Poe eager to put skills to work
Buzz of combine may be wild card
If the buzz created by Dontari Poe at the scouting combine in February has subsided slightly, it’s because he’s working hard to back it up.
Then again, the University of Memphis defensive tackle had to make believers of NFL teams after a too-good-to-be-true workout in Indianapolis. On top of bench-pressing 225 pounds 44 times, Poe clocked an eye-popping 4.98 seconds in the 40yard dash — 4.87 handtimed by some estimates — times more suited for players much smaller than the 6-3, 346-pounder.
So instead of being a likely second-round draft choice, Poe has cracked the first round and could be a top-20 selection with a handful of teams targeting him. Where the Memphis native lands on the draft board and geographically doesn’t matter to him, and he wants it known that he had quickness in hand well before Indianapolis.
“I didn’t just jump up one day and run that fast,” Poe said. “It was a lot of hard work to do it. But at the same time it was just a small amount of (playing) football, and I have a lot more to prove and a long way to go.”
No doubt, Poe’s biggest challenge will be reconciling that workout with a college career that was promising but offered few hints of what he showed at the combine. He started 30 of 35 games for a Tigers team that went 5-31 in three years with two coaches, earning honorable mention All-american consideration from Pro Football Weekly and a second-team all-conference USA selection as a junior last season after posting 33 tackles (18 solo).
Poe produced one sack, five hurries and a forced fumble in 2011, adding to a list of scouts’ concerns that includes a lack of blocked passes, struggles shedding blockers and inconsistency shooting the gaps. He temporarily silenced doubters at the combine. The issue now is which team will take a leap of faith and try to hone his raw talent.
“He played hard every play, and he’s got great movement,” said NFL Network analyst Charles Davis, who recalls an entire Indianapolis restaurant discussing Poe’s performance that day. “The thing you question is the product. Memphis didn’t have much talent around him, and you see that on the game tape.
“But because of the way he goes at it, you like his chances if he gets with the right coach or the right team. You could see him as a 4-3 (scheme) guy or a zero (nose tackle) guy because of his approach. He’s one of those players you’d hate to pass on.”
Though Poe’s football role models include Hall of Famers John Randle and Reggie White and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers-oakland Raiders lineman Warren Sapp, his style and build is being compared to Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowl nose tackle Haloti Ngata. His lower half generates much of his power and speed, giving him an advantage against opposing linemen.
What Poe must do is take that to the next level, improving his first step and using his arms more in order to become a better pass rusher. National Football Post director of college scouting Wes Bunting says Poe often gets caught playing shortarmed in contact and needs to extend his arms consistently and use his hands better.
Poe has heard those assessments often during the workout process, taking them to heart and looking forward to building on everything before and especially after the draft that runs April 26-28.
The combine at least showed his commitment to growth, which included spending time at Athletes’ Performance in Phoenix working on his speed and explosiveness that he thinks will go far beyond a structured tryout.
“I’m trying to do the best I can, and I probably will change some things,” Poe said. “Everything you do is being watched and analyzed, but it’s not really hard (to deal with).
“The workouts showed what I do, but football is the game. They were just a starting point of what I can accomplish. I’ve been through a lot of workouts, but I’m most anxious to get them done and play football.”
Like his idols, Poe aims to demonstrate his versatility.
But for those who wonder if seeing was believing at the combine, Poe seems most intent on showing that they’ve seen nothing yet.
“I kind of knew what I had in store for myself, but back then (at the combine) it was kind of a dream,” Poe said. “Now, it’s turned into a reality, so I’m not too surprised or shocked. But I am thankful.”