Price injured; Hernandez, Nelson impressive in OL bench press
— By Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com —
INDIANAPOLIS — The first athletic testing of the 2018 NFL Combine resulted in a potentially serious injury to Ohio State’s two-time All-American Billy Price, putting a pall over an otherwise spirited showing of raw power and endurance in the bench press by the draft’s top offensive linemen.
UTEP’s Will Hernandez, Notre Dame’s Quenton Nelson and Auburn’s Braden Smith turned in dominant performances that left the NFL scouts and coaches in attendance scribbling notes and the fans assembled inside the Indiana Convention Center cheering. Fresh off of a terrific showing at the Senior Bowl, Hernandez lifted the 225-pound bar a staggering 37 times, two more than the latter duo and anyone who competed in this event in Indianapolis a year ago.
While Hernandez is technically the current strongman leader of the 2018 Combine, the performance by Nelson is even more impressive given that his arms are nearly two inches longer (1 3/4 inches) than Hernandez’s and 1 1/2 inches longer than Braden Smith’s.
Simple physics gives shorter-armed athletes a significant advantage in the bench press, which is why interior linemen often put up better numbers in the bench press than offensive tackles, who typically have arms 34 inches or longer.
That helps explain why Oklahoma tackle Orlando Brown Jr. — who has 35-inch arms — recorded a position-worst 14 repetitions Thursday, with fellow tackles such as Pittsburgh’s Brian O’Neill (22 reps, 34 inches), Western Michigan’s Chukwuma Okorafor (19, 34 1/2), Louisville’s Geron Christian (19, 35) and Oregon’s Tyrell Crosby (17, 35 1/4) not fairing that much better.
The struggles of other tackles only make the strength shown by Notre Dame’s Mike McGlinchey and Texas’ Connor Williams that much more impressive. The 6-8, 309-pound McGlinchey — who has 34-inch arms — nearly doubled up Brown’s total with 27 repetitions Thursday. Williams lifted the bar 26 times, though the career tackle did so with arms that scouts learned Wednesday were a little shorter (33 inches) than preferred for the outside.
Though fans (and some members of the media) will surely jump to conclusions based on Thursday’s results, it is important to remember that the bench press — like every other drill conducted at the Combine — is just one small part of a player’s evaluation. Teams that liked Brown won’t suddenly deem him undraftable based on the disappointing total, especially if he rebounds at Oklahoma’s Pro Day.
The opposite, however, can certainly be true with relatively unheralded players able to capture the attention of scouts with a stellar workout. Appalachian State’s Colby Gossett (32 repetitions) and Stony Brook’s Timon Parris (27) certainly squashed any doubts about their commitment to the weight room with their efforts Thursday. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech’s Wyatt Teller (30) and Washington State’s Cole Madison (27) — a former tackle with 33 3/4-inch arms — helped their cause after solid showings at the Senior Bowl.
The biggest news, of course, was Price’s injury, which obviously could negatively impact his draft status if serious.
Shortly after the imposing Nelson earned cheers from the crowd for his 35 lifts, Price abruptly stopped after his third repetition, grimacing in obvious discomfort and reaching towards his left shoulder. The early speculation was that Price may have suffered an injury to his pectoral muscle.
Price, rated the 16th-best overall prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout, was scheduled for an interview with the media shortly after his workout, but, for obvious reasons, he was not there.
Fortunately, there were reports shortly after — including one by Pro Football Weekly’s Eric Edholm — that Price believed the injury was not serious.
That is certainly the hope of the dozens of NFL personnel who were watching from the stands — a group that included head coaches Pete Carroll (Seahawks) and Mike Vrabel (Titans), among others.
