At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Mizzou’s two defensive lineman Jacquies Smith and Dominique Hamilton didn’t rank as high in the drills with other lineman. Smith had just the 10th fastest 40 yard dash and he is known for his speed. Hamilton was 12th in the bench press with 31 reps, with a large group of prospect in that 30-36 rep range, except for Dontari Poe of Memphis who had 44.

Hamilton is rated by NFL.com as being a solid run stopper, but not impressive in the pass rush. That may not bode well for Hamilton on draft day. “Hamilton is a very slow mover who takes a while to labor off the ball once it’s snapped. He doesn’t play instinctively and could struggle against double teams at the next level. NFL teams will want to give just enough help from another interior lineman to seal him and he could be entirely eliminated from the play. He is a non-factor against the pass; NFL offenses will love to just slightly double him against the run and forget about him entirely on passing downs, he needs to be more of a factor and consistent player against the pass to be a three-down lineman.”

Meanwhile, Smith could find himself on a NFL roster because of his speed. However, he lacks the size to be a serious pass rushing threat coming off the line against bigger sized OL. NFL.com had this to say.

“Smith is undersized and can really struggle against double teams. Will likely be a two-down defender at the next level. Can fall off tackles at times, and can get stoned while pass rushing against more powerful offensive lineman.”