Lions send 7 to NFL scouting combine
QB McSorley, RB Sanders will be getting a close look
Seven former Penn State players, including quarterback Trace McSorley and running back Miles Sanders, will participate in this month's NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.
Joining them are offensive linemen Connor McGovern and Ryan Bates, defensive linemen Shareef Miller and Kevin Givens and cornerback Amani Oruwariye. McSorley and Oruwariye recently participated in the Senior Bowl.
All five of Penn State's early entrants for the 2019 NFL draft received invitations to the combine.
The combine is scheduled for Feb. 26-March 4 at the Indiana Convention Center and RCA Dome. Running backs, offensive linemen and special teams players report Feb. 26 and go through on-field workouts March 1.
Quarterbacks, receivers and tight ends work out March 2, followed by defensive linemen and linebackers March 3 and defensive backs March 4.
The combine will be an important barometer for each Penn State player in different ways. Sanders seeks to test well in the 40-yard dash, while the linemen intend to showcase their strength numbers. For Miller and Givens in particular, the combine will be vital to their draft position.
For McSorley, the combine offers a chance to throw alongside the draft's top-rated quarterbacks. Oruwariye, meanwhile, did not play in the Senior Bowl after getting hurt during drills that week. A healthy Oruwariye should test well at the combine.
The Lions will be hardpressed to generate the kind of combine buzz they did last year. Penn State's eight combine participants dominated the 2018 event, winning the NFL Network's Olympic-style medal count largely behind Saquon Barkley, tight end Mike Gesicki and safety Troy Apke.
The Lions claimed a combine-best 13 “medals” in the position workouts, with Gesicki topping the tight ends in six of seven drills (including the bench press, vertical jump and long jump).
That combine performance generated plenty of praise for strength coach Dwight Galt's training program.
“When you have guys that go to the combine and kill it the way our guys did, it's created a buzz about our development, which is something we take a lot of pride in,” Penn State coach James Franklin said last year.
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