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NFL combine 2016: Former Wisconsin QB Joel Stave, OL Tyler Marz workout for personnel

The former quarterback and his blindside protector both worked out for NFL teams in Indianapolis.

By Owen Riese
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Through the first two days of the NFL scouting combine physical drills, two of the three former Wisconsin Badgers -- quarterback Joel Stave and offensive lineman Tyler Marz -- have completed their individual workouts in Indianapolis, Ind. Only Joe Schobert remains, and he will workout on Sunday with the rest of the linebackers.

Marz kicked things off for the former Badgers on Friday working out with the offensive linemen, while Stave displayed some positive results in working with the quarterbacks on Saturday afternoon.

QB Joel Stave

Height: 6052
Weight: 236 pounds
Weight: 236 pounds
Hand: 10 3/4"
40-yard dash: 4.80 seconds
Vertical jump: 33.5"
Broad jump: 9'7"

The Whitnall high school product was actually pretty impressive. Placed in the second group of quarterbacks (alphabetically), he was paired with many accomplished collegians. Kevin Hogan from Stanford, Cody Kessler from USC, Paxton Lynch from Memphis -- a potential first round pick -- as well as another potential top pick in North Dakota State's Carson Wentz.

Truthfully, Stave held his own in the passing drills. He showed his prowess from under center and showed his accuracy to multiple levels of the field. He was also pretty impressive athletically, testing among the middle-to-top of the pack in most of the drills.

The agility drills don't really mean anything for the quarterbacks because they're never really asked to make those movements. However, it was very surprising to see Joel run so well, as he rarely exhibited the ability to hurt a defense by running the ball. He also had the second highest vertical leap for a quarterback, another display of explosive athleticism, also represented by the broad jump. Another important thing that NFL teams will like, he has very big hands, which helps him hold onto the ball when hit from behind. I understand this sounds a bit trivial, but it's a lot more important to NFL teams than you'd think.

OL Tyler Marz

Height: 6066 (six foot six and six eighths inches)
Weight: 316 lbs
Arm Length: 33 1/2"
Bench press: 19 reps of 225
40-yard dash: 5.54 seconds
Broad Jump: 8'3"
3-Cone drill: 8.38
20-yard shuttle: 4.97

At 6'6 and 316 pounds, Marz has the size needed to play about anything but center (teams often prefer shorter centers to better anchor against nose tackles). His arms being 33 1/2" means that he's likely a right tackle only in the NFL, which his athletic numbers also attest to. Teams in the NFL prefer longer arms, 34-plus" for left tackles. Teams often place their best pass rushers on the defense's right (offense's left), and longer arms mean that the tackle can engage with the defender earlier and therefore have a better chance at blocking him. His broad jump shows that, while not unlike most offensive linemen, he's not an overly explosive athlete. The same can be said about his three cone drill and his twenty yard shuttles. They aren't bad scores, but don't demonstrate above average athleticism for the position.

Marz will be a right tackle in the NFL, but could also be used at guard effectively. While Marz was able to use his moxie and good technique in college at left tackle, he'd simply be over-matched athletically at the next level.

Overall, it was a pretty positive showing for the former Badgers. Stave and Marz weren't expected to wow physically, which is a lot of what the NFL combine is so they held their own, Stave especially.

Schobert, who I don't expect to run especially well, should perform well in the jumps and short shuttle. Schobert doesn't have a lot to lose, but could catch a team's attention with a good performance.

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