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Nine Big 12 names to watch at the NFL Combine

Published Feb. 18, 2015 1:24 a.m. ET

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The draft combine is an annual, graceless exercise, where players shed their shirts to have their bodies receiver official measurements before donning far-too-tight shorts to run 40 yards and a few drills in front of 60,000 empty seats. I do not envy the poor souls headed to Indianapolis this week. 

The combine silliness everyone around football is far too adept at ignoring aside, there are impressions and money to be made this week as NFL teams flood to middle America to speak with and see 300-plus NFL prospects do drills that oh-so-loosely represent skills somewhat translatable to an actual game of football. 

Here are nine Big 12 names who could help or hurt themselves this week: 

Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor: Fair or not, RGIII's NFL struggles will be held against Petty, who mastered a Baylor offense that requires passers to make simpler reads than those needed in NFL offenses. Petty can expect plenty of Xs and Os talk when he sits down with teams, but the way he presents himself will impress front office types who are meeting him for the first time. He's a physical specimen at 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds and might have added some muscle to that frame while training for the combine, too. He's got 4.6 speed and showed up on colleague Bruce Feldman's preseason Freaks list for his 38-inch vertical jump and 510-pound squat. Anybody who watched Petty closely the last two years has questions about his ability to operate an NFL offense, but his physique, brains and personality will suit him well at the combine this week. 

Malcom Brown, DT, Texas: Brown is a load at 320 pounds, but he doesn't get enough credit for his quickness and agility. Expect him to open some eyes with his change of direction in shuttle drills, and you won't find many guys his age who are more mature. That's what happens when you get married and have two kids. That'll pay off in team interviews. Brown is not a guy you'd feel skittish about sending a six-figure check.  

Daryl Williams, OT, Oklahoma: He's a prototype at 6-foot-5 and 334 pounds and it's a safe bet his strength will turn heads when he lays down on the bench press. He's not the quickest prospect on the outside, but his pure power as a mauler should impress this week. 

Julian Wilson, CB, Oklahoma: Wilson struggled in coverage this year, but he's probably the most underrated burner in the Big 12 and was a former high school sprinter. When people make a list of the Big 12's fastest players, Wilson's name doesn't show up, but it probably should. You'll hear this often around draft time and it's true: All you have to do is convince one team. Coaches believe in their ability to coach, and you can't coach speed like Wilson's. You can coach cover skills. If he posts an eye-popping 40 time, you better believe some team is going to believe it can craft him into an NFL cornerback. If he proves he's one of the five fastest guys at his position, he may see his stock soar. If he doesn't he could easily go undrafted. 

Paul Dawson, LB, TCU: The 40 times get all the press at the combine, but the team interviews are just as important, if not more so. There's no arguing with Dawson's production (his 136 tackles led the Big 12), but he's drawn some criticism from the dreaded pre-draft "character concerns." An AFC West regional scout told NFL.com his grade would be two rounds below Dawson's actual talent level because of those character concerns. In a draft diary for USA Today, Dawson strongly disputed reports that that he didn't watch enough film, failed drug tests and that his teammates at TCU didn't like him. 

"When I have my interviews at the combine, they'll see what type of person I am," Dawson wrote. 

For better or worse, he's correct. 

Tyler Lockett, WR/KR, Kansas State: There's no doubt about Tyler Lockett's route-running ability and character, but if his 40 time is hovering around the elite 4.4 window, he'll help himself a lot. I believe he'll have a long career at the next level, but his lack of size at 5-foot-10 and 181 pounds will scare some teams out of drafting him in the first two rounds. He also has some questions about his ability to catch the ball in traffic--he can't answer those in Indianapolis--but it'll be easier to sell himself to NFL teams as a return specialist if he proves he owns top-tier speed.  

Kevin White, WR, West Virginia: White's big frame and reliable hands will jump off the game tape, but he's never established himself as a guy with top-end speed. He's not going to be a burner, but he could vault himself into the overall top 10 with a solid time. His straight-line speed is a minor issue, and a strong time could eliminate one of his only knocks. 

Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma/Missouri: DGB's talent jumps off the screen and he's coming at a discount because of his off-field issues at Missouri and year away from the field at Oklahoma. He stayed out of trouble in Norman and kept his name out of the papers, and for many of the NFL front office types, this will be their first face-to-face interaction with the former No. 1 overall recruit. First impressions go a long way. Being able to convince them you've grown a lot in the last year goes even longer. That's the most important task for Green-Beckham this week. 

Blake Bell, TE, Oklahoma: He only spent one season at his new position and was solid for the Sooners, but it'll be interesting to see the response from NFL teams when they get a closer look at his ability to run routes and catch the ball. "I know and I believe that I can be a tight end in the NFL," Bell told the Tulsa World this week. The league's 32 teams will ultimately decide if he's right. 

Every year, around 30 or 40 players who didn't receive invitations to the combine get drafted anyway. Here are the Big 12 talents with the best chance to do it this year: 

Chucky Hunter, DT, TCU: He's talented and productive (44 tackles, 9.5 TFLs in 2014) and at 6-foot-1, 300 pounds, offers enough size in the middle to play at the next level. 

John Harris, WR, Texas: Anyone who watched Texas' offense last year has to be impressed by a receiver who can top 1,000 yards. Harris did it with seven scores on 51 catches. He was only productive in one of his four seasons at Texas, but his speed and 6-foot-2, 218-pound frame are easy for any team to imagine shaping into a contributor who could make a roster. 

Shaq Riddick, DE, WVU: The former FCS All-American was a solid transfer pickup for the Mountaineers this season, notching six sacks and 10 tackles for loss. He's a bit lanky at 6-foot-6 and 242 pounds, but it's easy to see some team wanting him as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. He knows how to rush the passer.  

Sam Carter, S, TCU: I was shocked to see Carter didn't earn a combine invite. The two-year starter has to prove he has the speed to play safety at the NFL level, but he's a huge hitter and could help in run support. He might be able to add some weight a la Emmanuel Lamur and find a home at linebacker at the next level.

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