There are 330 players who have been invited to the NFL's annual scouting combine in Indianapolis in late February-early March and four of them played their college ball in Philly.
Temple OL Dion Dawkins, CB Nate Hairston, LB Haason Reddick and RB Jahad Thomas have all been invited - four is a school record. Last year three Temple players went to the combine and all three were drafted. The year before, no Temple players were invited.
Reddick (6-1, 225) is the top prospect among the bunch. While he played defensive end at Temple, Reddick is switching to linebacker as a pro and has already impressed. He was in Mobile, Alabama, for the Senior Bowl and really impressed. The Camden, N.J. native, who played at Haddon Heights, was originally a walk-on at Temple. Now, he could be a first-round pick.
Dawkins (6-5, 315) is the second-best prospect of the bunch. Like Reddick, he too was at the Senior Bowl and had a really good week. At Temple he played offensive tackle, but many view him as a guard at the next level. He's likely to be a second- or third-round pick, according to various publications.
In addition to working out, Reddick and Dawkins will have to answer the same questions over and over from NFL teams. Both were suspended in March of 2015 for their part in a January 2015 fight at a nightclub. They were allowed back on the team and were placed in a diversionary program to avoid a trial.
Hairston (6-0, 185) played in the East-West Shrine game, where some lesser-known prospects get attention. He's a little undersized, but was a solid starter for Temple in 2016. He had two interceptions last season. He might be a late-round pick.
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Thomas (5-10, 170) is another likely late-round pick after piling up 2,599 yards over the last three seasons. In 2016, he carried the ball 207 times for 953 yards and 13 touchdowns. In 2015, he carried the ball 276 times for 1,262 yards and 17 scores. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry in his Temple career.
In addition to the four Temple players in Indy, Villanova, which hasn't had a player drafted since 2011, will be represented. Tanoh Kpassagnon (6-7, 280) was at the Senior Bowl and was very impressive both at weigh-ins and on the field. He's likely to be a high-round pick.
Penn State will have just two players at the combine: WR Chris Godwin and DE Garrett Sickels. Godwin is considered a mid-round pick by CBSSports, while Sickels is considered a late-round guy.
Using nflcombineresults.com, this appears to be the first year since at least 1999 (that's how far their records go back) that Temple will have more players at the combine than Penn State.
