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8 Updates from Day 2 at the Combine

022819_Day2UpdatesFromTheCombine

On Day 2 of the NFL Combine, the player measurements and interviews continued, with on-field workouts set to begin Friday.

Here's some of the Day 2 buzz that took place in Indianapolis:

1. Oakland Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden is already thinking about the prospect of competing against Joe Flacco in the AFC West. The Ravens have reportedly agreed to trade Flacco to the Denver Broncos, but no trades can be made official until March 13, the start of the new league year. Teams are permitted from commenting on the terms of the deal, but Gruden has obviously seen the reports.

"Flacco's coming to town in Denver; he's a World Championship quarterback," Gruden said. "We know what [Patrick] Mahomes just did and Philip Rivers is still very dangerous. So, defensively we have to improve at all three levels and offensively we have to improve as well."

2. Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray measured 5-10 1/8 inches tall and weighed 207 pounds. Russell Wilson of the Seahawks, who measured 5-10 5/8, 204 pounds in 2012, is the only starting quarterback in the NFL under 6-feet tall. Murray's height will remain an issue with those who doubt his ability to be a successful starting NFL quarterback. But his teammate at Oklahoma, offensive lineman Bobby Evans, thinks any team that doesn't draft Murray due to his height is making a mistake.

"People don't really know him, don't really know how he plays," Evans said. "I know from personal experience. He can do it."

3. Another one of the most intriguing weigh-ins came from Ole Miss wide receiver D.K. Metcalf, who created quite the stir on Twitter with a picture from his pre-Combine workouts. He drew attention once again at his weigh-in, coming in at 228 pounds with just 1.6 percent body fat.

"We had a guy walk into our room last night, a receiver out of Ole Miss. I think his name was Metcalf," Gruden said. "He looked like Jim Brown. He's the biggest wideout I've ever seen. You've got to ask yourself: 'Who's tackling this guy?'"

4. The Panthers will be in the market for a running back in this year's draft to relieve some of the workload from Christian McCaffery, who had 219 rushing attempts and caught 107 passes.

"Understanding what Christian did last year, how many reps he played, that's something we do have to be concerned with," Panthers Head Coach Ron Rivera said.

5. Los Angeles Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco is trying not to stress about the video of Pro Bowl safety Derwin James soaring above the rim for a dunk. Telesco wasn't shocked, but would rather not see James playing basketball during the offseason.

"I think NFL players have probably been playing offseason basketball since before Vince Lombardi, so I know it happens," Telesco said. "I'm not thrilled about it. But you just want guys to be educated in what the risks are, and hopefully they stay safe."

6. The San Francisco 49ers have not engaged with the Pittsburgh Steelers in trade talks involving wide receiver Antonio Brown, according to 49ers general manager John Lynch. Brown has referenced the 49ers in some Twitter posts this offseason.

"It's funny, the world we live in, where one tweet from a player to another turns into interest and all of that," Lynch said. "I can tell you, like every team in this league, we think the guy is a heck of a football player. But, we have not had talks with the Steelers. I can tell you that."

7. Chargers Head Coach Anthony Lynn says he would like to see more position coaches make the leap to head coach without having to become coordinators first.

"I would like to see more position coaches get opportunities to be head coaches, where they don't have to check the coordinator box," Lynn said. "I think we're missing out on some pretty good coaches having that as one of our criteria. Then I think you might see more African-Americans get some opportunities. And it's not just African-American coaches, it's every coach."

8. Former Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, in his new role as Assistant Head Coach of the Vikings, has already made an impression on head coach Mike Zimmer.

"I've sat in the meetings every single day, and I've been so impressed with the way the communication is going, the way that Gary talks about it," Zimmer said. "It's almost like romantic for me -- there's a sound bite for you."

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