Offensive linemen and tight ends weighed in at the Scouting Combine Thursday, and Southern Cal offensive tackle Tyron Smith “dominated” the Underwear Olympics with a freakish build.
A projected top-20 pick, Smith’s arms are 36 3/8 inches, giving him one of the longest reaches among players measured at the Combine over the last decade. Smith has catcher mitts for hands at 11 inches, and he packs 307 pounds onto a 6-foot-5 frame.
In 2010, Smith took home Morris Trophy honors as the Pac-10’s top offensive lineman. He played right tackle for the Trojans, but will be a left tackle in the pros.
Other first-day weigh-in highlights:
Notre Dame tight end Kyle Rudolph is 6-foot-6 and 259 pounds with 34-inch arms and 10 1/4-inch hands. The big hands help explain Rudolph’s outstanding pass-catching skills; he rarely dropped passes for the Irish. Rudolph’s offensive tackle-like arms figure to help him as an in-line blocker.
Colorado left tackle Nate Solder measured 6-foot-8 and 319 pounds, the latter figure up five pounds from his Senior Bowl weigh-in. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Solder “looked like he could add 20 more (pounds), easy.” With 34 1/2-inch arms, it’s safe to say Solder will be staying at left tackle in the NFL.
Florida center/guard Mike Pouncey is 6-foot-5 and 303 pounds. A projected first-round pick, Mike is one inch taller than his twin brother, Maurkice. The Steelers’ center measured 6-foot-4 and 303 pounds at last year’s Combine weigh-in. Mike has relatively short, 32 1/2-inch arms, but that’s not as big a problem for interior offensive linemen. Pouncey’s big frame will come in handy in a league placing a greater emphasis on massive, clogger-type nose tackles in 3-4 defensive schemes.