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News and Notes: Eight Updates From Day 2 of 2018 Combine

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The activity at the NFL Scouting Combine continued Thursday as more head coaches and general managers spoke with reporters, and the prospects started to make their way through the media room.

Offensive linemen and running backs were the first group of prospects to meet with reporters, and Penn State running back Saquon Barkley was the marquee attraction of the day.

Here are some of the news and notes from the second day in Indianapolis:

  • Oklahoma offensive tackle Orlando Brown, who has been a popular mock draft projection to Baltimore with the No. 16 overall pick, told reporters he has already met with General Manager Ozzie Newsome. Brown's father, also named Orlando, played for the Ravens during his NFL career and was well regarded during his time in Baltimore. The 6-foot-7, 345 pounder said he's always focused on playing the same position as his father because "he's always been fat." The concern for Brown is that he only put up 14 reps in the bench press, which was well below the average for offensive linemen.
  • New Cleveland Browns General Manager John Dorsey told reporters that the No. 1 overall pick is up for grabs. "There are a lot of things I can do at No. 1 and not just get a quarterback," Dorsey said. "My door is wide open if someone wants to come up and talk to me about a trade, I'm willing to trade."
  • While they're not committed to drafting a quarterback in the first round, the Browns are doing their homework on the top prospects. The top four quarterbacks in this year's class are considered USC's Sam Darnold, UCLA's Josh Rosen, Wyoming's Josh Allen and Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield. Dorsey told reporters, "we're going to meet with all of them over the next few days."
  • The quarterbacks weighed in Thursday morning and most of the curiosity centered on Mayfield. He's slightly undersized for the position, and he measured in at 6-feet and 5/8-inch tall, with 9-and 1/4-inch hands. Dorsey said that hand size is important for AFC North quarterbacks, and that Mayfield meets the threshold they have.
  • Barkley's press conference drew quite the crowd and he took plenty of questions about the likelihood of being the No. 1 overall pick to the Browns. He said he would welcome the challenge of trying to help turn around Cleveland's fortunes and compared it to the turnaround he helped drive at Penn State. "That would be awesome," Barkley said. "You want to be part of something bigger than yourself. Even though we weren't able to win a national championship, we were able to get a Big 10 championship and help get that thing turned around. That's bigger than yourself. That's something where you leave a legacy and people are going to talk about it for a long time."
  • Ohio State offensive lineman Billy Price, who is considered a potential first-round pick, suffered an apparent shoulder or pectoral injury during the bench press drills. He immediately grabbed his left shoulder injury during the drill and left the stage in pain. He did not meet with the media after the injury and is reportedly undergoing tests to determine the severity of the injury.
  • Notre Dame offensive guard Quenton Nelson further cemented his status as the draft's best guard with his performance in the bench press. He put up 35 reps of 225 pounds, which was tied for the second-best mark on the day.
  • San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan had the line of the day during his press conference. The 49ers, who ended the season on a five-game winning streak, are considered a team that is generating a good amount of media buzz based on their finish and the signing of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. "I've told a lot of people this," Shanahan said, "the way to get people to feel good about 6-10 is to start the season 0-9."
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