Quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs worked out today at the NFL Combine, and as expected quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III largely stole the spotlight. Alabama, however, has several players in Indianapolis this week, and among those Marqus Maze and Darius Hanks worked out this afternoon in front of the NFL scouting community.
Marquis Maze needed a strong showing, but unfortunately had a subpar afternoon. After measuring in as one of the smallest wide receivers in Indianapolis, Maze needed a very strong showing in the 40-yard dash, but in the end he posted a relatively pedestrian time of 4.51 seconds. Undoubtedly the still-healing hamstring injury that he suffered in the BCS Championship Game has hindered his preparation and his time today, but even so any prospect who weighs in at around 5'8 and 185 pounds needs to post a better time. 4.51 is not exactly slow, but it's hard to hold its own when compared to prospects like Stephen Hill and Tommy Streeter, who weighed in at roughly 6'5 and 200+ pounds, post mid-4.30 times.
Making matters worse, Maze struggled catching the football in the various pass drills. He dropped five of the fourteen passes that came his way during the gauntlet drill and missed a handful of others throughout the afternoon. Coming into the day most considered Maze a late round prospect at best and someone who may end up as a free agent, and unfortunately it doesn't seem that anything that happened today changed that basic evaluation.
Darius Hanks largely finds himself in the same situation. He weighed in at 6'0 and 184 pounds, but he ran only a 4.66 in the 40-yard dash, which was one of the slowest times for any wide receiver in Indianapolis. He had a better day than Maze catching the football, but on the whole didn't do anything to overly stand out, and it seems that he will likely be a free agent pick-up after the draft. Hanks made his fair share of plays in Tuscaloosa, but he'll have to provide some value in spread sets and show that he can play special teams if he is going to make an NFL roster next fall.
Trent Richardson did not work out in Indianapolis, as expected, as he continues to recover from a knee injury that he sustained prior to the BCS National Championship Game. It is possible that Richardson will go through the drill work at the Alabama Pro Day on March 7th, but even if not he is still widely expected to be the first tailback off the board and likely to be taken somewhere in the first ten selections.