First Down Kentucky: The Most Ridiculous Things said at the NFL Combine

The NFL Combine produces a hodgepodge of news. It varies from serious football items to the most absurd. We’re in the middle of the first day of workouts and it’s already getting ridiculous.

Before we get too ridiculous, let me share with you something that should appeal to Kentucky fans. Before Kris Abrams-Draine was a second-team All-American defensive back, he was recruited to play wide receiver at Missouri by Bush Hamdan.

“I had a good relationship with Coach Bush. He was an amazing dude who always pushed me to be better and I feel like I learned a lot from him,” Abrams-Draine told KSR.

During those early years at Missouri, one of his closest confidants was Ja’Mori Maclin. The former Tiger believes Kentucky got a good one.

“J-Mac, he’s an excellent route runner,” said Abrams-Draine. “He’s very detailed in everything he does and he’s a very good person. He was like one of my best friends when I first got to Mizzou. I feel like he’s very competitive. He’s gonna work hard every day and he’s always going to run the best routes.”

Maclin’s Twitter handle @RouteRunner9 isn’t just lip service. Maclin is adding some technical expertise to the Kentucky wide receiver room. Now, onto the nonsense…

The Chop Robinson Origin Story

Former Penn State defensive end Chop Robinson will be one of the first pass rushers to hear his name called in the NFL Draft. “Chop” is a great name for a trench athlete, but it’s not his God-given name. Born Demeioun Robinson, ahead of the Combine tests he was asked where the nickname Chop came from.

“When I was born, I was 14 pounds and the nickname my Mom gave me was Pork Chop.”

FOURTEEN POUNDS. I hope Chop buys his mother a nice car once that first NFL check clears. She earned it, and then some.

Someone at the Combine “Doesn’t Believe in Space”

As in outer space. Texas Tech safety Tyler Owens is anti-planet.

Texas Tech's Tyler Owens, who's a favorite to post the fastest 40 at this year's NFL combine, doesn't "believe in space," as in "other planets," and feels flat-earth theories have some "valid points." pic.twitter.com/jE2jv9vyLv

— Brent Sobleski (@brentsobleski) February 29, 2024

Meanwhile, former Illinois tight end Tip Reiman shared that he is a part of the “Birds aren’t Real” movement, a conspiracy theory that mocks conspiracy theorists.

“Have you ever seen a baby pigeon? How do we know that power lines aren’t pigeon recharging stations?”

The Biggest Story at the Combine

Fat-shaming is a widely accepted practice at the NFL Combine. Folks were prepared to bury T’Vondre Sweat for being overweight. The Texas Longhorn defensive tackle is a unit, but when he stepped on the scale it did not tip over.

Sweat was listed at 365 pounds in the Texas program. Most assumed that was on the light side. He weighed in at 366 pounds. That was arguably the biggest news story of the day in Indy. We’ll have much more hard-hitting news coming soon from the NFL Combine.

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