Stanford football: Measuring Joshua Garnett, Kyle Murphy, and Austin Hooper at the NFL Combine

On Wednesday, three members of the Stanford Cardinal Football program were the first to be measured and interviewed for the 2016 NFL Combine.

Joshua Garnett, Kyle Murphy, and Austin Hooper were the first to be poked, prodded, and interviewed in Indianapolis.

Each of the Cardinal stars are thought to be picked for the upcoming NFL Draft in the early rounds, and all three did not disappoint the audience with their size and intelligence in the interview section.

Here is a brief rundown of how each player fared on the first day:

Joshua Garnett, Guard
The 2015 Outland Trophy winner came into the 2016 NFL Combine as one of the most heralded Offensive Lineman to ever grace the field for the Cardinal. Garnett had a fantastic season for the Cardinal in 2015, and improved in every facet of the game. Superstar RB Christian McCaffrey gave a ton of the credit for his season to Garnett and fellow Tackle Kyle Murphy. Folks at the combine were most impressed by Garnett's attitude and ability to answer questions in an eloquent and educated manner. The question that brought a wave of positive response was when Garnett was asked what he was likely to do after his playing days are over, his response "I want to go the medical school and work as a trauma surgeon". Many scouts have given him described him as an "intellectual mauler". Many are interested to see how Garnett will fare in the agility drills because the action on film speaks volumes, but the NFL game is played at a speed like no other.

Measures
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 312lbs
Hands: 10 1/8"
Arm Length: 33 7/8"

Kyle Murphy, Tackle
Murphy slid over to the Left Tackle position to take over the huge void left by 2015 1st round draft pick Andrus Peat and performed at an elite level for the Cardinal in 2015. Murphy performed extremely well in pass protection, and his run block ability improved dramatically throughout the season. The only knock on Murphy right now is that he is not the quickest of Tackles out there, and may not be able to perform in a few drills at the combine this week due to injury. Murphy is said to be more of a project, and may need a little "seasoning" before becoming a perennial contributor for a team. Scouts are interested to see how Murphy will perform in the strength portion as many believe that is a point of emphasis for if he is not the quickest, he will need to be strong as a Right Tackle to compliment any run game.

Measures
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 305lbs
Hands: 9 ¾"
Arm Length: 33 ½"

Austin Hooper, Tight End
Hooper is an interesting case of should have he stayed another year on the farm at Stanford, or is he NFL ready? The general consensus from scouts in Indianapolis is that the young man is NFL ready, just needs to be polished up a bit. Many scouts feel Hooper has the size, and play making ability that will make him a target to be drafted in the early rounds. Many feel that the Mackey Award (Top Tight End in College Football) finalist has the physical attributes; just will need a little coaching on proper route running skills. Hooper is a physical specimen that is training for the NFL Combine with the same folks that trained Philadelphia Eagles star, and Stanford Cardinal alumnus TE Zach Ertz at CAL Strength supervised by elite trainer and combine guru Dave Spitz. Many scouts are interested to see how Hooper fares in the agility portion, and how his route running skills have changed.

Measures
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 254lbs
Hands: 10 5/8"
Arm Length: 33 ¾"