis Rams head coach Scott Linehan and his defensive coordinator, Jim Haslett.

 

Quarterback Zac Taylor (who played in the East-West Shrine game before the combine) skipped running another 40, pro-agility test, 20-yard shuttle, and having his vertical jump and bench-press capacity measured in order to concentrate on passing drills.

 

Meanwhile, Moore (who played with Carriker and Bradley at the Senior Bowl) and Jackson also opted to test only in the 40 in addition to participating in some position drills.

 

Jackson, looking especially fit at 206 pounds said he was told by scouts that he clocked anywhere from 4.38 to 4.41. His time from the combine was listed at 4.57, so he had little trouble flashing a smile Wednesday.

 

“It’s a good experience to go through. It’s nerve-racking, at times, but you’ve just got to put all that behind you and just go out there and have fun and work out,” said Jackson.

 

Since declaring early for the draft following his junior season, Jackson has spent most of his time conditioning in California. He’s generally considered to have second- to third-round value.

 

“Well, you always want better, but I went out there and showed those guys that I can run with the best and I can catch with the best and do everything with best,” he said. “It’s up to them to choose what round.”

 

Jackson listed several reasons for why he opted to bypass his senior season. His financial representatives indicated that considering the pool of running backs available to NFL teams this year, it made more sense for him to leave early.

 

Additionally, “I felt like I had a great year and everything went well for me at Nebraska,” Jackson said. “And my mom. She’s a diabetic and she isn’t doing that well right now, so. …”

 

One ex-Husker who definitely should have opened some eyes Wednesday was tight end Matt Herian. Running his first 40 since suffering a broken leg during the 2004 season, the Pierce product showed a burst that led him to be a first-team All-big 12 Conference player as a freshman.

 

Herian said his 4.7-something time was the best since running a 4.67 as a freshman. Back then, he weighed closer to 220. On Wednesday, he tipped the scales at 242.

 

“I hope it kind of re-opened some eyes,” Herian said. “Some guys liked me before my injury, and kind of questioned me afterwards. Hopefully after seeing that today, they see me back to where I was.”

 

Herian also said he recorded a 38-inch vertical jump, but the 40 time was the mark he considered special.

 

“I think that shows explosiveness. When you do the 40, a lot of people time (you at) 10 (and) 20 (yards), so they see how fast you’re getting out and how fast you’re getting downfield,” he said. “Specifically in my position, a lot of teams are looking for a guy who can go downfield, get on top of that safety real fast. And a 40’s just a good measure of all of that.”

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I thought Herian's 40 time was slower than it was before? I know Matt is kind of a glider anyways, but he didn't seem to have the burst that he did before the injury. He looked hesitant on the field at times after the injury. Hopefully Matt can get back to where he feels comfortable, because his workout results show that he is good as new physically.

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Here's the Old Weird Herald article about it (well most about B-Jax):

Jackson glad he made decision to leave

BY ROBIN WASHUT

WORLD-HERALD CORRESPONDENT

 

LINCOLN - During the past two months, Brandon Jackson has been tested, timed, twisted and tugged. It's no wonder why he bore a smile of relief when it all came to an end Wednesday.

 

The junior I-back was one of a dozen Huskers who participated in the team's NFL pro day at the Hawks Center. With drills and tests similar to the NFL's scouting combine - including the 40-yard dash, bench press and position drills - participants got one final open run to showcase themselves to pro scouts.

 

In his first interview since Nebraska's loss to Auburn in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1, Jackson said he was glad he decided to forgo his senior season and declare himself eligible for the NFL draft.

 

"I felt I had a great year last year, and my mom is a diabetic and she's not doing too well," Jackson said. "I just felt it was the best decision for me."

 

Besides the health of his mother, who lives in his hometown of Horn Lake, Miss., Jackson said one of his biggest motivators was his high draft stock.

 

While running backs such as Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson and California's Marshawn Lynch are the clear standouts in this year's draft, Jackson was rated as the No. 3 running back by ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr.

 

Though he said some scouts questioned why he opted not to return for his senior year, Jackson said his agent told him his stock was too high not to come out early. After his performance on Wednesday, his stock may have risen even higher.

