First came Mike Mayock’s strong, negative comments about Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burfict before the Combine.
Once Burfict got to Indianapolis, things didn’t get any better. His interviews with teams and the media were described as disastrous.
“I’m not sure any player here sparked a worse reaction than Vontaze Burfict,” writes Bruce Feldman of CBS Sports. “I wouldn’t touch him.”
“The guy is completely out of control. There’s no way you could trust him. I can’t believe they [ASU coaching staff] didn’t cut him loose,” one scout told Feldman.
Burfict cut his weight to 248 pounds before the Combine, but it didn’t help him in the forty-yard dash. He ran unofficial forty times of 4.93 and 5.10 Monday. That will draw some comparisons to Brandon Spikes two years ago, but Spikes is known as a heady, instinctive player. Burfict’s instincts have often been questioned.
Years ago, Burfict was considered a potential top-ten pick. Now he seems more likely to slide until the latter portions of the draft.