Drew Thurman (10:33 am)

After the NFL Combine in Indianapolis had concluded, many of the former Buckeyes felt as if they had not performed to their best. Jenkins had a slow forty time pushing him to the saftey position in many people's minds, Laurinaitis dropped on the linebacker "big board" after running a 4.8, and Beanie lost ground with a 4.59. Maybe the only Buckeyes that had a strong performance were Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline. Yesterday though at Ohio State's pro day in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, a few of the Buckeyes showed that the Indy combine was a fluke. First Wells, who apparently ate his Fruity Pebbles, was clocked in the 4.39 to 4.41 range in the 40 yard dash. At his size and with his power, showing this speed no doubt impressed the scouts who were watching. This is what he had to say when interviewed by the Columbus Dispatch:

"I knew I was faster than what I ran at the combine," said Wells, who has been viewed as a mid to late first-round pick. "(At the combine) I wasn't relaxed at all, I fought it the whole way. Today I was relaxed. I definitely feel relieved."

Laurinaitis and Jenkins also improved their forty times at the OSU pro day, though neither had as drastic of a change as Wells. Laurinaitis was clocked at a range of 4.72 to 4.78, which was a slight improvement on his 4.8 at the combine. Jenkins ran in to 4.5 to 4.56 range after posting a 4.55 in Indy. The switch to safety seems like something he will indeed do, and Jenkins sounded very optimistic about it (Again, Dispatch):

"It was funny, because at the beginning of this (process) I was like, 'No, I'm not a safety, I'm a corner,' " Jenkins said. "Then I heard one coach kind of compared me to (Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowl safety) Ed Reed, (and) I'm like, 'Hey, if you're going to say that, then cool, I'll listen.'"

Also, Nadar Abdallah has continued to impress the scouts himself. He really looked sharp in the Texas vs. The Nation game, which was something he showed in the second half of the season for the Buckeyes. The film of the practices on The Plain Dealer's website is extremely impressive, and he shows a whole host of moves. He not only is proving that he can stuff the run, but also that he can get to the quarterback from the tackle position.

All of these young men look ahead to the NFL Draft, which takes place April 25-26. No doubt that after some disappointing performances at the combine, several of the former Buckeyes are increasing their stock again. Especially Beanie, who has already proved that he has the intangibles to be a big time pro running back.

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