Notre Dame football: Eifert shines in Combine tests

On a day when former Notre Dame teammate Manti Te'o made headlines off the field, tight end Tyler Eifert made waves on it.

The Irish All-American was consistently among the leaders in his position group in all of the physical testing Saturday at the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

"I think with the tight ends, the day belonged to Tyler Eifert," analyst Mike Mayock said during the NFL Network's telecast of the event on Saturday.

He added that the 6-foot-5 1/2, 250-pound Eifert added to his chances of being a first-round draft choice. The NFL Draft is set for April 25-27 in New York.

Eifert had the fourth-fastest time in the 40-yard dash (4.68 seconds) among the tight end prospects and tied for third in his position group with 22 reps at 225 pounds in the bench press. By comparison, Alabama offensive tackle D.J. Fluker, a projected first-rounder, did 21 reps.

Eifert had the best time among tight ends in the three-cone drill (6.92 seconds); was second in the vertical leap (35.5 inches), standing broad jump (11 feet, 11 inches) and the 60-yard shuttle; and third in the 20-yard shuttle (4.32 seconds). His numbers, in all but one category, topped another high-profiled tight end prospect, Zach Ertz, of Stanford.

Eifert is one of eight Notre Dame players who were invited to this year's combine, the 27th annual. Offensive linemen, tight ends and special teams players went through the physical testing Saturday.

Former Irish running backs Cierre Wood and Theo Riddick move into the spotlight Sunday, when the running backs and wide receivers take their turns.

Te'o, who Saturday addressed the girlfriend hoax with the media, will have his shot on the field on Monday.

Center Braxston Cave, a weightroom warrior, did not participate in the bench press on Saturday but performed in most of the other drills. The Penn High product's time in the 40 was 5.33 seconds. Fluker ran a 5.31.

Players who were not invited to the combine or those who want to improve their combine performances will have that chance at Notre Dame's Pro Day, March 26 at the Loftus Center.

Source: http://www.southbendtribune.com/sports/notredame/sbt-notre-dame-football-eifert-shines-in-combine-tests-20130223,0,4956327.story?track=rss

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