The 2017 NFL Scouting Combine officially came to a close on Monday. In total, seven players from Colorado schools participated. Of those seven, did any stand out? NFL Insider and former scout Benjamin Allbright joined Sean Walsh on Mile High Sports Radio with the answer.
“Both of the corners from the University of Colorado [Chidobe Awuzie and Ahkello Witherspoon] are getting a lot of buzz right now,” Allbright said. “Look for them to go day two in the draft, you probably will see them in the second/third round.”
Both CU corners were the top performer at their position during at least one event. Awuzie took home the honor in the broad jump (132 inches), while Witherspoon was the best in both the vertical jump (40.5 inches) and the 60-yard shuttle (11.6 seconds). Neither disappointed in the 40-yard dash, with Awuzie running a 4.43 and Witherspoon clocking in at 4.45.
In speaking with people around the league, Allbright says that CU’s talent on defense last year did not go unnoticed, stating that “people are very, very complementary of Colorado’s defense, especially in the secondary.”
Getting noticed for the wrong reasons was Buffaloes quarterback Sefo Liufau, who struggled during the combine.
“Sefo Liufau came out there and he had great measurements — largest hands of any quarterback in the draft — but really failed to impress in the workouts,” Allbright said. “I don’t think he’s going to be one in the NFL.”
Though he did not attend college in Colorado, former Valor Christian standout (and Colorado native) Christian McCaffrey also impressed, but Allbright still doesn’t feel he is a sure-fire first-round pick.
“McCaffrey, with the NFL being a sub-package league now, provides a positional versatility,” he said. “He can move back and forth between the slot and parallel to the quarterback in the shotgun, if need be, out of the running back position. So, I think there’s value to taking him in the first, but I don’t know if he’s going to go there. He’s probably late-first/early-second.”
Listen to the full interview with Benjamin Allbright, including his thoughts on John Ross and Reuben Foster, in the podcast below.
Sorry – this audio content is no longer available.
Catch Sean Walsh every weekday from 2p-4p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.