NFL Combine: Stock report for QB, WR, TE prospects

The NFL Scouting Combine is now complete. Quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends worked out on the second day of the event in Indianapolis.

It is quite clear that Cal’s Jared Goff and North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz have solidified themselves as the first two quarterbacks to be taken off the board. In which order and to which teams remains undetermined..

After that, not much is certain. The wide receiver position remains open, although it looks like Ole Miss’ Laquon Treadwell and Ohio State’s Michael Thomas did perfectly fine at the combine.

After interviews, workouts and more, here is a look at three players who really helped themselves and a few that took a step back after their showing at the combine. Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell also offers his opinion on each player.

The skinny: A four-star prospect out of Philadelphia (Pa.) Roman Catholic, Fuller was rated as the No. 19 wide receiver and No. 176 overall in the 2013 class. Fuller had been committed to Penn State, but after taking a visit to Notre Dame in early August before his senior season, he decided to flip to the Irish.

Combine overview: In a slow group of wide receivers, Fuller really set himself apart by running 4.32 in the 40-yard dash, clearly the fastest in the group. What really stood out (maybe even more than Fuller running fast – which was expected) is that he didn’t have any drops through the gauntlet of drills during the combine. That has been an issue with Fuller, one he took a step toward answering

Farrell’s take: In college, just like in high school, the more you watch Fuller the more you like him, but I never expected him to pop off a 4.32. He is impossible to cover and has excellent hands and body control, but size has always been a question, especially in high school where he emerged as a 165-pounder. But he has added strength and he has shown he can take a hit, work outside or in the slot and has added that elite speed that should push him into round one. The inconsistency with his hands is puzzling because he caught everything out of high school.

The skinny: The three-star receiver from Mansfield (Texas) Legacy picked Wyoming over Duke and Tulsa out of high school. He transferred to TCU after his freshman season.

Combine overview: Doctson was one of many receivers clustered in the middle of the pack – since Treadwell and Thomas seem to be a touch higher on draft boards – and he definitely moved into the upper-level conversation after his combine performance. Doctson ran the 40 really well (4.5) had a vertical leap of 41 inches and also ran the cone drill better than many receivers. It's no surprise at all that he did well in the receiving drills as well since his hands and pass-catching ability are really his strengths.

Farrell’s take: A three-star committed to Wyoming with very little other interest, I'm cool with our ranking even though Doctson could be special and reminds me of A.J. Green with his body control. He was tall and skinny but could elevate out of high school, and he has added bulk and high-points the ball better than anyone else in the country. This was a kid who didn't see the end zone that much in high school and is impossible to keep out of it now, which makes you wonder what the heck his high school coaches were thinking. His 4.5 will push him up in the draft.

The skinny: From Oklahoma City (Okla.) Heritage Hall, Shepard was rated as the No. 20 wide receiver and No. 131 overall in the 2012 class. He was tops in the Oklahoma state rankings. Shepard’s late father, Derrick, played at Oklahoma and his son followed suit over offers from Clemson, Kansas State, Missouri, Notre Dame and Oklahoma State.

Combine overview: Shepard proved he’s fast and strong and has excellent, reliable hands, and that’s why he could shoot up a lot of draft boards leading up to his pro day. The Oklahoma receiver tied the high mark on the bench press with 20 reps, he ran 4.48 in the 40 and vertical jumped 41 inches. During the drills, Shepard was perfect and really had an impressive showing all around.

Farrell’s take: Size was an issue coming out of high school, but he was a four-star because he was one of the most natural route runners in the last five years and he was a big key in leading the Sooners to the playoff this past season. His sub-4.5 40 time helped for sure, but his vertical and bench numbers were key as his strength was questioned and some of his explosion was as well. Showing off those will help make up for his lack of height.

The skinny: Michigan State offered the three-star from Cuyahoga Falls (Ohio) Walsh Jesuit during Junior Day in February of his junior year and the Spartans immediately became the favorite. He committed in April before his senior season with Miami (Ohio) being Cook's only other offer at the time.

Combine overview: Cook completed just 56 percent of his passes this past season and there are all these rumors and innuendo that he wasn’t exactly the best team leader since he wasn’t named a team captain. Some have dismissed that talk, but it is sticking with Cook and was discussed on the broadcast this week. His showing at the combine was lackluster as he didn’t show tremendous pop or accuracy on his passes, so teams might take a pass and look elsewhere.

Farrell’s take: Cook needed to wow everyone to stay in the first round discussion and he didn’t do that. While he’s a leader for sure and a winner, some of the things that plagued him out of high school and led him to be under recruited and underrated are showing – mainly consistency with his accuracy and delivery. He has a solid arm, always has, and he showed some athleticism compared to the rest of the quarterbacks, but attitude questions have led to the need for Cook to be nearly flawless to stay in the first round discussion, and he wasn’t. He’s still a day two or three quarterback at this stage, which is better than his three-star ranking out of high school.

The skinny: Higgins was a two-star prospect out of Mesquite, Texas, in the 2013 class. He picked Colorado State over Louisiana-Monroe and some others.

Combine overview: Higgins plays at a smaller program at Colorado State so he needed to test off the charts to move by a bunch of higher-profile receivers in this draft. He simply failed to do it. The prolific receiver ran 4.64 in the 40 and only jumped 32 inches, which doesn’t bode well for any argument about burst and explosiveness. The wide receiver group isn’t insanely fast, but it has some depth and Higgins could be sliding a little bit.

Farrell’s take: Higgins had question marks regarding his speed and frame out of high school, but he was such an efficient route runner in college that he had that huge sophomore year with Garrett Grayson at quarterback under Jim McElwain's offense at Colorado State that put him on the map. However, he didn’t repeat that performance this past season, and his pedestrian time will hurt him. In fact, he didn’t jump off the charts in any category. He needed a big combine to shoot up the board, and he didn’t really have one.

The skinny: The three-star quarterback from Cleveland (Ohio) Glenville committed to Ohio State in early February after a late visit to Columbus. He then attended Fork Union (Va.) Fork Union Military Academy to improve his academics and he stuck with the Buckeyes.

Combine overview: Ohio State coach Urban Meyer predicted before Jones participated in the combine that it would be a breakout performance. It never materialized because Jones pulled his hamstring running the 40-yard dash. Blame cannot be put on an injured player, but Jones had a lot of questions to answer during the combine especially during the drill portions and he just couldn’t do it. That makes his Pro Day so much more significant.

Farrell’s take: Jones has a great run during the three-game stretch a year ago in winning the national title, but struggled with consistency this past season and lost his starting job. He always had good size and a strong arm, but he wasn’t very accurate or consistent in high school or prep school and his attitude was often questioned. Now after missing the workouts with that injury during the 40-yard-dash, he’ll continue to slide and more questions will emerge. It’s amazing to think a year ago if he came out some considered him a potential first-rounder. I never saw that in high school or college at all.