The first day of interviews took place at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday as Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and receivers Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III had their time behind the mic. Here’s a bit of what we learned from the various media sessions.
Ruggs looking to be ‘the fastest ever’
We will have to wait until Thursday to watch Henry Ruggs III run the 40-yard dash. Tuesday, the Alabama receiver helped build up the anticipation by stating his goal to set the combine record.
“My goal is to be the fastest ever,” Ruggs told CBS Sports on Tuesday.
Ruggs was then asked if that meant equalling John Ross’ record time of 4.22 set in 2017.
“Yes sir. Or lower,” he responded. “I feel pretty good about it. I’m confident. I know that I’ve been working on my starts. I’m feeling pretty good going into it.”
Ruggs was reportedly clocked in the 4.25 range in the 40-yard dash during Alabama’s junior pro day last year. The former high school track star set the Alabama state record with a time of 10.58 seconds in the 100-meter dash. He was also clocked at 24.3 miles per hour during a touchdown against South Carolina this season.
Tagovailoa provides rehab update
It’s already been a busy week for Tagovailoa as the quarterback claims he spent 10 hours going through pre-examinations with NFL teams.
“We went to the hospital at 10 in the morning yesterday,” Tagovailoa said Tuesday. “I was the last person to leave. We went there at 10 and I was back by about 7:49 p.m. last night — so right in time for the informal and formal interviews.”
Tagovailoa, who dislocated his right hip in November, will not take part in any on-field drills this week. However, the left-hander said he should be fully medically cleared on March 9 and will be “full-go” for his individual pro day on April 9.
“This rehab process has been gradually getting up as far as workouts with what we’ve been doing,” Tagovailoa said. “Just strengthening all the parts around the hip. You know, the glute, the hamstring, the quad, just being ready for once March 9th hits and I’m cleared to go, I’ll be able to do everything.
“Mentally it's been a grind, but it's not something that's new to me. I’ve dealt with a hand injury, my left ankle, my right ankle. So I sort of knew what to expect going through this process, but it's definitely been a grind.”
Out of left field
Last year, former Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray committed to football over baseball before ultimately being selected No. 1 overall by the Arizona Cardinals. Murray, a prized baseball prospect, was previously drafted No. 9 overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 2018 MLB draft.
Fortunately for Tagovailoa, he didn’t have to worry about making such a tough decision as he found out at a young age that football was the sport for him.
“My dad wanted me to play baseball,” Tagovailoa said. “I played T-ball for about a year and a half. I couldn’t do it. I played first base, and I played outfield. When I played outfield, I was picking weeds. It was too slow for me. I couldn’t do it. They put me at first base thinking I’d get a lot more action — I was picking weeds again.”
In case you’re wondering, Tagovailoa said he bats right-handed. He also said he golfs right-handed but shoots a basketball left-handed.
Jeudy not Jewish
One of the strangest storylines of the day came when a reporter asked Jeudy about the diamond-crusted Star of David necklace he was wearing. His reasoning is a bit bizarre.
“So, my last name’s Jeudy. People sometimes call me short for Jew,” he explained. “…So I just got a Jewish star. I’m not Jewish though.”
Later in the day, Jeudy clarified that his necklace was not intended as any form of disrespect to Jewish people and apologized to anyone it offended.
Players comment on the loss of Cochran
Georgia delivered a major blow to Alabama on Monday as it poached strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran from the Crimson Tide. Tuesday, Alabama players at the combine provided their thoughts on what the Crimson Tide will be losing.
“He played a big role. Coach Cochran is a person if you’re having problems, you can go to him and talk to him. He’s a people person,” Jeudy said. “It was very surprising. Coach Cochran is a big part of the organization.”
Added Tagovailoa: “I think he doesn’t get as much credit as people give him. You want to talk about someone who has developed very deep and personal relationships with players — he’s been the backbone for the organization there at Alabama. It’s gonna be hard. Alabama’s definitely gonna miss him.”
Measuring up
One of the biggest storylines during last year’s combine centered around former Alabama offensive lineman Jonah Williams’ arms which measured in at 33 5/8 inches. Typically, NFL teams want tackles to have arms that measure 34 inches or longer, but that didn’t stop Williams from being selected No. 11 overall by the Cincinnati Bengals.
This year, Alabama offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. won’t have that problem as his arms measured in at 34 2/8 inches. The former five-star recruit was listed at 6-foot-4 2/8 and weighed in at 312 pounds. Last week, Wills told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he’s looking to put up “freakish numbers” at this week’s combine. He is projected as a top-10 pick in this year’s draft.
Here’s a look at how each Alabama player measured in so far:
QB Tua Tagovailoa
Height: 6-0
Weight: 217
Hand: 10 (left), 9 7/8 (right)
Arm: 30 4/8
Wingspan: 75 2/8
WR Jerry Jeudy
Height: 6-1
Weight: 193
Hand: 9 4/8
Arm: 32 1/8
Wingspan: 76
WR Henry Ruggs III
Height: 5-11
Weight: 188
Hand: 10 1/8
Arm: 30 4/8
Wingspan: 74 4/8
OL Jedrick Wills Jr.
Height: 6-4 2/8
Weight: 312
Hand: 10
Arm: 34 2/8
Wingspan: 83 4/8
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Andrew Bone, of BamaInsider.com, is a real estate broker in the state of Alabama.
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