 

While Jackson was happy overall with his performance at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, he was disappointed in his time of 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash . Jackson said he improved his time to roughly 4.40 seconds, though the players ran on a track instead of the field.

 

"It was very important," he said. "I had a bad start in Indianapolis, so I wanted to come out here and show them my true speed. I think I did great today."

 

Aside from 40 times and bench presses - he did 21 reps of 225 pounds - the biggest questions NFL scouts have had for Jackson have been about his shoulders. Jackson has been plagued with recurring injuries on both shoulders, including one that forced him to miss all of spring practice last year.

 

"They twisted me, pulled me, tugged me. It was funny at times," he said.

 

Before Wednesday's tests, Jackson said he has been projected as a second- to third-round pick. Now he said he'd be disappointed with anything lower than the second round.

 

"I went out there and showed those guys that I can run with the best and catch with the best and do it all with the best," he said. "It's their decision where I go from here on out."

 

 

Extra points

 

• Scouts from at least 30 NFL teams were in attendance for Wednesday's pro day, but the two most notable came from the St. Louis Rams. Rams head coach Scott Linehan and defensive coordinator Jim Haslett both watched nearly all of the workouts. St. Louis holds the 13th pick in the draft, which will be held April 28 and 29 in New York.

 

• Tight end Matt Herian turned in a strong performance. After a broken leg he suffered in 2004 derailed his once-promising collegiate career, the Pierce, Neb., native ran a 4.70 40-yard dash and recorded a 38-inch vertical jump. He said Wednesday was the first time he'd run the 40 since his injury, and his time was just off his career best. "I hope it reopened some eyes out there," he said.

 

• Former NU offensive lineman Josh Sewell worked out in an attempt to get noticed by scouts for NFL Europe. The 2003 Husker lifter of the year showed he is still in fairly good shape, as he turned out 41 reps on the bench press.

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I've always heard the term "fast track" used to explain when people are running good times, and to be honest, it kinda pisses me off. In my opinion whether its on a track or turf or the moon, if a guy weighs 290 pounds and runs a 4.7, thats f***ing fast no matter what.

 

What was really the eye opener was Jay Moore's 4.75 times, at that speed I could see a lot of teams eyeing him as a 3-4 OLB hybrid of some sort coming off the edge (think Suggs of the Ravens).

 

Glad to see Stew putting up a good time as well. Overall, these workouts will equal a lot of first day picks for the huskers, even more publicity for the program and help with recruiting as well.

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Yes...Carriker is a beast....

 

JVNXINPPURZNHRG.20070307205434.JPG

 

Yikes!! I feel sorry for that tackling dummy.

NFL QBs now have a new reason to be afraid!!

 

 

Man!!!!! He is f-ing huge.....it will be interesting to see where he lands. Wouldn't it be cool to have him and Kelsay on the same team meeting back at the QB? What pick does Buffalo have? I would love to see him come to MN though.....that would be very nice!!

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Yes...Carriker is a beast....

 

JVNXINPPURZNHRG.20070307205434.JPG

 

Yikes!! I feel sorry for that tackling dummy.

NFL QBs now have a new reason to be afraid!!

 

 

Man!!!!! He is f-ing huge.....it will be interesting to see where he lands. Wouldn't it be cool to have him and Kelsay on the same team meeting back at the QB? What pick does Buffalo have? I would love to see him come to MN though.....that would be very nice!!

I can see the Rams, 49ers, Steelers all consdiring taking him with their 1st pick. All have picks in the top 15.

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Man AC is a best. I'm sure the NFL guys will find a way to utilize him to the best of his abilities unlike Cosgrove's crew.

 

dedhoarsededhoarsededhoarsededhoarsededhoarse

 

Yeah, they did. They were able to put him just about anywhere and he made plays to help his team win. Anyways back to the thread, I think that horse has been dead for at least 2-3 weeks.

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Man AC is a best. I'm sure the NFL guys will find a way to utilize him to the best of his abilities unlike Cosgrove's crew.

 

dedhoarsededhoarsededhoarsededhoarsededhoarse

 

Yeah, they did. They were able to put him just about anywhere and he made plays to help his team win. Anyways back to the thread, I think that horse has been dead for at least 2-3 weeks.

"Not quite dead yet..."

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