The biggest buzz coming out of Indianapolis the last few days is the rumor that Texas QB Vince Young bombed his Wonderlic test. Rumor had Young scoring a 6 on the test.
While the results of his first test haven't been confirmed -- and combine officials have said the score of 6 was wrong -- ESPN.com's John Clayton reported that Young scored a 16 on his second try (according to his agent) and he's expected to take it a third time. The results of that test will not be released to NFL teams until next week, so it remains completely speculation at this point.
"The combine officials assured us that score (6) was false and that the accurate score will be known when the combine results are given to each team," Young's agent, Major Adams, said.
Houston general manager Charley Casserly told the Houston Chronicle: "I've been told it was inaccurate by a source good enough for me to quote it."
Just as a barometer, the highest score registered at last year's scouting combine was a 40 (QB Alex Smith) and the lowest score was a 6 (RB Frank Gore). I also have been told by an NFL scout that the other two top quarterbacks this year fared much better on this test, with USC's Matt Leinart scoring a 35 (at the combine) and Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler scoring a 29 (in a test given prior to the combine).
If the initial rumors about Young's low test score were proven true, his draft stock stands to be significantly affected, especially with Cutler continuing to skyrocket up most teams' draft boards. When I asked one scout from the AFC if he thought Young would still be a top-five draft pick if the rumor turns out to be true, he answered, "Sure … as a wide receiver, though."
As expected, Cutler shined during his four days in Indianapolis. The only quarterback to voluntarily bench press at the combine in the last two years, Cutler put up the standard 225-pound bar 23 times. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.78 seconds and wowed the NFL brass in attendance with his strong arm and accuracy during the passing drills Sunday. Cutler's interviews have also impressed several interested teams, including the New Orleans Saints, who currently own the draft's second overall pick.
Despite all the quarterback hype in Indianapolis, the player who perhaps has improved his draft stock the most so far is Florida WR Chad Jackson. As an early entry into this year's draft class, Jackson was considered very much an enigma due to his somewhat inconsistent junior season and unknown measurables. However, Jackson put a lot of questions to rest this weekend when he notched the best 40-yard dash time (4.32 seconds) of any offensive prospect in attendance. In my opinion, Jackson ranks as the second-best receiver in this year's class, behind Ohio State's Santonio Holmes, and he is worth drafting around the middle of the first round.
With two of the four workout sessions completed, this has to be considered one of the best combines in recent years from a participation standpoint. Almost all of the defensive prospects are expected to work out during the final two sessions Monday and Tuesday, and a vast majority of the offensive prospects participated in all or some of the four-day process. The highest-rated prospects thus far to opt out of their workouts have been Young, Holmes, Leinart, OT D'Brickashaw Ferguson (Virginia), and RBs Reggie Bush (USC), LenDale White (USC) and DeAngelo Williams (Memphis). WR Jeremy Bloom understandably did not go through the position drills after recently returning from the Olympics in Torino, Italy, but he did run a somewhat disappointing 4.49 in the 40-yard dash.
One of the biggest stories of the weekend was Ohio State DT Mike Kudla, who tied the combine record with 45 reps on the 225-pound bench press. Right behind Kudla was Florida State DT Broderick Bunkley, who threw up 44 reps and looks chiseled at 6-foot-2¾ and 306 pounds. Bunkley is one of the fastest-rising defensive prospects right now and he could move into the middle first-round area with a strong showing during Monday's workout.
As a side note, agent Drew Rosenhaus continues to actively shop his most controversial client, WR Terrell Owens, during this week's event in Indianapolis. Most recently, Rosenhaus had the ear of Chiefs president/GM/CEO Carl Peterson for nearly an hour at Shula's Steakhouse Sunday afternoon.
