Weekend News From The Scouting Combine, Including Potential Targets For The Cowboys

We've made it through the first four days of the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine. Let's take a trip around the web to catch up with news on players and positions of interest to the Dallas Cowboys.

--- Cam Newton threw to mixed reviews on Sunday, after acing the media interviews the day before. This was in direct contrast to Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett. Mallett, by all accounts, did horribly answering character concern questions with the media, then came out and dazzled in the QB drills. Mallett made every throw, while Newton struggled with the 3- and 5-step drops and the out routes, sailing more than a couple of his 12 throws long or into the stands.

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--- The Cowboys held an interview session with Notre Dame's DT Ian Wiliams. Williams is projected to be a mid-round pick in this April's draft.  Here is Williams' profile from NFL Draft Scout, he missed the final four games of the NCAA regular season due to a knee injury.

--- After also being interviewed by the Cowboys, Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara says that it would be a great opportunity to suit of for Dallas on Sundays.

"That would be a very good opportunity,'' Amukamara said of potentially being drafted by the Cowboys. "I'm not foreign to that stadium. I've played in that stadium twice. It's a real nice stadium.''

Yes, this was from the land of canned answers, but in today's world of immediate regret and faux pas, sometimes just being able to answer questions in a politically correct manner is a positive.

--- Prince is a very confident man, and feels he is the best corner prospect in the draft. [mockingthedraft.com]

--- The consensus top corner in the draft, LSU's Patrick Peterson, expects to run the 40 in the 4.2 range tomorrow, and he is certain he is built to play corner despite his large frame. Peterson likens himself to Charles Woodson, very lofty expectations.

--- The Cowboys are changing direction from previous years, and are no longer taping the interview sessions. It seems that they feel their process might have been tainting the responses of the players and misleading them on the attributes they are trying to evaluate.

--- Texas A&M QB Jerrod Johnson reportedly struggled with his combine throws. It's reported that the Cowboys interviewed Johnson in Indy.

--- Oregon State DT Stephen Paea set the NFL Combine record for bench press reps, hitting 49. Very exciting until you see the top 10 list, and there are no NFL studs to be found on the list.

--- USC Tackle Tyron Smith pulled out of the majority of the combine after weighing in and doing the bench press. His draft stock is not expected to be affected.