Maulet, Elliott show flashes at NFL combine
For former Memphis cornerback Arthur Maulet, the NFL scouting combine was an opportunity to show scouts and talent-evaluators his strengths. Chief among them: His strength. Maulet finished fifth among cornerbacks with 18 repetitions on the bench press at a weight of 225 pounds, just four shy of Lamar’s Brendan Langley, who led the position group. The former Tiger also recorded a vertical leap of 34.5 inches, tying for 14th in that category out of the 35 invitees at his position.
However, in what Maulet described as his most pivotal event of the week — the 40-yard-dash — he believes he underperformed. His time of 4.62 seconds was tied for worst among cornerbacks.
During NFL Network’s live broadcast of the event, analyst Mike Mayock said he has watched film from only one of Maulet’s games: The Boca Raton Bowl against Western Kentucky.
“I haven’t done as much work on him as I have some other guys,” Mayock said during the broadcast. “Very aggressive in run support. I saw him have three sacks against Western Kentucky, believe it or not. Coming off the edge, he beat a tight end, back-side. He’s a physical, tough kid. Has played corner. Has played inside. What I like about him is he works hard on every snap, both in the run and the pass game.”
Maulet also recorded a broad jump of 120 inches, which was tied for 19th among cornerbacks.
Kicker Jake Elliott, meanwhile, chose to participate in only one of the combine drills: The 40-yard dash. He was unofficially clocked at 4.68 seconds on one attempt but finished with an official time of 4.79 seconds.
Elliott said last week that he would make a last-minute decision on whether or not to run the 40-yard dash because it is not a major part of the evaluation process for kickers. The four-time all-American Athletic Conference honoree is listed by CBS Sports as the No. 2 kicker in this year’s draft class, behind Arizona State’s Zane Gonzalez, and projected as a sixth-round pick.
For both Maulet and Elliott, the combine was just one small piece of the pre-draft evaluation process. They, and the rest of Memphis’ draft hopefuls, will now turn their attention to the Tigers’ pro day, which will be held on campus on March 24.
Memphis has now had 19 players participate in the NFL combine since 1999.
Below are Maulet’s full combine results, and how they stack up against previous Memphis defensive backs. MEMPHIS DBs AT THE NFL SCOUTING COMBINE CB Arthur Maulet, 2017: 40-yard dash: 4.62 seconds; Bench press: 18; Vertical leap: 34.5 inches; Broad jump: 120 inches
CB Bobby McCain, 2015: 40-yard dash: 4.51 seconds; Bench press: 17; Vertical leap: 36 inches; Broad jump: 130 inches; Shuttle: 3.82 seconds; 3-cone drill: 6.80 seconds
CB Brandon McDonald, 2007: 40-yard dash: 4.58 seconds; Bench press: 17; Vertical leap: 33 inches; Broad jump: 118 inches; Shuttle: 4.76 seconds; 3-cone drill: 7.44 seconds
FS Idrees Bashir, 2001: 40-yard dash: 4.56 seconds; Bench press: 22; Vertical leap: 40 inches; Broad jump: 126 inches; Shuttle: 4.25 seconds; 3-cone drill: 7.14 seconds
CB Michael Stone, 2001: 40-yard dash: 4.51 seconds; Bench press: 17; Vertical leap: 41 inches; Broad jump: 127 inches
FS Mike McKenzie, 1999: 40-yard dash: 4.58 seconds; Vertical leap: 34 inches; Broad jump: 115 inches; Shuttle: 4.11 seconds; 3-cone drill: 7.11 seconds