Heading into the NFL Combine, Shane Vereen is expected to be the sixth Cal RB drafted in the past eight years. He does not feel any extra pressure, but he does know that his performances in the Combine could be the difference between a second-round selection and a fifth-round pick.
"I don't know if it's pressure," Vereen said Friday at the NFL scouting combine. "I think it's more of a responsibility that you take over being a Cal running back. You know what's expected of you, and you don't want to do anything less than what is expected."
Vereen (5-foot-10, 210 pounds) has been trading texts and phone calls with former teammate Jahvid Best, taken in the first round (No. 30 overall) by Detroit last year.
"He's given me a heads up on some things," Vereen said.
The other Cal backs who are part of the club are Justin Forsett (seventh round, No. 233 overall by Seattle in 2008), Marshawn Lynch (first round, No. 12 overall by Buffalo in 2007), J.J. Arrington (second round, No. 44 overall by Arizona in 2005) and Adimchinobe Echemandu (seventh round, No. 208 overall by Cleveland in 2004).
All were prepared by Cal running backs coach Ron Gould. "He's produced numerous, numerous backs, and he's going to continue to do that," Vereen said.
Most draft projections have Vereen as a third- or fourth-round selection. He said he's heard everything from second to fifth. A lot will depend on a 40-yard dash time he hopes will be in the 4.4 range when he runs Sunday.
"Teams have a lot of questions about me speedwise, and sizewise," Vereen said. "I don't know if they know exactly how big I was or how fast I can be. I'm looking forward to going out there and showing them the type of player I really am."
After the jump Cameron Jordan talks about the combine, men's basketball sweeps the Oregons, women's basketball ends the losing streak, and baseball shuts out its two Carolina opponents.
Basketball
- Following the same script from the Oregon game, the Bears fell behind by 14 against OSU and used solid defense and 72% shooting to steal an 87-76 win.
- The victory nearly guarantees that the Bears will earn a postseason berth. With a win over Stanford, Cal could earn the number four seed in the Pac-10 tournament.
- Down by thirteen early on, the women's team battled back in the second half to win 58-49 and snap a six-game losing streak. After the game Boyle was pleased that the losing streak finally came to an end. Rachelle 'Mooch' Federico logged her first career start and posted 15 points and 6 rebounds.
- De'End Parker has committed to the Bears. He is the co-Player of the Year in the Coast Conference and a member of the nation's top-ranked JC team.
Football
- Cam Jordan plans to make an impact at the Combine.
- The sun was out, allowing 1000+ fans to have a good time at the Cal Football Open House at AT&T Park.
- No. 4 Cal opened the UCI Invitational with a 10-6 win over UCSB. In the second round they lost 6-5 to no. 5 Hawaii.
- The Bears finished in the top-two at the Pac-10 Championships for the third year in a row. This was their second second-place finish in a row after winning the conference in 2009.
- The 17th-ranked Bears annihilated Coastal Carolina 17-0. They posted another shutout with a 4-0 win over NC State.