2011 Post-Combine Buzz - Small School Stars

The buzz after the weekend of the 2011 NFL Combine - The small school stars of the Combine.

2011 NFL Post-Combine Buzz

The Small School Stars
 
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2011 NFL Combine Results
- QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | Cs | OTs | OGs 
- DEs | DTs | ILBs | OLBs | Ss | CBs

2011 Post-Combine Buzz
- The Julio vs. A.J. Battle
- Cam The Entertainer
- The No. 2 RB Is ...
- The No. 3 WR Is ...
- The Slow Little Guys
- The Small School Stars
- The No. 1 OT Is ...
- The Mark Ingram Workout
- The Mediocre Tight Ends
- The New Wave Of Athletic QBs

2011 NFL Combine Position Analysis
- QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | Cs | OTs | OGs 
- DEs | DTs | ILBs | OLBs | Ss | CBs

2011 Pre-Combine Buzz
- The Tebow Issue
- The Luckless quarterback class
- Cam Newton is expected to do it all
- The star defensive tackles
- All the North Carolina talent and what they'll do
- Where have all the good running backs gone?
- The lousy tight end class
- The 40 star speedster will be ...
- The three players everyone will be talking about
- The offensive tackle pecking order
- The strongest position is ...
- Da'Quan Bowers' knee
- Breaking Down the 2011 NFL Combine

Abilene Christian WR Edmund Gates had through-the-roof buzz before the Combine, and he came through with flying colors. Actually, he came through with white pants.

If you’re going to blow off the shorts and if you’re going to wear white, you had better workout like a track guy and Gates did that and then some with a blazing 4.37. Not only was he fast, but he made it look effortless while measuring at close to six feet and at 192 pounds. His 40” vertical was tremendous, but the most fun was his broad jump battle with Julio Jones, whose 11’3” seemed to be inspired by the Gates 10’11”. Throw in his great personality and his desire to be better, and he’ll be an intriguing mid-round pick.

Also showing up and shining were a few other small school receivers who came through despite all the pressure. West Texas A&M’s Stephen Burton measured in at a thick, strong 221 pounds, but despite his size he didn’t lumber through the drills and tore off a nice 4.53. While his size/speed ratio was great, the real excitement came when 6’2”, 221-pound Ricardo Lockette from Fort Valley State ran a 4.37 and jumped an explosive 10’7” broad jump. He might be a workout warrior, but he proved he’s worth more than a late round flier.

Joe Morgan out of Walsh ran a good 4.44 and looked the part in the ball drills, and 6’4”, 210-pound Andrew Holmes out of Hillsdale blew up the broad jump with a 10’10” leap, but not all the small schoolers dominated.

O.J. Murdock, who started out his career at South Carolina and ended up at Fort Hays State, was brutally slow with a 4.56 in the 40 while failing to show much in the short runs and ball drills. Mount Union’s Cecil Shorts has the look on tape, but his 4.59 40 wasn’t anything to get fired up about and he was pedestrian in the rest of the drills. Nothing about him stood out like it needed to.

But the flag-bearer for the little guy was Gates, a basketball player who’s still scratching the surface on what he can become. Now, after this workout, he’ll be seen as nothing less than another Johnny Knox, and potentially a deep threat who can blow the lid off any defense.