Michigan State University Athletics
Spartan NFL Combine Report: Saturday
2/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
INDIANAPOLIS - It was an eventful day for the former Spartans in attendance at the NFL Scouting Combine Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Jeremy Langford ran the fastest 40-yard dash time among running backs, clocking in at 4.42 seconds, while potential first-round cornerback Trae Waynes met with the media during interview sessions. Wide receivers Tony Lippett and Keith Mumphery also performed tests and drills in front of scouts on Saturday.
Langford's 40 time was one of the highlights of the day among running backs, according to Bucky Brooks of NFL.com.
Langford also was a top performer in the broad jump, tying for 14th place with a leap of 118 inches. In addition, Langford posted a vertical leap of 34.5 inches, ran the 20-yard shuttle in 4.32 seconds, and clocked in a time of 7.22 seconds in the 3-cone drill.
Lippett's time of 11.44 seconds in the 60-yard shuttle was good for fifth place among wide receivers, and his time of 4.13 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle was 10th best. In the 3-cone, he was timed at 6.92 seconds, which was 12th fastest in his position group. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.61 seconds. He also had a vertical jump of 36 inches and a broad jump of 114 inches while recording 10 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press.
Mumphery ran the 40 in 4.54 seconds, the 20-yard shuttle in 4.25 seconds, and the 3-cone drill in 7.07 seconds. He recorded a broad jump of 121 inches and a vertical of 32.5 inches.
In the media room, Waynes - who entered the combine ranked the No. 1 cornerback in the draft by Mike Mayock of NFL Network - talked about his NFL Combine experience and also what Michigan State means to him on a personal level.
"It's been a great experience," he said. "It's fun to meet all of the guys and to see how this whole situation works. We haven't really got to hang out (with former teammates) and see each other, but just going through the whole process, we're able to talk about it and get ahead on what's to come. We're all just supporting each other and hoping for the best."
Waynes received national attention for a thank-you letter he wrote that was published in The State News on Feb. 10. Although he left school early to pursue his dream of playing in the NFL, he wanted to make sure everyone knew how special Michigan State was to him.
"Basically, I owed all of my success to Michigan State, and not just the coaching staff, but the surrounding cast, and the fans," said Waynes, who was a first-team All-Big Ten selection as a junior in 2014 and also earned second-team All-America honors from the Walter Camp Foundation. "They've always been there to support me, and I felt like I needed to get that out."
Waynes also mentioned the family atmosphere in East Lansing as something that he will miss.
"Family and a home away from home," remarked Waynes on what the coaching staff meant to him. "My dad always talks about how Coach (Harlon) Barnett was like a father figure to me. The coaching staff not only won the respect of me but my parents as well."
WHAT'S NEXT
Live coverage of on-field workouts continues with the linebackers and defensive linemen on Sunday, Feb. 22, and defensive backs on Monday, Feb. 23. Coverage of workouts begins each day at 9 a.m. on the NFL Network and NFL.com. Linebacker Taiwan Jones will be in group No. 9 and will be featured on the NFL Network Sunday at 1 p.m.
