What Miles Sanders, Penn State offensive linemen have to prove at NFL Combine
The NFL Combine is near, and so is an opportunity for former Nittany Lions to show they belong in the league.
Seven Penn State players earned invites, and a few — running back Miles Sanders and offensive linemen Connor McGovern and Ryan Bates — are scheduled to take part in on-field workouts Friday. Eyes will be on quarterback Trace McSorley on Saturday, Shareef Miller and Kevin Givens take the field Sunday, and cornerback Amani Oruwariye works out Monday.
Sanders, who was ranked outside of Mel Kiper Jr.’s top-10 running backs in early February, is looking to stand out in a group of 27 rushers. McGovern, Kiper’s No. 2 guard, hopes to build on that reputation, while Bates wants to prove it wasn’t a misstep to leave Penn State early.
We spoke with Scouts Inc.’s Steve Muench, breaking down strengths, weaknesses, draft grades and what each Nittany Lion has to do to improve his stock at the Combine. With their workouts taking place Friday, here are Muench’s thoughts on Sanders, McGovern and Bates.
Miles Sanders
Grade: 4th round
Strengths: “I know he hasn’t had great production in the passing game, but there are flashes. I think he’s an OK route runner. I think he catches the ball well. I think he has the potential to develop into a good pass blocker. I gave him an average grade in that earlier in the season, but I’m on the fence about moving him to above average because I see the upside.
“I see a guy who runs very hard. He has good vision, good patience. He has good feet for his size, getting in and out of holes. He picks up yards after contact because of his effort. ... He got enough run this year to show what kind of player he is. Running back is such a unique position in that the less wear and tear the better.”
Weaknesses: “We look at fumble percentages, and I don’t think he has great ball security. His fumble percentage number is really bad. That’s something that’s going to be looked at. I’m watching the tape, and sometimes the fumble came at the mesh point in the read option. But other times it just got ripped out. ... That’s something that immediately jumps out, because teams are going to look at two things: You have to be able to pass block, and you gotta be able to hold onto the football if you’re going to play a significant role and stay on the field as a running back in the NFL.
“I don’t think he’s a bulldozer type of back who will be the elite short-yardage back. In the NFL, I think he’s going to be a really good No. 2 or 3. He’ll be that complementary back. I don’t think he’ll be the guy.”
Combine outlook: “I want to see how well he runs because I don’t think he has elite top-end speed. I don’t think he’s going to be a speed-deficient player. But I just don’t see a breakaway threat. I don’t see a guy who’s going to pull away. ... He’s an arrow-up guy. I gave him a fifth-round grade earlier in the year. Now I think he’s more of a fourth rounder. And if he goes and tests well, we’ll see. Maybe he moves up a little bit more. It’ll be interesting to see.”
Connor McGovern
Grade: 3rd round
Strengths: “The run game is really his No. 1 strength, just moving guys off the ball. Sometimes it’s more of a horizontal than vertical push, kind of washing guys down the line. But I’ve seen him in a phone booth drive guys back. He’s a powerful dude. He’s not a great athlete, but for his size, he’s got some quickness off the line. He can get into guys and generate that push. That’s his main strength.
“When I’m looking at what he’s going to do in the league, my vision is that he’s going to be that versatile interior backup, which are very valuable. That’s not a knock. He’s going to provide depth at center and guard early on in his career. Then eventually, he’s going to develop into a pretty good starting guard.”
Weaknesses: “In the passing game, he’s stout, and he anchors well. I don’t think he’s an elite pass blocker. ... I do think he has to be a little better with his body control, staying with the inside-out leverage in pass protection. In pass pro, there’s less room for error with the technique. And I don’t think he’s a great athlete; I think he’s a good athlete. So in those areas, he has to be more consistently fundamentally sound in pass pro.”
Combine outlook: “There were a couple of pulls against Wisconsin where he didn’t adjust well on the fly. He’s got to do a better job of playing under control because he doesn’t have that elite athletic ability to adjust at full speed. But if he goes in and tests extremely well for an interior offensive lineman, you gotta go back and say, ‘He can do it. He’s just not there yet.’ And that will tweak your report.”
Ryan Bates
Grade: late 5th, early 6th round
Strengths: “The more I watch the tape, the more I’m interested. ... I was surprised to see some tools on tape. He plays with pretty good body control. He’s got some finish in the run game. He flashes a pretty good punch. He was competitive working against Michigan and Wisconsin.”
Weaknesses: “He played left tackle, right tackle, guard. I like that versatility. But my concern is that I don’t know if he’s long enough to play on the outside in the NFL. I see him getting stood up in the run game. I worry about his length in the pass game. He probably would have benefited from going back for another year. It is surprising that he came out.”
Combine outlook: “It’s going to be an important week for him. ... If he goes in there and has 34-inch arms and he moves OK, you’re looking at a potential No. 3 swing tackle with experience playing on both sides and on the inside. And those are the type of guys who generally get drafted on Day 3. I don’t know if he’ll ever be a starter, but he could be a pretty good backup. But it’s huge if teams view him as a tackle or a guard. Because it’s different positional value.
“The length is going to be huge. And we’ve noticed that there’s a pretty good correlation between offensive tackles having success in the NFL and the broad jump and the 10-yard split. You want to see how he moves. The drills are underrated from a fan perspective. These guys are a little more uncomfortable in the way they’re being asked to move. If they are natural athletes who move well in the drills, it’s encouraging.”
This story was originally published February 28, 2019 at 10:06 AM.
