Oklahoma Defenders Stand Out at NFL Combine
Saturday was Oklahoma’s big day at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Four Sooners worked out for NFL personnel at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and all four had a productive day.
Edge rusher Nik Bonitto, defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey, defensive end Isaiah Thomas and linebacker Brian Asamoah all stood out in their performances.
Winfrey continued to turn heads in the draft process. After being named MVP of the Senior Bowl, Winfrey on Saturday blew up in Indy.
“That's (the MVP trophy) is not the only thing that I'm going to win in life,” Winfrey said Friday. “And that was just a stepping stone into the life that I want to live.
“I'm not one of those players that just gets complacent or gets happy with personal accolades that I have in the past. I continue to want to be great and chase accolades and chase team success until I can't anymore.”
Winfrey weighed in at 6-4 and 303 pounds and ran 4.89 in the 40, which ranked third among defensive tackles. Winfrey, however, seemed to pull up at the end of his second run and later had a wrap on his left thigh or hamstring.
He said one reason for his pre-draft emergence his the coaching he received at the Senior Bowl from New York Jets defensive lineman Aaron Whitcotton.
“I love coaches like that who are going to get on your ass,” Winfrey said. “Like, ‘He just put you on your ass, put him on his ass.’ I don’t like coaches who are just soft and just kind of beat around the bush. I like coaches who keep it real with me. He was one of those coaches that kept it real with me and let me know the things I could do at the Senior Bowl, let me know that I could dominate if I really wanted to. Once he let me know that, it was off and running.”
Bonitto, a rush linebacker at OU, worked out with the defensive linemen and ran his official 40-yard dash in 4.54 seconds. It was the fifth-fastest time among edge rushers.
The 6-foot-3, 248-pound Bonitto also exploded for a 35.5-inch vertical jump, a 120-inch broad jump and ran his 20-yard shuttle in 4.23 seconds.
Thomas, a 6-5, 266-pound senior, ran 4.70 in the 40, then added a 31.5-inch vertical and a 117-inch broad jump. His 40 time ranked 11th of the 20 defensive ends who ran.
Asamoah measured 6-foot and 226 pounds, then got to flash the athletic ability that made him an occasionally spectacular player at Oklahoma.
Asamoah ran his 40 in 4.56 seconds, turned in a 36.5-inch vertical and broad jumped 124 inches. His 40 time ranked ninth among linebackers.
