Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/79478
IRISH IN THE PROS Robert Blanton Excels At The NFL Scouting Combine BY WES MORGAN F needed to say much off the field. The son of a military man often replied to questions with a "yes sir" or a "no sir," adding little beyond that. Per- haps he was just playing games with the media — after all, he had quite a reputation as one of the team's top trash talkers. Or maybe he never felt as if he could totally be himself while a member of the Fighting Irish. Whatever the reason for such a short ormer Notre Dame cornerback Robert Blanton never felt like he supply of words, Blanton opened up quite a bit after performing at the NFL Scouting Combine in late February (see page 17 for complete ND results). Blanton, who appeared in 50 games for Notre Dame and recorded eight interceptions and 193 tackles, shined in the three-cone drill (6.71 seconds), the 20-yard shuttle (3.97) and the 60-yard shuttle (11.28) — fin- ishing tied for fifth, third and sev- enth, respectively, among defensive backs invited to Indianapolis. His bench press (12 reps), 40-yard dash (4.7), vertical jump (34 inches) and broad jump (116 inches) left room for improvement. "My numbers were pretty good except for that 40 time," he said. "If I would have had a decent 40 it would have been a hell of a lot bet- ter. I thought I could get in the 4.5s for sure. That was [the range] at the place I'm training at in Chicago. "I definitely ran faster times in the Blanton shined in the three-cone drill, the 20-yard shuttle and the 60-yard shuttle — finishing tied for fifth, third and seventh, respectively, among defensive backs invited to Indianapolis. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN to play safety, so I wanted to make sure I weighed in pretty good as well and let them know I'm big enough to play safety," he said. "I would love to play safety. The position doesn't really matter at the end of the day, you still have to go out there and play football. "I was actually surprised that I "A lot of people are looking at me other drills at the place I'm working out, too. My times could have been faster for sure. You just have to make sure you continue to work hard. To be completely honest, I felt pretty com- fortable out there. There wasn't any pressure; it was home for me being in a competitive atmosphere. Being in a competitive environment is fun. I haven't had that in a few months, so being able to get back in it was great." The 6-1, 208-pounder added 14 pounds to his frame, one that was weakened by a stomach virus fol- lowing the loss to Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl in late De- cember. Most scouts see him playing safety in the NFL, which is why he focused on beefing up. www.BLUEANDGOLD.com ers: Has played in 42 games for the Lakers this year, scoring 3.4 points and securing 3.6 rebounds per game off the bench. • Chris Quinn (2003-06), PG, San Antonio Spurs: • Troy Murphy (1999-2001), F, Los Angeles Lak- weighed in at 208 at the combine," Blanton said. "I was really surprised about that. You put on a lot of weight when you're just working out. I've heard that I'm somewhere in the middle rounds. Hopefully I'll get that opportunity to be able to get drafted." • Matt Carroll (Played at Notre Dame from 1996-99) G, Charlotte Bobcats: Has started two of 36 games and is averaging 2.6 points in 11 minutes per game … Shooting 35 percent from the field and 20 percent from behind the three-point line. • Luke Harangody (2007-10), F, Cleveland Cava- NBA PLAYER UPDATES Through March 20 liers: Appeared in 15 games and averaged 1.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 7.9 minutes per contest … Sent down to Canton Charge of the D-League, which is owned and operated by the Cavaliers, on March 7. Averaged 4.6 points and 1.9 assists in 41 games last season for San Antonio … He was one of 23 NBA players who did not have opt-out clauses that would allow them to return to the United States from overseas when the lockout ended … Signed with Moscow-based Khimki in July, and it is unclear when he will be able to return. 1997-98), D, New York Islanders: Has three assists and one goal in 56 games … Suffered a left-knee MCL sprain on Nov. 21 and was removed from the injured reserved list on Dec. 22 after missing 13 games … Scored an overtime goal in his 600th career NHL game on Feb. 3 at Ottawa. • Ian Cole (2007-10), D, St. Louis Blues: Was • Mark Eaton (Played at Notre Dame from NHL PLAYER UPDATES Through March 20 eight goals and 15 assists through 72 games … Is one of the Sens' top penalty killers and boasts two short- handed goals, which ranks ninth in the NHL. ✦ recalled from Peoria of the American Hockey League on Nov. 6 … Recorded one goal and five assists in 24 games … His first two points, includ- ing his first career goal, came against Columbus on March 9. • Erik Condra (2005-09), F, Ottawa Senators: Has APRIL 2012 57