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Blog: NC State football at the 2017 NFL Combine

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MONDAY, MARCH 6 (latest updates will appear at the top)

1:53 p.m. — Here’s how impressive safety Josh Jones’ results were:

Josh Jones at the NFL Combine
Event Result Rank among DBs at this year’s combine (among safeties) Rank among safeties since ’06

40

4.41 seconds

t7th among DBs (2nd S)

t6th (4.34 was 1st)

Bench

20 reps

t3rd among DBs (t1st S)

24 was t11th

Vertical

37.5 inches

t8th among DBs (3rd S)

39 was 15th

Broad

132 inches (11 feet)

t3rd among DBs (2nd S)

t5th (11-2 was 1st)

1:40 p.m. — NFL.com just posted official 40 times — Jones was a 4.41, tied for seventh among all defensive backs (second among safeties), and cornerback Jack Tocho clocked a 4.54, tied for 27th.

NFL Network analyst Mark Mayock on Jones’ day: “Jones had an athletic day for a guy nobody talks about. Overlooked Josh Jones … you’ve got a bunch of people running back to watch some more tape on you, young man.”

12:55 p.m. — NFL.com has official jump numbers posted. Jones’ 37.5-inch vertical jump tied for eighth among defensive backs (third among safeties), while his broad jump of 132 inches tied for third among DBs (second among safeties).

Meanwhile, Tocho registered a 35-inch vertical, which tied for 17th among defensive backs, and a 125-inch broad jump, which tied for 12th.

12:30 p.m. — Tocho’s second 40 comes in a tad slower at 4.60.

12:15 p.m. — Jones’ full test results aren’t on NFL.com yet, but NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah just tweeted the vertical and broad jump (6013 means he checked in at 6-1 3/8 inches for his height):

Those numbers compared to safeties at last year’s combine would check in at No. 2 for the 40, tied for fourth in the vertical and tied for first in the broad. He also would’ve ranked second among safeties last year with 20 bench press reps (no safety this year had more reps).

12:02 p.m. — Tocho runs a 4.55.

Mayock: “He’s a big corner, another 6-foot, 200, put-together corner. 4.55 makes sense. He kind of got out of his peddle early a lot [on film], I think he was worried about his own speed. I like his game, but I kind of think he might be a free safety.”

11:21 a.m. — More buzz about Jones, including current Cardinals star Patrick Peterson, a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro, calling him an Adrian Wilson Jr. and former NFL safety Derwin Gray, who played for the Colts from 1993-97 and the Carolina Panthers in 1998, saying he looked like a first-rounder:

10:27 a.m. — NFL Network just showed its official 40 times. Josh Jones tied for second among all defensive backs with his 4.41, fastest among safeties who have tested so far. However, half of the defensive backs still need to run.

9:56 a.m. — Jones’ second 40 unofficially clocked in at 4.44 seconds. The NFL.com commentators said his first 40 time “might be the most impressive 40 of the day, when you consider his size.” They also noted he “wants to mash and maul everything in his way” and projected he would be one of the top five safeties drafted, “especially after today.”

9:34 a.m. — Jones clocked an unofficial 4.41 in his first 40-yard dash attempt. The guys in the NFL Network booth were all whistling at it.

“For a big safety, a 220-pound safety … that’s really strong,” Mayock said. “He had a bad year in 2015 and a really good year this year.”

9:05 a.m. — NFL Draft expert Daniel Jeremiah opened the broadcast on NFL Network by saying: “This is the best safety group, in terms of depth, I’ve ever scouted since 2003, so that tells you what we could see on the field today. Josh Jones, a safety from NC State, and Marcus Williams, a safety from Utah, we haven’t heard a lot about them through the process, but we’ll be talking about them after today.”

9 a.m. — The defensive backs will start testing soon. Our video interviews with cornerback Jack Tocho and safety Josh Jones:

SUNDAY, MARCH 5

3:47 p.m. Tocho ranked second among defensive backs with 21 bench press reps of 225 pounds, while Jones tied for third with 20.

According to NFL.com, Jones measured in at 6-1 3/8, 220 pounds with 32-inch long arms and 9 3/8-inch hands. Tocho, meanwhile, checked in at 6-0 1/4, 202 pounds with 31 5/8-inch arms and 9 3/8-inch hands.

Both will go through on-field testing and position drills tomorrow, starting at 9 a.m.

FRIDAY, MARCH 3

4 p.m. — NFL Network’s live combine coverage is over for the day. We’ll pick the live blog back up Sunday, when CB Jack Tocho and S Josh Jones are measured and do the bench press, and on Monday, when they take part in the on-field drills.

3 p.m. — Running back Matt Dayes cleanly caught five of the six passes shown on NFL Network in positional drills (the only drop was in the rapid-fire gauntlet of three straight passes). On his second catch, analyst Mike Mayock said, “Matthew Dayes is a third-down, change-of-pace guy. He’s a good pass protector and you can see he catches the ball very easily right there.”

1:45 p.m. — Dayes did not run and had decided to skip the 40-yard dash before the combine, according to a source. He is going through position drills.

1:20 p.m. — The running backs are about to start their 40-yard dashes. According to CollegeFootball24/7 on twitter, Dayes had a 28-inch vertical jump, which tied for last among backs at the combine. Dayes’ 109-inch broad jump was second to last among RBs who tested.

8 a.m. — The Wolfpack has three players who were invited to Indianapolis for the NFL Combine in preparation for the draft: running back Matt Dayes, cornerback Jack Tocho and safety Josh Jones, who left Raleigh with one year of eligibility left. The on-field workouts for the latter two will occur Monday.

Dayes arrived Tuesday with the offensive linemen, running backs and specialists. However, the only things that have happened to this point are medical examinations, official measurements, bench press, and interviews with NFL clubs and media. His on-field workouts are scheduled for later today. Dayes' results so far:

• 5-9, 205 pounds, 10.5-inch hands, 29.25-inch arm length and 18 reps on the bench press (225 pounds)

According to WalterFootball.com’s results, Dayes’ hands are the largest among the 33 running backs that are in Indy. His bench press results tied for 13th among the 30 running backs who tested. He also has met with the running backs coach for the 49ers, according to one media member (although he has probably met with several other teams and coaches):

We’ve also got video of Dayes’ media availability at the combine, where he said he knows he’s the best pass-blocking running back in the draft.

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