Hundley, Odighizuwa stand out with NFL combine measurements

UCLA’s pro prospects have all landed in Indianapolis for the NFL Combine. Although most of the biggest drills are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday — including quarterback workouts tomorrow — most of the former Bruins have been measured by now.

Here’s a quick look.

QB Brett Hundley — 6’3″, 32 1/8″ arms, 226 pounds, 10 1/2″ hands
Hundley’s physicals were never really questioned in terms of his draft profile, but he didn’t hurt himself by measuring out with the biggest hands of any quarterback.

LB Eric Kendricks — 6’0″, 232 pounds, 31″ arms, 9 5/8″ hands
The reigning Butkus Award winner has never blown anyone with his physical gifts, and his measurements at the combine didn’t pop out in any way. Of note: He’s very physically similar to USC’s Hayes Pullard, who has the same height and hand size but is eight pounds heavier and slightly longer (31 1/4″ arms).

DT Ellis McCarthy — 6’5″, 338 pounds, 34 1/8″ arms, 9 7/8″ hands
McCarthy was heavier than any other defensive lineman except Washington’s Danny Shelton, who edged him by a pound. The 6-foot-2 Shelton is projected as a first-round pick.

DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa — 6’3″, 267 pounds, 33 3/4″ arms, 11″ hands
His hands actually measured an eighth of an inch shorter than they did at the Senior Bowl last month, but that still ties him for first among defensive linemen with Indiana’s Bobby Richardson and Iowa’s Carl Davis.

Anthony Jefferson will be measured along with other defensive backs on Saturday.

Mike Mayock: Brett Hundley might not improve stock at NFL Combine

Towards the end of his final season at UCLA, quarterback Brett Hundley often took questions about 1) his college legacy, and 2) what he thought about his NFL draft stock. For the most part, the three-year starter played it cool — stressing that his body of work would stand out over anything else.

Heading into this week’s NFL Combine, draft guru Mike Mayock sort of echoed those thoughts.

“I don’t think he can change what the negatives are about him by throwing 20 passes in shorts,” said the longtime NFL Network analyst. “Having said that, I think he should (participate in full). There’s people that think he ducked the Senior Bowl, even though there was some medical that says it was okay for him not to be there obviously.

“My perspective is he should show up and rip it. He just ought to let it go. The things that are hurting him in the evaluation process are anticipation, pocket awareness, things like that that you can’t really show at the combine.”

On-field workouts for quarterbacks are scheduled for Saturday, along with those of running backs and wide receivers. Hundley remains in the second-tier of what is widely regarded as a thin quarterback class, behind potential top picks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. Continue reading “Mike Mayock: Brett Hundley might not improve stock at NFL Combine” »

Brett Hundley among five UCLA Bruins invited to NFL Combine

Brett Hundley, right, runs around defensive end Jonathan Johnson (11) during UCLA's 36-34 win at Cal on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014. (Eric Risberg/AP)

Brett Hundley, right, runs around defensive end Jonathan Johnson (11) during UCLA’s 36-34 win at Cal on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014. (Eric Risberg/AP)

The NFL Scouting Combine released its list of invites today, and there weren’t any real surprises on UCLA’s end.

Brett Hundley, who set multiple school records in three seasons as a starter, was included — the mild kerfuffle over his Senior Bowl absence having not knocked him off his status as the consensus No. 3 quarterback in the draft. So too were defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa and linebacker Eric Kendricks, who represent the Bruins’ other chances to produce a first-round draft pick for the third year in a row.

A recent SI.com mock draft projected Kendricks to go No. 30 overall to the Green Bay Packers, while Odighizuwa followed at No. 37 (New York Jets) and Hundley at No. 41 (St. Louis Rams). Continue reading “Brett Hundley among five UCLA Bruins invited to NFL Combine” »

NFL draft roundup: Will UCLA produce another first-round pick?

Brett Hundley (17) runs for a touchdown in a 38-20 win over USC, as former Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky, right, celebrates at the Rose Bowl on Nov. 22, 2014. (Keith Birmingham/Staff)

Brett Hundley (17) runs for a touchdown in a 38-20 win over USC, as former Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky, right, celebrates at the Rose Bowl on Nov. 22, 2014. (Keith Birmingham/Staff)

One of the lows in recent UCLA football history was the 2012 NFL draft. That was the year that not a single Bruin was picked, becoming a sort of epilogue on the recently expired coaching tenure of Rick Neuheisel. The same drought occurred in the 2009 draft, which followed Neuheisel’s debut season, and in the 1997 draft. Otherwise, the program had produced at least one selection every single year since the draft contracted to seven rounds in 1994.

But in the last two years, UCLA broke out of that 2012 slump in a big way, producing four picks in 2013 and five in 2014. That included a pair of first-round picks in defensive end Datone Jones and linebacker Anthony Barr.

Those nine picks signaled the team’s highest two-year draft total ever in the seven-round era — giving head coach Jim Mora and his staff a nice selling point on the recruiting trail. No longer can the school be depicted as a place that failed to maximize its talent.

This time around, UCLA’s three best prospects are quarterback Brett Hundley, defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa, and linebacker Eric Kendricks. None of them are locks for the first round, but all three have at least a chance to be among the first 32 taken. If that happens, it will mark the first time UCLA has produced at least one first-rounder in three straight years since 1994-96 — when Jamir Miller, J.J. Stokes and Jonathan Ogden all became top-10 draft picks.

Defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa

Unsurprisingly, Odighizuwa impressed everyone in Mobile, Ala., during the weigh-in — looking as shredded as usual at 266 pounds and half an inch over 6-foot-3. He also measured out with 11 1/8-inch hands, the largest of any defensive lineman at the Senior Bowl, and a wingspan of nearly 82 inches.

He didn’t disappoint once practices and started either, drawing attention for his first step and fluid hips. Three years ago, Jones was the UCLA defensive end who started generating momentum with a big Senior Bowl showing, eventually becoming the first Bruin selected in the first round since 2006. If Odighizuwa follows up with a strong NFL combine, he could echo that rise. Continue reading “NFL draft roundup: Will UCLA produce another first-round pick?” »

UCLA’s Anthony Jefferson joins Senior Bowl, Eric Kendricks out

UCLA defensive back Anthony Jefferson stands over Oregon receiver Keanon Lowe after making a tackle at the Rose Bowl during the Bruins' 42-30 loss on Oct. 11, 2014. (Keith Birmingham/Staff)

UCLA defensive back Anthony Jefferson stands over Oregon receiver Keanon Lowe after making a tackle at the Rose Bowl during the Bruins’ 42-30 loss on Oct. 11, 2014.
(Keith Birmingham/Staff)

Quarterback Brett Hundley declined an invitation to the Senior Bowl, but another UCLA player became a late add to the all-star roster: defensive back Anthony Jefferson.

Spending time at both corner and safety, Jefferson made 72 tackles and eight pass breakups this season, ranking third and first for the Bruins, respectively. The 6-foot-1, 192-pound defensive back was one of six UCLA players to make the All-Pac-12 second-team defense.

UCLA’s only other Senior Bowl participant will be defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa. Continue reading “UCLA’s Anthony Jefferson joins Senior Bowl, Eric Kendricks out” »