The 2011 NFL Scouting Combine begins on Wednesday and continues through the first day of March, if you like that sort of thing. And if you like that sort of thing you've probably been following NFL mock drafts for the last two months, at least, which means that all those spare minutes you spent waiting to scroll down and see Julio Jones' name in the 14th spot of the first round are about to be rendered worthless.
↵Because nothing messes with a mock draft like the combine. Workout warriors are about to climb up draft boards so fast they make Mel Kiper's hair move, a little; players teams have been targeting for six months are going to show up just a little out of shape, run a bad 40 time, and vanish from the first round in a wheeze.
↵Of all the players the St. Louis Rams are targeting I think Jonathan Baldwin, Pitt's wide receiver, has the most to gain or lose. He's all physical gifts, and people have almost begun pricing in a "surprisingly" great Combine performance before he's even shown up. If he blows it, though, all those makeup problems that have dogged him in the media of late will be magnified, and he could drift right on out of the first round.