There were no Vikings at the podium or hitting the airwaves on Friday, but the Combine action was still fast and furious. Here are three Combine takeaways from Day 3.
1. Jameis Winston is smoothOne of the highest-profile prospects in the 2015 draft class is former Florida State QB Jameis Winston. He took to the podium today and was smooth and funny in addressing concerns raised by reporters about his ability to be the face of a NFL franchise.
The concerns surrounding Winston range from off-field transgressions in his past to a report on Friday about "weakness" in his shoulder. With regard to his past, Winston owned up to mistakes and then promptly shifted focus to the future.
"Right now it's about me moving forward and earning the trust of all these 32 teams out there," Winston said.
As for the shoulder weakness reports, Winston addressed that issue, too.
"They didn't spend any time on my shoulder today. … I had an MRI just like everyone else. I've been playing football since I was four-years old and my shoulder has been fine. …I've got the same shoulder I've had the past two years at Florida State."
This article from the Orlando Sentinel does a nice job of breaking down Winston's Combine presser issue-by-issue.
2. More changes likely coming to NFL's replay systemSt. Louis Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher was at the Combine podium on Friday. In addition to talking about his team, Fisher typically takes a bevy of League-wide questions because he is an influential member of the NFL's Competition Committee. From Deflategate to the Calvin Johnson rule, Fisher was asked about several hot-button topics. Another issue raise during Fisher's press conference was the NFL's replay system.
Fisher said the committee received multiple proposals on the expansion of replay, the largest number of proposals he can remember.
"A number of those proposals involve including penalties," Fisher explained. "That will all be discussed. We're just scratching the surface on it now. We'll look at it detail. To comment at this point would be very premature, but that will probably be one of the major topics as we resume our meetings ... next week."
3. OL at No. 11 is not just a Brandon Scherff propositionIt was a good day for former LSU OL La'el Collins. Listed as an OT at 6-5, 321 pounds, many have questioned his ability to play on an island at the NFL level. On Friday, though, NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said "he looked like a tackle today." Interestingly enough, fellow NFL Network analyst Charles Davis said that despite his impressive showing on the field at the Combine, he thinks Collins looks more like an OG after watching him on tape.
For those who feel a versatile OL should be a target for the Vikings at No. 11, add Collins to the list that likely already includes Pittsburgh's TJ Clemmings and Iowa's Brandon Scherff.
