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Notre Dame at the NFL Combine

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Eight players from national runner-up Notre Dame’s 2012 squad will be participating in this weekend’s NFL Scouting Combine. Potential first rounders Manti Te’o and Tyler Eifert are joined by Braxston Cave, Kapron Lewis-Moore, Zeke Motta, Theo Riddick, Cierre Wood and Jamoris Slaughter.

Though we are guessing that most of you will not be part of the small group of people that will be inside Lucas Oil Stadium to watch a bunch of men in their early 20’s run, jump, throw and catch all day, you will still be able to catch the action on NFL.com and the NFL Network.

While kickers, tight ends and offensive linemen kick of the 2013 combine today with medical exams and interviews, the real workouts do not start until Friday. Unfortunately exact times for workouts are unavailable, but the following schedule should help you catch your favorite former Irish players in action:

Tyler Eifert and Braxston Cave
Thursday: Media interviews, medical exams, measurements
Friday: Bench press, psychological testing
Saturday: On-field workouts (40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, 3 cone drill, shuttle run)

Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood
Friday: Media interviews, medical exams, measurements
Saturday: Bench press, psychological testing
Sunday: On-field workouts (40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, 3 cone drill, shuttle run)

Manti Te’o and Kapron Lewis-Moore (KLM likely will not participate in drills)
Saturday: Media interviews, medical exams, measurements
Sunday: Bench press, psychological testing
Monday: On-field workouts (40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, 3 cone drill, shuttle run)

Zeke Motta and Jamoris Slaughter (Slaughter will not participate in drills)
Sunday: Media interviews, medical exams, measurements
Monday: Bench press, psychological testing
Tuesday: On-field workouts (40 yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, 3 cone drill, shuttle run)

Combine Predictions:

  • Braxston Cave, the only Irish player capable of out-benching punter Ben Turk, reportedly completed 38 or 39 repetitions at 225 lbs during 2012 spring practice. If Cave can match that performance, he will become only the 6th offensive lineman in 6 years to have 38 or more reps. Prediction: 40 repetitions
  • 10 running backs ran the 40-yard dash in 4.50 seconds or less in 2012, and I expect Cierre Wood to juuuuust join that group this year. During his 62-yard touchdown run against Oklahoma, Wood cleared the first 40 yards in approximately 4.7 seconds. Of course, this was with pads and a helmet on and included a couple small juke moves. Prediction: 4.49 seconds.
  • Manti Te’o vs. Luke Kuechly: The NFL’s defensive rookie of the year and Boston College grad lived up to his top-10 pick last season. Along with making seemingly every tackle for the Eagles during his time in Chestnut Hill, Kuechly also had a phenomenal combine. How will Manti Te’o fare relative to Kuechly this year? Prediction (with Kuechly results): 40-yard dash – slower (4.58s); bench press – higher (27 reps); verticle jump – higher (38 inches).
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After growing up as a Notre Dame hating, misguided youth, it only took one visit to campus during high school for Twibby to realize the error of his ways. From that point on Twibby and the Irish have had what can only be described as a true Hollywood love story. When he's not reminiscing about his time in South Bend and pondering ways to get a 5th year of eligibility as a student, Twibby writes about Notre Dame and the rest of the college football world for HLS. Along with the Irish, he is a diehard fan of the Chicago Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks and Cubs with a strange affection for Northwestern Wildcats football.

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