NFL Draft Expert Goes In-Depth On Combine Performances Of Higdon & Gentry
Michigan's six participants at the NFL combine in Indianapolis helped themselves in a big way this past weekend (with perhaps the exception of tight end Zach Gentry), with nearly all of them either meeting or exceeding what was expected of them.
With the annual event now in the books, we spoke with NFL draft analyst Dion Caputi (you can follow him on Twitter at @nfldraftupdate) of NationalFootballPost.com — who spent some time at the combine — to get his take on how all six of U-M's participants performed.
We begin today by analyzing the two offensive players — Gentry and running back Karan Higdon:
Zach Gentry:
“He looked a little stiff and a bit tentative in his gauntlet drill," Caputi explained. "He also had a couple of drops throughout the day.
"I’m not sure I’m going to hold it against him too much, because everyone is in full agreement that he would’ve benefitted by staying in school for one more year.
"An extra year would have allowed Gentry to beef up his production and prepare his body a little more for the NFL game — he also would have been able to become leaner and more athletic.
"Gentry is a limited athlete but at the same time is enormous, so he’ll appeal to teams looking for that sort of dimension in their passing game. He could be a red zone weapon in the future, and if that’s the case, you can look past his limited collegiate production.
"Gentry is still quite raw, and running a 4.9 40 is disappointing in every way, but he’s going to be more of a zone buster and doing the majority of his work within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage at the NFL level.
"He also has some long-term passing game upside, and his size makes him a legitimate red zone option as well. I didn’t think he was used well in that regard at Michigan, but I’m curious to see which team drafts him and whether or not he has a defined NFL role right from the get-go.
"It’ll be all about fit for Gentry — he has one of the more contentious situations as it relates to building a legitimate NFL career right off of draft day.
You must be a member to read the full article. Subscribe now for instant access to all premium content.
-
Members-only forums
-
Predict prospect commits with FanFutureCast
-
Exclusive highlights and interviews
-
Exclusive coverage of Rivals Camp Series
-
Breaking recruiting news