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The whirlwind spectacle of physical trials for NFL prospects known as the NFL Combine began officially with the offensive linemen and tight ends on Saturday (at least the NFL Network coverage). With Sunday comes the offensive skill positions, and former Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Jared Abbrederis posting an impressive (yet unofficial) time in the 40-yard dash.
Jared Abbrederis
Abbrederis, the first wide receiver to run the 40-yard dashes Sunday morning, ran an unofficial 4.50 in his first attempt, but later improved his standing with a 4.44 run in his second. That time will only help him (nine wide outs ran under a 4.4 as of 11:20 am Sunday morning), as his route running among other skills have been well documented, including his performance at the Senior Bowl practices before having to withdraw from the game with a minor hamstring injury, which obviously did not hamper the all-time receptions leader in Wisconsin history.
In the Gauntlet drill, Abbrederis did drop one of his passes but caught the rest. In the bench press, he only performed 4 reps at 225 pounds on Saturday, which at the moment is the lowest amongst wide receivers at the Combine. NFL.com's scouting report stated he needs to bulk up and become stronger, and Bob McGinn wrote on JSOnline.com his concussion history may leave some teams weary. However, he has added 10 pounds onto his frame, from 185 to 195, which per McGinn, could help alleviate some teams' concerns about being able to withstand punishing defenses in the NFL.
More on Abbrederis' times in other skill drills coming up later today or tomorrow.
Ryan Groy
According to Tony Pauline, Groy impressed and helped his drafted stock with his performance Saturday (h/t to Fox Sports Wisconsin's Dave Heller). Groy ran a 5.10 40-yard dash with a 1.75 10-yard split (the latter a little more important for linemen rather than the 40), and per Pauline;
His 40 time of 5.10 seconds including a 10-yard split of 1.75 seconds was not the fastest time of the day, but a result much better than expected from Groy. During drills Groy was smooth and showed little in the way of stiffness. All in all, it was a big win for the Badger guard.
Here's some of Groy's other stats from Saturday, per NFL.com:
| 40-yard Dash | Bench Press | Vertical Jump | 3-Cone Drill | 20-yard Shuttle | Broad Jump | |
| Ryan Groy | 5.19 | 26 | 26.5" | 7.40 | 4.47 | 108" |
| Rank among OL | T-19th | T-16th | T-23rd | 8th | T-6th | T-7th |
Jacob Pedersen
Pedersen ran the second-slowest time in the 40-yard dash, clocking in at an official 4.89 seconds. However, he was tied for second in the 60-yard shuttle.
| 40-yard Dash | Bench Press | Vertical Jump | 3-Cone Drill | 20-yard/60-yard Shuttle | Broad Jump | |
| Jacob Pedersen | 4.89 | N/A | 28.5" | 7.55 | 4.40/12.19 | 111" |
| Rank among TE | T-13th | N/A | T-16th | 11th | 7th/T-2nd | 16th |
At 6'3" and a shade under 240 pounds entering this weekend's Combine, look for him in an H-back type tight end setting, as noted by NFL.com.
Check out the article Fox Sports Wisconsin's Paul Imig about Pedersen and his "childhood dream" to play with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
Check out all of the former Badgers' results from the four-day extravaganza here, courtesy of UWBadgers.com.