Two of Mississippi State University’s past football stars had the chance to perform in the 2010 NFL combine over the weekend. They participated in the week-long showcase to perform mental and physical drills in Indianapolis in front of NFL coaches, general managers and scouts in order to increase their draft stock.
Anthony Dixon and Jamar Chaney stood out in their senior seasons at MSU, but many wondered how they would perform at the next level.
Dixon could not have asked for a better college campaign. He played in 48 career games, racking up 3,994 yards and holds MSU records for rushing attempts (910) and touchdowns scored (42). Many of the Maroon and White faithful believe he will be a solid NFL running back, but the question is ‘At what round will he go?’ or ‘Which team will draft him?’
Dixon finished as a top performer in the broad jump with a distance of 10’1″ and performed well in bench press, vertical jump and the 40-yard dash.
Being a big, power runner, he did not top the scale of best time in the dash, but he was clocked at 4.6 seconds.
Lance Zierlein of the Z Report blog said he thinks Dixon could be a standout in his rookie season, much like Iowa graduate Shonn Greene was with the New York Jets last season.
“This year’s Shonn Greene is likely to be Mississippi State’s Anthony Dixon,” Zierlein said. “More than one scout has confided that they believe that Dixon will be this year’s Shonn Greene and that he’ll be a second round draft pick when it’s all said and done.”
NFL.com gave him a good review, and said he has the potential to be a productive power back in the NFL.
“[Dixon is] a strong, physical running back that was highly productive against quality college competition,” his description said. “He has highly impressive balance and displays the power to consistently break tackles.”
Some of the weaknesses NFL.com pointed out were that he struggles to get to the outside of the field, and that he needs to take better care of the football.
According to CBSsports.com, he is the 58th ranked player and the fifth ranked running back in his class. They project him to be drafted in the second round.
The other player to represent the Bulldogs, Chaney, had a productive college career as well.
Chaney served as a catalyst in the MSU defense with 285 career tackles, two forced fumbles and three interceptions. One of the highlights of the 2009 campaign was Oct. 31 at Kentucky when he had a career-high 15 tackles with one interception.
Chaney was awarded the defensive MVP in the 2010 Senior Bowl and received his NFL combine invitation that same week.
He came into the combine as an “under-the-radar” player, but worked like he had nothing to lose.
Chaney ranked as a top performer at his position in the bench press, vertical jump, 3-cone drill, 20-yard shuttle, 60-yard shuttle and the 40-yard dash, in which he finished first among linebackers with a time of 4.54 seconds.
NFL.com did not give Chaney quite as rave of a review as they did Dixon, but still said they believe he has what it takes to make it in the NFL.
“Chaney is coming off his most productive year as a collegiate player after missing most of the 2008 season with an injury in the opener,” his NFL.com profile said. “Chaney has adequate size, strength and athleticism for the position.”
His profile noted his improvement, and said he excels in passing situations: “Chaney has improved his run defense but is best in space as a coverage defender. Chaney plays with an excellent motor and is quick to pursue with solid instincts. He runs well and shows excellent range.”
The profile also said Chaney is a very good football player who is likely to be productive as a rookie.
CBSsports.com has Chaney as the eighth best linebacker in his class, but only projects him to be a late fifth round selection, saying that he struggles against the run and he is inefficient in the pass-rushing department.
Projecting success in the NFL is risky business, as is guessing where a player will land, but it could all start in April when these Bulldog standouts are chosen in the NFL draft.