Highlights from the San Diego Combine

Balboa Stadium used to be the home for the San Diego Chargers in the early 1960s and the Under Armour San Diego Football Combine definitely continued the legacy of great football being played on its hallowed grounds. Many players spoke of hoping to land somewhere close at a Pac-10 school and with picture perfect weather and field conditions, it was time for some of SoCal’s premiere players to make their mark.

Receivers

With a great turnout at wide receiver, it comes as no surprise that the Combine had some standout players at the position. One of the gems that came out of this Combine was Johnny Jackson (St. Augustine/2011) who wowed the receiving coaching staff. A phenomenal athlete who came to the Combine after competing in a track meet the day before where he had a long jump of over 22 feet. He is a threat with great hands and can beat a defender on demand, he is looking at Arizona State currently. Other receivers to take note of this upcoming season were Ajee Montes (Bishop Amat/2012), Evan Mattern (Rancho Bernardo/2011), Eric Judge (San Diego/2012) and Blake Robertson (Corona/2011) who all showed that they have what it takes to play at the next level.

Running Backs

Even with the great receivers at camp pulling in some great catches, the catch of the day may have went to a running back Marcus Mason (Etiwana/2011) who pulled in a circus catch during the highly competitive 7 on 7 drive for score competition at the conclusion of the Combine. In addition to showing off his great hands, he impressed with a 4.46 40 time. Another impressive running back was Donta Abron (Upland/2012) who displayed solid footwork throughout all of his drills and impressed many. Also drawing attention was Harry Mckenzie (Cesar Chavez/2011) while only 5’5” displayed breakout speed running a 4.47 and will serve as a slot threat in addition to his running back duties.

Linemen

At the linemen position drills there was some intense battling on display where a few sophomores outshined all of their upperclassmen competitors. It was Jeremiah Kolone and Eric Rodriguez on the Offensive Line protecting the pocket and displaying sound technique in keeping the pocket from being penetrated. Rodriguez has already starting receiving some attention from UCLA and is looking to have a productive future somewhere most likely along the West Coast. Jeremiah Kolone (Fallbrook/2012) . Connor McLaughlin (Rosamond/2012) spent the afternoon tearing through the defense on a relentless pursuit of the would be quarterback. His ability to rip and swim through the defensive line make him a solid prospect who will start to receive more attention as his matures. Another player likely to terrorize the offensive line is Jamal Wilson (A.B. Miller/2011) at Linebacker who displayed solid power with 24 reps on the bench and good work in his position drills.

Defensive Backs

In the defensive backfield, it was Travon Langston (Las Vegas High, NV/2011) who made the trip to San Diego well worth the time and effort. Showing off his great skills at free safety, he truly stood out from the rest of the pack during 7 on 7 drills not letting anything or anyone by him. Giles Chapman (Castro Valley/2011) lists himself as an athlete, says that he is used to playing at slotback or as a solid defensive back, proved his future is probably coming in the defensive backfield. He came into camp with multiple offers already but currently has Rice at the top of his list for the time being looking to play DB. Cortland Fort (Etiwanda/2011) had a very impressive day, posting a 4.49 40 time and a very impressive 34” vertical leap. Montaj Nash (Cajon/2011) a corner and free safety was impressive in his drills and should start to show up on the radar of more schools this fall if he continues to use what he says he learned at the Combine’s position drills.

Quarterbacks

At the QB position, there was nothing but positive remarks about Devin Saunders (Rancho Bernado/2011) who was throwing all over the defense in 7 on 7 competition and showed off his agility running a 4.27 short shuttle. Garrett Wilson (Brophy College Prep, AZ/2011) who was rained out at the Phoenix Combine, made the trip to San Diego to show off his quality arm and seemed to thrive on the competitive nature of the Combine. Niles Villalobos (Cesar Chavez/2011), coming in at 6’2.5” and 203 LBS, looks as though he was built for the position. Khari Kimbrough (San Diego/2012) used the home field advantage to its fullest and had a great camp on the turf that he is sure to succeed on over the next two years as San Diego High’s Quarterback.