Originally Published: February 22, 2010
By Gerry Hamilton
ESPN Recruiting
DAVIE, Fla. -- Heading into Sunday's Under Armour combine, the defensive line was expected to grab the headlines. Less than an hour after the beginning of testing, the day turned into the Ryan Shazier (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Plantation) show.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Shazier has been on the radar of college coaches since his junior season during which he had more than 80 tackles and en eye-popping 19 sacks. That production was followed by offers from the likes of Florida, Florida State, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Wisconsin and South Carolina among others. On Sunday, he showed exactly why he is quickly becoming one of the most heavily recruited prospects in the country.
Shazier, simply put, put on a testing display that will be tough to match for any linebacker from coast-to-coast. He clocked a blistering 4.44 40-yard dash to go with a 4.56 pro agility shuttle, a 7.56 L-cone, which is used to test change of direction and quickness, and best of the day 38-inch vertical and 10-foot, 4-inch broad jump. The South Florida defender also added 11 reps of 185 on the bench press.
"I think I did real well," said Shazier. "To me, I think I was one of the best players out there, but there is always room for improvement. I expected to test well. I know I'm a 4.4 guy, but I didn't expect to run in the 4.4s today,"
The drill work and 7-on-7 to follow was more important for Shazier. He posted his gaudy numbers for Plantation playing defensive end, but he is beginning the process of moving to linebacker, where he will play at the next level. He quickly displayed the same quickness, smarts and motor at linebacker as he has at end.
"I think I did real well at linebacker. I had one interception in 7-on-7s and nobody caught a pass on me in drills, so I think it went real good," Shazier said.
While Shazier stole the show, he wasn't the only top-notch performer. Here is a look at some of the standout players on defense.
