In the latest Hashmarks mock draft that is being passed around personnel offices across the league as we speak, I had Penn State linebacker Dan Connor going to the Giants at the end of the first round. After his breakout performance at the school's pro day on Tuesday, Connor may have jumped a few spots.
One NFC scout told Hashmarks this afternoon that Connor (6-foot-2, 231 pounds) had one of the best workouts for an inside linebacker in the past five years. He didn't run at the combine because he wanted to be on familiar turf. After looking at his numbers, I think he made the right decision.
The scout I talked to clocked him at a 4.63 in the 40-yard dash, and a 6.76 in the three-cone drill. Titans scout C.O. Brocato, who invented the three-cone, informs me that 6.76 is a superb number for a linebacker. Of course, cynics (Football Outsiders) will tell you that the three-cone drill has no correlation to success in the NFL. That may be true, but the fact that Dante Hall owns the best three-cone time ever recorded has to mean something.
Connor had a 35-inch vertical and then had 22 repetitions of 225 pounds. According to Rob Rang of NFL Draft Scout, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and several other dignitaries from the club showed up to watch Connor. The Eagles and Cardinals were also well-represented.
"The kid probably earned himself an extra million or two today," said the NFC scout. "He was that good. Usually we show up at these things to sort of confirm what we already know. In Connor's case, we learned a little bit."
