MAUALUGA LEAVES, THEN RETURNS AT PRO DAY

Rey Maualuga, who wasn’t among the initial group of eight Trojans to run their 40 at the beginning of the workouts, went through position drills along with fellow linebackers Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews and Kaluka Maiava. After leaving to attend to a nagging blister on his foot, he returned to run a solo 40 run that clocked in at 4.7 according to NFL Network’s Mike Mayock. He was clocked at 4.83 at the Combine. Maualuga said he has a visit scheduled with the Falcons on Saturday and seven visits with teams between now and April 20th. “I just came out and did everything to the best of my abilities,” Maualuga said. “Am I satisfied with my performance? Yes. If I didn’t give it everything that I had, then what’s the point of being out here?”

Mandel's Take: The 40 time and the rest of his measurables are fine, but teams aren't going to make a draft decision about this kid based on a couple of tenths of a second or a few reps. Anyone who sees the former USC man on film, WITH PADS is going to realize that Maualuga is a fierce player, one who actually may need to rein in his emotions a bit and play a bit more in control if he wants to be successful in the NFL. That being said, his aggressive streak is what makes him such a good player, one with big time potential--do teams want to mess with that? The former Trojan has great football instincts, hits like a freight train, and is the best linebacker in this Draft. Rev--you've gotta like this guy's chances in the NFL. Is he another Seau or Lewis?

Mancini's Take: I definitely see the comparison with Seau. Much like the legendary Charger, Maualuga is a wild man, who takes on blockers and punishes ballcarriers with incredible ferocity. This guy's lateral agility is tremendous, but he can be overaggressive to the point where you'll also see him overrun plays, which may create cutback lanes for the opposing runner. Overall, though, I think this guy's an impact player who'll force his share of fumbles and also makes plays in coverage. That's right, Ross man, a run-stuffing intimidator who's a three-down player. This is what you get with Maualuga. He's the complete package. Just don't be surprised to frequently see his name on the injury report due to his violent style of play.

Photo Credit: College Press Box (USC)