Boise State’s Weaver, Cleveland impress at NFL Combine; Bates looks for Olympic berth
For pass rushers, the three-cone drill is one of the most important events at the NFL Scouting Combine.
It tests agility and explosiveness — critical traits for players asked to win one-on-one battles with 300-pound offensive tackles and get around the edge to the quarterback. Historically, a time of 6.9 seconds or faster often translates into success in the NFL.
On Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, former Boise State pass rusher Curtis Weaver finished the drill in seven seconds flat, which put him in a three-way tie for fifth among the first group of linebackers to undertake the drill. He tied Wisconsin’s Zack Baun and Montana’s Dante Olson. Ohio State’s Malik Harrison led the first group with a time of 6.83 seconds.
Weaver posted a 4.84-second 40-yard dash, which ranked in the bottom half of times posted by linebackers. Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons led the group with a time of 4.39 seconds.
There’s no guarantee Weaver will rush the quarterback as a stand-up linebacker in the NFL, though. Maybe if he ends up on a defense that runs a 3-4 scheme. In a 4-3 defense, he’s more likely to have his hand on the turf as a traditional defensive end.
Weaver also put up a 32.5-inch vertical leap and a broad jump of 9 feet, 6 inches and clocked a time of 4.27 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle. He’s No. 2 all-time at Boise State with 34 career sacks, and he led the Mountain West and ranked No. 5 in the country last season with 13.5.
Weaver announced on Jan. 28 that he would skip his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. He has since signed with agent Ron Slavin, who also represents former Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch.
Another of Slavin’s clients, former Boise State left tackle Ezra Cleveland, turned plenty of heads at the combine. His time of 7.26 seconds in the three-cone drill led all offensive linemen, and his 4.93 seconds in the 40-yard dash ranked No. 3 among the group. He also posted 30 reps on the bench press — No. 5 among offensive linemen — and cleared 9 feet, three inches in broad jump.
According to a story by CBS Sports writer Chris Trapasso, Cleveland’s performance on Friday made him “a second-round guy.”
Former Boise State wide receiver John Hightower may have helped his draft stock on Wednesday after he posted a 4.43-second 40-yard dash and cleared 10 feet, 2 inches in the broad jump. Former Boise State offensive lineman John Molchon was also in Indianapolis this week and put up 26 reps on the bench press and a 34-inch vertical leap.
The NFL Draft is April 23-25.
Bates misses Olympic cut
Former Boise State distance runner Emma Bates was in the lead pack for all 26.2 miles of Saturday’s Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta, but she finished seventh with a time of 2:29.35 and missed the cut for the 2020 Olympic games.
Only the top three runners from the men’s and women’s races will represent the United States in Tokyo in July.
Bates was named an All-American four years in a row (2012-15) and won five Mountain West championships at Boise State. In 2014, she won a 10,000-meter national championship in 32:32.35, which at the time was the second fastest time in NCAA Championship history.
On Feb. 6, she was announced as one of six members of Boise State’s 2020 Hall of Fame class.
