:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/29045045/20120830_jel_ai4_301.0.jpg)
The first day of on-field testing and drills at the 2014 National Football League Combine was a quiet one for Mid-American Conference players. The position groups involved with today's events were tight ends and offensive linemen.
Only one of the MAC's 10 invited participants was scheduled to compete today: Rob Blanchflower of the Massachusetts Minutemen. Unfortunately, he did not actually participate in the drills. According to this report from ESPN, Blanchflower is recovering from sports hernia surgery (see second paragraph).
Obviously, this is a setback for Blanchflower, but it doesn't have to be a deal-killer. This does happen to players on occasion, and that's part of the reason why the combine precedes the draft by nearly three months. If you'll remember, Bowling Green's Chris Jones was recovering from some injury issues at the time of last year's Combine. He was able to participate in BGSU's pro day and was eventually drafted.
Like Jones, Blanchflower was physically present at the Combine and participated in other parts of the evaluation process.
What does this mean? It simply means that Blanchflower will have to work harder to impress scouts over the next two and a half months. Admittedly, with the injuries he worked through as a senior, this could throw up a red flag for some teams, but he does have time to get healthy and make some noise. We'll continue to follow his situation throughout the draft process.
The Combine will continue tomorrow with offensive skill positions, including quarterback, running back and wide receivers. Five players from the MAC will be represented in this group, including Jordan Lynch and Keith Wenning. Perhaps the most interesting part of the day will be Dri Archer's attempt at the 40-yard dash. Can Archer break the Combine record? You can tune into NFL Network and watch, or you can follow us as we provide updates.
If you don't already, you should follow Jeremy Guy, the MAC's Director of Communications (@JGuyMAC), and Phil Burwell, the MAC's Associate Director of Media Relations (@PBurwellMAC), on Twitter. Both are representing the MAC at the Combine and are tweeting out some great content.
We also suggest that you follow the MAC Digital Network on YouTube. They've uploaded several great videos of the MAC's players at this year's Combine.