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INDIANAPOLIS -- The last stopwatch has been packed away, temporarily of course, and the RCA Dome is emptied of NFL hopefuls until this same time next year.
Now begins, for both teams and players, the process of assimilating exactly what transpired here this week at the annual combine workouts. And now commences the task of making sense of the numbers recorded and, in some cases, those that weren't.
Team personnel officials are fond of emphasizing that the combine is but one piece of the evaluation process, that reputations are neither made nor broken during the event. But there is money to be made here, and certainly Southern Cal tailback Justin Fargas could break the bank if he continues to demonstrate the skills he flashed at the combine.
|  | | USC's Justin Fargas has caught the attention of the scouts with his speed. |
Clearly the star of the week, Fargas weighed in at 219 pounds, was able to do 27 repetitions of the standard 225-pound bench press, then wowed the scouts with a pair of sub-4.4 times in the 40-yard sprint. Because of injury and transfer, Fargas hasn't played much football the past few years, and scouts are now going to scrutinize him even closer to see what warts they can uncover.
But if you're looking for this year's "workout warrior" champion, he is probably the closest thing to it. How will that translate into draft status? Well, the tailback position is very thin in 2003 and teams were waiting for a prospect to separate himself from the group. Fargas took a quantum leap toward doing that at the combine.
Although some of these quick impressions may change slightly once the official combine lists are obtained, and scouts have more time to assimilate what they saw over the past week, here is a look at some other players who either helped or hurt themselves here:
Risers
QB Kyle Boller (California): One of the few top-shelf quarterbacks who didn't throw on Sunday but, when he ran in the 4.6s at 233 pounds, he had scouts sitting up in their seats. Boller was already moving up because of a solid week at Senior Bowl and, with a good campus workout, he could well nudge himself into the first round.
WR Tyrone Calico (Middle Tennessee State): Great size and linear speed, and he really lit it up in the 40, with a few scouts clocking him at just under 4.4. Caught the ball adequately, but he will really have to work on his hands and, even more important, on route technique. He's very raw but it's too hard to ignore his deep speed potential.
DT Nick Eason (Clemson): A notorious underachiever during his senior year, he made himself a player to watch with his combine performance. He wasn't going to run, then decided at the last minute to participate in the 40-yard sprint and clocked an excellent time, with some scouts getting him at just under five seconds.
OT Wayne Hunter (Hawaii): His teammate, guard Vince Manuwai, rated a lot more attention before the combine, and remains a quality prospect, but Hunter might have an even bigger upside. He's got a huge frame, certainly got a lot of pass-blocking "reps" in the run-and-shoot offense, and looks like he has pretty nice footwork.
DT Dan Klecko (Temple): Some team that prefers the smaller and quicker defensive linemen, like Indianapolis or Tampa Bay, will take him in the middle rounds and he will fit well into those types of schemes. The son of former Jets star Joe Klecko, his height will be a drawback, but he ran under five seconds and has a huge motor.
DT James Lee (Oregon State): In a very deep defensive tackle pool, he just about got overlooked, until he demonstrated very good movement skills in weekend drills. At 320 pounds, he can get upfield, and change direction better than people felt he could. His combine, and the expected run on tackles, probably makes him a first-day player.
FS Rashean Mathis (Bethune-Cookman): A small-school kid with big-time talent and at a position where teams are seeking to upgrade. The fact he had 14 interceptions in 2002, and that everyone is now seeking a safety who can cover, will push him up draft boards. It doesn't hurt, either, that he weighed in at a bulked-up 203 pounds.
SS Derek Pagel (Iowa): His coverage skills aren't as polished as you want, and he is a little stiff, but he put the standard 225-pound bench press up an eye-opening 25 times and teams like his toughness. Pagel is a solidly-built prospect and, while he's not what everyone is looking for at the position, teams seem to be coming on to him.
WLB Shurron Pierson (South Florida): One of the many hybrid linebacker-end prospects who were here, but a guy who could develop into more than just a situational pass rusher. Has a live body and ran in the 4.6s, showed some explosiveness, and a bit of potential for being able to drop and cover. Could be a first-day player now.
