Southland Conference Sending Seven to NFL Scouting Combine
FRISCO, Texas ? Seven Southland Conference football players will attempt to catch the eyes of the National Football League scouts when they suit up for the NFL Scouting Combine this week in Indianapolis, Ind.
Set to begin Wednesday and continue through Feb. 24 at Lucas Oil Stadium, McNeese State offensive tackle Kyle Link and wide receiver Quinten Lawrence, Central Arkansas quarterback Nathan Brown and tight end Marquez Branson, Nicholls State cornerback Ladarius Webb, Sam Houston State quarterback Rhett Bomar and Stephen F. Austin wide receiver Dominique Edison will join more than 300 NFL hopefuls as they test in various workouts with hopes of giving themselves an opportunity to be selected in the 2009 NFL Draft on April 25-26 in New York, N.Y.
In addition to the six events (40-yard dash, bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone drill and shuttle run) and team interviews in which all the athletes are requested to take part, players will also run through position-specific drills. The Southland Conference will be represented at five positions.
Brown and Bomar, arguably the league’s two most prolific quarterbacks in 2008, will be among 21 signal callers featured in the event. Brown, the 2009 Southland player of the year and first-team all-conference quarterback, led Central Arkansas to a conference-best 10-2 record while throwing for 3,421 yards of total offense and 31 passing touchdowns. Bomar, the second-team signal caller, tied for the league lead with 335.5 yards per game in Sam Houston State’s 10-game season.
The other position that will feature more than one Southland player is at wide receiver. Edison, a first-team all-conference receiver, had 67 catches for 1,016 yards and a league-best 18 touchdowns in 2008 while Lawrence, a preseason first-team all-conference selection, had 12 catches for 209 yards and a touchdown in just five games played.
Branson was among the league leaders in all receiving categories from the tight end position. He caught 45 passes for 737 yards and 11 touchdowns as McNeese State’s leading receiver and was the first-team all-conference tight end.
A first-team offensive lineman, Link is among 28 tackles invited to the combine.
Webb is the conference’s lone defensive standout to receive a combine invitation. The first-team all-conference receiver is one of 36 cornerbacks scheduled to compete.
The 2009 Scouting Combine is the annual job fair for prospective new NFL players, and more than 600 coaches, executives and scouts are scheduled to be in attendance. Portions of the combine will be televised live on the NFL Network.