Purify eager to impress at NFL combine
It’s 40 yards that can change a life.
Get to that line quickly, preferably at the breakneck pace that former Husker cornerback Fabian Washington did in 2005, and a significant financial reward might be yours.
Maurice Purify knows this, which is why he’s a bit coy when the discussion turns to what the stopwatch has been saying about his speed lately.
The receiver says his 40 time has been improving thanks to offseason workouts.
How fast is he?
The wide receiver laughs. “You’ll see at the Combine.”
Today in Indianapolis begins the spectacle that is the NFL Combine — a scout’s paradise comprised of 40-yard dashes, shuttle runs, body measurements, bench presses, interviews and an IQ test called the Wonderlic you’ve perhaps heard about.
Arnold is about to go on a 500-mile car trip. His mechanic recommends that he buy a special highway engine oil that will save him 50 cents in gas for every 25 miles of the trip. This new oil, however, will cost $20. Is it worthwhile for Arnold to buy the oil if he has a coupon for $4 dollars off the price?
Answer quickly. You’ve got a time limit and 15-minute interview sessions with coaches, general managers and owners from interested teams still on your list of things to do.
(Arnold shouldn’t buy the oil. It’ll cost him 16 bucks and he’ll only save 10.)
This is life at the combine.
“It is an awakening,” says Gil Brandt, a former top executive with the Dallas Cowboys and now senior analyst for NFL.com. “They’re asked to do things that they’ve never done before, and asked to do it at an accelerated pace. (Each athlete) is here for three days and for three days they’re tested, worked out, they’re interviewed…”
As Washington once described the NFL Combine: “It’s like one big job interview. You’re basically applying for a job. You basically have to treat it like you’re a businessman.”
So then, consider it a business trip for five Huskers fresh off their senior seasons. Besides Purify, offensive tackle Carl Nicks, cornerback Zack Bowman, quarterback Sam Keller and linebacker Steve Octavien are among those invited to the event.
Of those players, Nicks is anticipated to go the highest in the NFL Draft, quick on his feet for a man of 330 pounds. That is the sort of thing that causes slobber to run down the chins of scouts.
“He’s really come on gangbusters,” says Brandt, who is also intrigued to see what Bowman can do.
The cornerback was a well-respected prospect, but two serious knee injuries have somewhat dimmed enthusiasm.
“Everybody is going to see how fast he can run,” Brandt says.
Bowman can perhaps find inspiration from the combine performance of another former Husker corner.
Three years ago, Washington was being projected to be a third-round draft pick before the combine.
Then he ran the 40 in 4.31 seconds and had a vertical leap of 41½ inches. It was a run and a leap worth millions of dollars. When draft day came around, Washington was off the board in the first round, the 23rd pick, eventually signing a five-year, $12.3 million deal with the Oakland Raiders.
There are 335 guys at this year’s combine. “Everyone that’s here supposedly has a make-it grade,” Brandt says.
Purify will need to run fast because the competition at the receiver position is deep. Every tenth of a second matters.
“The thing about wide receivers is there are over 50 receivers here,” Brandt says. “If there’s one position every year that there’s an excess of amount is it’s receiver.”
For his part, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Purify did dazzle late in his senior season, especially in a one-on-one showdown against hyped Kansas cornerback Aqib Talib.
KU won the game, but Purify had 158 yards receiving and three scores, one of them coming on a one-handed grab.
Purify enjoyed that performance, but as far as it enhancing his draft status, he says, “I don’t think it helped me that much. It all depends on the combine now. If you run bad or you don’t catch balls, you just drop.”
He’s been working out in New Jersey, and despite the pressure that is about to come, he says nerves are nowhere to be found.
“I’ve never been a guy to get nervous. I just put it all on the line. Whatever happens, happens.”
Still, his family back in California will be waiting anxiously to hear how he did. His dream would be to play for Dallas, but a spot anywhere in the league would be an amazing blessing.
“It’s a great opportunity, a great opportunity for me to make money, a great opportunity to be playing football and set up myself for the future,” Purify says. “It’s an opportunity to give something back to my mom and give her the chance to stop working.”
Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7439 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.
Get to that line quickly, preferably at the breakneck pace that former Husker cornerback Fabian Washington did in 2005, and a significant financial reward might be yours.
Maurice Purify knows this, which is why he’s a bit coy when the discussion turns to what the stopwatch has been saying about his speed lately.
The receiver says his 40 time has been improving thanks to offseason workouts.
How fast is he?
The wide receiver laughs. “You’ll see at the Combine.”
Today in Indianapolis begins the spectacle that is the NFL Combine — a scout’s paradise comprised of 40-yard dashes, shuttle runs, body measurements, bench presses, interviews and an IQ test called the Wonderlic you’ve perhaps heard about.
Arnold is about to go on a 500-mile car trip. His mechanic recommends that he buy a special highway engine oil that will save him 50 cents in gas for every 25 miles of the trip. This new oil, however, will cost $20. Is it worthwhile for Arnold to buy the oil if he has a coupon for $4 dollars off the price?
Answer quickly. You’ve got a time limit and 15-minute interview sessions with coaches, general managers and owners from interested teams still on your list of things to do.
(Arnold shouldn’t buy the oil. It’ll cost him 16 bucks and he’ll only save 10.)
This is life at the combine.
“It is an awakening,” says Gil Brandt, a former top executive with the Dallas Cowboys and now senior analyst for NFL.com. “They’re asked to do things that they’ve never done before, and asked to do it at an accelerated pace. (Each athlete) is here for three days and for three days they’re tested, worked out, they’re interviewed…”
As Washington once described the NFL Combine: “It’s like one big job interview. You’re basically applying for a job. You basically have to treat it like you’re a businessman.”
So then, consider it a business trip for five Huskers fresh off their senior seasons. Besides Purify, offensive tackle Carl Nicks, cornerback Zack Bowman, quarterback Sam Keller and linebacker Steve Octavien are among those invited to the event.
Of those players, Nicks is anticipated to go the highest in the NFL Draft, quick on his feet for a man of 330 pounds. That is the sort of thing that causes slobber to run down the chins of scouts.
“He’s really come on gangbusters,” says Brandt, who is also intrigued to see what Bowman can do.
The cornerback was a well-respected prospect, but two serious knee injuries have somewhat dimmed enthusiasm.
“Everybody is going to see how fast he can run,” Brandt says.
Bowman can perhaps find inspiration from the combine performance of another former Husker corner.
Three years ago, Washington was being projected to be a third-round draft pick before the combine.
Then he ran the 40 in 4.31 seconds and had a vertical leap of 41½ inches. It was a run and a leap worth millions of dollars. When draft day came around, Washington was off the board in the first round, the 23rd pick, eventually signing a five-year, $12.3 million deal with the Oakland Raiders.
There are 335 guys at this year’s combine. “Everyone that’s here supposedly has a make-it grade,” Brandt says.
Purify will need to run fast because the competition at the receiver position is deep. Every tenth of a second matters.
“The thing about wide receivers is there are over 50 receivers here,” Brandt says. “If there’s one position every year that there’s an excess of amount is it’s receiver.”
For his part, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Purify did dazzle late in his senior season, especially in a one-on-one showdown against hyped Kansas cornerback Aqib Talib.
KU won the game, but Purify had 158 yards receiving and three scores, one of them coming on a one-handed grab.
Purify enjoyed that performance, but as far as it enhancing his draft status, he says, “I don’t think it helped me that much. It all depends on the combine now. If you run bad or you don’t catch balls, you just drop.”
He’s been working out in New Jersey, and despite the pressure that is about to come, he says nerves are nowhere to be found.
“I’ve never been a guy to get nervous. I just put it all on the line. Whatever happens, happens.”
Still, his family back in California will be waiting anxiously to hear how he did. His dream would be to play for Dallas, but a spot anywhere in the league would be an amazing blessing.
“It’s a great opportunity, a great opportunity for me to make money, a great opportunity to be playing football and set up myself for the future,” Purify says. “It’s an opportunity to give something back to my mom and give her the chance to stop working.”
Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7439 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.
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