OT Jon Stinchcomb (Georgia): Not as good a prospect as his Bulldogs teammate, George Foster, but definitely helped his cause. Showed up at a surprisingly stout 320 pounds, posted a 35-inch vertical jump, a long jump in the 9-feet, 5-inch range, and ran in the low 5.0s. He's always been a very solid guy mechanically as well.
DE Andrew Williams (Miami): While he isn't nearly as well-known as fellow Hurricanes end Jerome McDougle, he ran just about as well, proved he can redirect and get up the field, and made a solid impression. Like most of the ends here, he needs more bulk, has to use his hands better and learn to anchor against the run, but he definitely helped himself.
Decliners
WR Anquan Boldin (Florida State): Clocked in the 4.75-4.83 range on Sunday, and that doesn't even register as pedestrian speed. At 6-feet-1½ and about 218 pounds, he has the size and physical nature teams covet, but is very raw in terms of route-running, a former high school quarterback still learning the nuances of the position.
OG Derrick Dockery (Texas): Arrived at the combine as one of the better guard prospects and early projections had him a likely second- or third-round choice. But he looked too big, and at timed disinterested in what was going on, and turned off too many people. The fact he didn't test that well is almost secondary to a casual attitude.
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| Dorsey |
QB Ken Dorsey (Miami): Scouts kept trying to find nice things to say about him and basically they ran out of ways to keep from bashing his lack of arm strength. His throwing performance Sunday was disastrous and, that sterling college record aside, one has to wonder now if he'll even be drafted. Great kid but not even a good prospect.
P Andy Groom (Ohio State): Demonstrated that he has more than enough leg strength to play in the NFL, but his inconsistency was nettlesome to most of the special teams coaches. Boomed some 50-yarders, but also had three punts of under 37 yards. His hang times were just as disparate as his length and he might have to go the free agent route.
MLB Gerald Hayes (Pittsburgh): A tackling machine during his career with the Panthers, but doesn't have the size, and maybe not the range to start at the next level. Measured in at under 6 feet and kept dodging questions about his height, with good reason. There's no doubt Hayes is a good player, but he might spent a career covering kicks.
DE Michael Haynes (Penn State): Viewed as one of the top three ends when he arrived at the combine, Haynes had a disastrous experience here. He ran a sluggish 40-yard time, in the 4.88 range, then suffered a quadriceps injury that stole away any chance of redeeming himself. Plus he just didn't look like he had much explosiveness from the edge.
WR Brandon Lloyd (Illinois): Everyone knew he was a fluid receiver but was anxious to see him run, because his quickness has long been a worry. Didn't light it up in the 40 and was a tad stiffer than people expected him to be in some drills. Decent size, might be able to play in the slot in most NFL offenses, but not a first-round prospect.
OT Kareem Marshall (Georgia): Kind of a borderline prospect anyway, and more than a few scouts mentioned that they were surprised he was invited to the workouts. A really soft body, not very well defined, and definitely did not take advantage of the opportunity afforded him. Probably a late-round pick, maybe even just a free agent.
WR Shaun McDonald (Arizona State): In the era of the bigger wideout, the 5-feet-9 McDonald needed to show scouts that he had the quickness to play at the NFL level. Scouts suspected he wasn't as fast as his press clippings contended and they left here with that perceptions, because he didn't run. A lot of players moved ahead of him this week.
QB Seneca Wallace (Iowa State): He ran a time in the 4.53 range, similar to what Antwaan Randle El did here last year, but that's where the comparison to the Steelers do-it-all player ends. Wallace is convinced he's a quarterback even at under 6 feet, and declined all entreaties to work in wideout drills. Uh, can you say CFL, because that's where he is headed.
CB Andre Woolfolk (Oklahoma): Former wide receiver who made decent transition to cornerback for Sooners, but still needs plenty of work at the position. He has enough size, but his techniques are shoddy and he lacks functional strength. You don't have to be Charles Atlas to play corner, but he did just 10 "reps" in the bench press.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
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