At the Combine: Day 3
Quarterback B.J. Coleman and wide receiver Tim Benford of Chattanooga are at the NFL combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Here's a recap from Saturday:
• What happened: Along with more interviews with teams, the quarterbacks, wideouts and running backs took the Wonderlic test and did the 225-pound bench-press test. Benford did 15 repetitions on the bench and said he thought he did well on the Wonderlic. Coleman didn't do the bench press because of his injured pinky.
• What it means: Fifteen bench presses is a solid number for Benford. Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon did 14. A year ago, big, strong Alabama receiver Julio Jones, now of the Atlanta Falcons, did 17. Benford said anything in double figures is considered average. Because of his long, 33 1/8-inch arms, the bench press is harder for Benford than for a lot of the other wideouts.
• What they said: "I think I'll be able to sleep just fine," Benford said when asked if he had any anxiety about today's workouts. "I'm excited about it."
• What's next: Coleman will do little to no on-the-field activities today because of his injury, while Benford has an opportunity to open some eyes with a really good performance in the running and receiving drills. Today's activities are certainly an important part of the combine, but they are only a segment of the body of work that analysts and scouts look at when evaluating a player.