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Jeremiah of the NFL Network. Jeremiah added, "When you have someone listed as your top player here in the draft, you get a little bit nervous and want it to be confirmed with what you saw. [Barkley] confirmed everything today." The Cleveland Browns hold the first pick in the NFL Draft, which will take place April 26-28 in Arlington, Texas. On the heels of his strong performance in Indianapolis, there has been specula- tion that the Browns might make Barkley the No. 1 pick overall. Cleveland also holds the fourth overall pick, but with the New York Giants picking sec- ond and Indianapolis third, there's a good chance that Barkley will be gone by the time the Browns get to use their sec- ond selection. Cleveland also reportedly wants a quarterback, even after trading for Buffalo QB Tyrod Taylor in March, so it's possible that it will take Wyoming's Josh Allen, UCLA's Josh Rosen or South- ern Cal's Sam Darnold first overall and in all likelihood miss out on Barkley. Cleveland went winless last year and finished last in the league in scoring of- fense at 14.6 points per game. The Browns were 18th in rushing with an av- erage of 107.1 yards per game and had only seven carries of 20 yards or more. If they were to use their first pick on Barkley, it would be the first time since 1995 that a running back went No. 1 overall. The most recent running back to be chosen first was one of Barkley's Penn State predecessors, Ki-Jana Carter, a Cincinnati Bengals pick who suffered a series of injuries beginning in his first NFL preseason game and never devel- oped into the elite player that many thought he would become. Barkley said it doesn't matter to him how highly he is picked. "I don't care if I'm drafted 1, 5, 72 or the last pick," he said. "I'm going to come in with my head low and ready to work. That's not going to change me." A three-year starter at Penn State, Barkley finished his career as the school's all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (43) and total touchdowns (53), surpassing another Nittany Lion great, Lydell Mitchell. Barkley also capped his career as Penn State's leader in all-purpose yards with 5,538, sur- passing Larry Johnson's 5,045. In addition, Barkley holds the school record for most consecutive games with a touchdown (15), and he's only the fourth player in Big Ten history to gain 3,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in his career. No Penn State player had ever done that previously. Barkley wasn't the only former Nittany Lion to enjoy a strong outing at the NFL Combine. Tight end Mike Gesicki also enhanced his draft potential by turning in a series of impressive performances. Checking in at 6-5, 247 pounds, Gesicki posted the second-best bench press among tight ends, repping 225 pounds 22 times. The following day, he turned in an eye-catching 41.5-inch vertical leap and a broad jump of 9 feet, 10 inches. Both jumps were not only the best in this year's tight end class, but were among the best in the history of the event. According to Rotoworld.com, Gesicki's vertical was tied for fourth-best by a tight end since 2006. His broad jump was tied for seventh-best in the same timeframe. Gesicki's 40 was also impressive, as he tied for the fastest official time at tight end, running 4.54 seconds. Jaylen Samuels from North Carolina State posted an identical time. NFL Network reporter Kim Jones said that a team source told her Gesicki was regarded as a potential first-round selection. Mayock also liked Gesicki's perform- ance. "He ran extremely well in the [40- yard dash]. He's got that very long stride. I don't know if he plays as fast as he timed, and he's never on the line, so he's a perimeter blocker. But boy, he catches the ball and he jumped 41.5- inches," Mayock said. "If you want to talk about the measurables, Mike Gesicki had himself a day." Wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton also worked out for the scouts. While the 6-1, 205-pounder decided to hold off on the 40 until Pro Day at Penn State on March 20, he jumped 34.5 inches in the vertical and 9-10 in the broad jump. Both were middle-of-the-pack at his position. On the field, Hamilton was praised multiple times for his routes, with several scouts noting that he has improved his draft stock since the start of the off-season. Linebacker Jason Cabinda weighed in at 6-1, 239 pounds earlier in the week. He bench pressed 225 pounds 19 times but did not run the 40 or participate in any other on-field drills after receiving a medical exemption. He is expected to work out for the scouts at Pro Day in Holuba Hall. On the final day of the combine, all four members of last year's starting sec- ondary took part in drills, with safety Troy Apke turning in a blazing perform- ance in the 40. Apke, who was coming off an MVP showing in the NFLPA Colle- giate Bowl, ran back-to-back sub-4.4 times. On his first run, he was timed at 4.35 seconds, which was later upgraded to 4.34. It was the fastest time by any safety at the combine, topping Arizona's Dane Cruikshank (4.41) and Alabama's Minkah Fitzpatrick (4.46), and it prompted NFL Network commentator Deion Sanders to gush, "He can run run." Apke, who was listed at 6-1, 200 pounds, followed that initial perform- ance with a 4.39, and he also posted a 41-inch vertical leap. Fellow defensive backs Marcus Allen and Christian Campbell opted out of running the 40 at the combine, choosing instead to run at Pro Day. But cornerback Grant Haley did run and was impressive. Listed at 5-9, 190 pounds, he turned in a 4.49 on his first run, and he followed it with a 4.44. Af- terward, Mayock praised the four-year college starter as a potential sleeper. "No one talks about him," Mayock said. "He plays both outside and inside, and he is really good." Although Allen did not run the 40, he did participate in some of the defensive back drills after checking into the com- bine at 6-2, 215 pounds. Campbell (6-0, 195) opted out of the drills due to a minor injury that prevented him from playing in the Senior Bowl. He is ex- pected to work out for the scouts at Pro Day. – RYAN SNYDER

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