Pro Days: Shazier hampered

Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier continues to be hampered by a hamstring injury, but clocked an unofficial 4.36-second 40-yard dash at Ohio State's pro day.

While the nagging hamstring injury is a concern, the 40 time is very impressive for an outside linebacker. Representatives from 29 teams were on-hand to watch 16 prospects, and each will have their own times for Shazier from the workout. If they also recorded times near the 4.4-second range, Shazier will have displayed excellent straight-line speed that will solidify his draft stock.

.@markpantoni So fast, we couldn't catch him. #GoBucks @FearTheShazier pic.twitter.com/GCgCr0S6Q5

— Ohio State Buckeyes (@OhioStAthletics) March 7, 2014

Shazier (6-1, 237) is the third-ranked outside linebacker by NFLDraftScout.com and projected as a late-first or early-second round pick. His 42-inch vertical jump at the Scouting Combine led all athletes in Indianapolis, and he also posted and impressive 10-foot, 10-inch broad jump.

Shazier has always has the reputation of being an excellent athlete, but he is a bit undersized at 6-1. He does play with a strong combination of speed and instincts that enables him to arrive at the ball quickly and deliver bone-jarring hits. He racked up 143 tackles, including 22.5 for loss, last season to display the impact plays he's capable of making consistently.

While a hamstring injury wouldn't appear to be a major drawback, Shazier does have a history of minor injuries that have kept him off the field. And while he can't do anything about his height - and his frame may not hold additional bulk well - Shazier will need to work to improve his timing in arriving at the ballcarrier in the NFL as well as clean up some of his tackling technique.

NFLDraftScout.com analyst Rob Rang sees Shazier as a good fit for the Packers' 3-4 scheme with the 21st overall pick in his current mock draft, while listing him at No. 16 on his Big Board.

"I feel like I can be whatever a coach and team wants me to be," Shazier said after Friday's workout when asked what scheme he would fit best in.

Cornerback Bradley Roby was credited with a blistering 4.39-second time at the combine, and stood on that number Friday, although he did participate in the 3-cone testing and positional drills.

Roby is well-known to have world class speed and a heigh ceiling as a potential late-first round pick. The main focus Friday was how he performed in the positional drills and whether he was able to show improvement in his ability to drive on the ball.

Carlos Hyde, who is vying to be the first running back off the board in this year's draft, skipped the 40-yard dash Friday after injuring his hamstring during his lone run at the combine. Hyde posted a 4.66 time at the combine, but appeared to pull up a bit due to the hamstring and did not run a second time.

He may attempt to run for scouts again before May's draft, as Hyde needs to prove he has decent straight-line speed to help separate himself from Auburn's Tre Mason, Arizona's Ka'Deem Carey and Washington's Bishop Sankey. While Hyde isn't a burner, he has shown some explosiveness to beat defenders to the edge. The question is whether he possesses enough speed to continue to do so in the NFL.

Hyde did go through positional drills Friday.

Jack Mewhort stood on his agility tests from the combine, but the projected second-round offensive tackle prospect did go through positional drills, and could enhance his value by working out at guard and center as well.

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Raiders head coach is 'anxious' to see RB Latavius Murray play



Latavius Murray's rookie season ended in August as he was put on injured reserve due to an ankle injury. But the Raiders definitely want to see what they can get out of the 24-year-old, 230-pound back with 4.40 speed."I think Latavius is one of those guys that we're anxious to see be healthy and get out there and play," Raiders head coach Dennis Allen said recently, via ESPN.com. "He's a big back that's got excellent speed and excellent size. He runs tough ... we'll find out a lot more about Latavius Murray as we go through the offseason program and into training camp."The Raiders selected Murray in the sixth round of last year's draft.



Full disclosure: I am biased toward Murray because we share alma maters. But putting that aside, tall, strong, young, fast running backs who can catch passes don't exactly grow on trees. Murray certainly has the basic physical talents to succeed, but how much of an opportunity will he get? Both Rashad Jennings and Darren McFadden are free agents, but Oakland has expressed that it wants Jennings back. And Murray has to prove he can stay on the field; injuries have been a problem for him dating back to his time at UCF.Best-case scenario for Murray in 2014 probably has him as a quality backup who might be asked to take on a bigger workload if injuries take down the player(s) in front of him on the depth chart. He is an intriguing deep sleeper.