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21	August 2018

Carrasco�s mound misfortune to bad luck

For Clemson receiver Deon Cain Antonio Senzatela Colorado Rockies Jersey , there's nothing tedious about all the timing and testing at the NFL scouting combine.

"It's a great feeling because I'm starting to get into this professional life and I'm loving it every day," Cain said.

Cain impressed coaches Saturday with his superior speed and great hands, traits that were particularly apparent in the gauntlet drill at Lucas Oil Stadium.

That's where receivers stand on one sideline, spin and catch a pass from 10 yards away, then spin and catch one from the other direction. Then, they sprint toward the other sideline, catching five more 10-yard passes from alternating directions before coming back the other way, catching another seven throws.

While Cain was eager to show off his skills Saturday during the on-field sessions with quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends, he said he's actually enjoyed every aspect of the annual gathering of top college prospects.

"This combine experience has been fun for me. At the end of the day, I love every moment about it," Cain said. "Just trying to take everything day by day, going through this process, talking to coaches Mike McGlinchey Youth Jersey , meeting new people, being around Hall of Famers every day."

Cain had a goal of running a sub-4.4-second 40-yard dash after all the speed work he did over the last six weeks at the Exos performance center in Phoenix, where he added 10 pounds of lean muscle to his 6-foot-1 frame.

He did just that, posting a time of 4.3 seconds Saturday before showing off his route-running skills during the hour-long session that included top-tier quarterbacks Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson .

"I feel like Exos really prepared me for this moment," said Cain, who also posted respectable jumps 鈥?33陆 inches in the vertical and 9 feet, 7 inches in the broad. "We train hard, train well with great efficiency, prepping me for interviews and everything. I feel like they gave us the upper hand, the answers to the test out here and now it's just a routine.

"I'm out here trying my best out here and just trying to do what I know I'm capable of doing."

Cain, a projected second-day draft pick, played three seasons at Clemson and was productive receiver for a team that made three playoff appearances and played in two national championship games.

Cain played in only one of those national championship games. After the regular season of his freshman year, he was suspended for the College Football Playoff by Tigers coach Dabo Swinney for failing a drug test for marijuana.

Knowing that would come up in interviews with teams this week, Cain prepared to face the scrutiny with honesty Authentic Cam Fowler Jersey , eager to show that's not an issue teams need to worry about.

"It's been great so far, really just getting to know all the coaches, let them get a good feel of me, and just show them that I'm smart off the field, smart on the field and I know football both ways, and really just let them get feel of me," Cain said.

On the field, he said he's showing teams he's versatile, coachable and confident yet humble.

"I can do it all. If you want me to play inside, outside. If you want me to go down and block, I can do anything. I said I'm capable of doing anything," he said.

And he pledged to never stop trying to improve.

"Now that I'm going on to the next level, I always want to be better and more technically sound because now you're just going against way better DBs now," Cain said.

Whoever picks him Jason Sanders Color Rush Jersey , he said, will "get an efficient, hard worker, someone who will go hard every play. I'm just going to be me out there, as long as they let me be me and coach me the right way, they're going to get a great receiver."

Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: ://arniestapleton

More NFL coverage: ://pro32.ap.org and ://AP_NFL

The Indians caught a lucky break. Carlos Carrasco is only bruised.

An MRI taken Monday revealed that Cleveland�s steady starter only suffered a bruised right elbow when he was struck by a vicious line drive on Saturday against Minnesota.

�We dodged a huge bullet,� said relieved Indians manager Terry Francona.

Carrasco, who has previously sustained serious injuries after being hit by comebackers, will be treated for swelling over the next 48 hours before being evaluated on Wednesday.

At this point, it�s expected that Carrasco will return to the rotation and mound once his stint on the disabled list ends.

�He still got hit really hard and there�s some trauma,� Francona said before the Indians opened a three-game series with the Chicago White Sox. �The hope would be, once he gets the swelling out of there, that he�ll come quick because it�s a bruise and it could have been a lot worse.�

In the second inning on Saturday, Twins star Joe Mauer hit a line drive that Carrasco couldn�t avoid. The 31-year-old Cheap Derwin James Jersey , who has been one of the AL�s most consistent pitchers the past three seasons, braced himself before absorbing the liner. He was forced to leave the game and taken to the hospital.

Carrrasco has a history of being hit on the mound. He was struck in the face in 2015 and then missed the 2016 playoffs after breaking his hand, a blow that left the Indians short one of their top pitchers during their run to the World Series.

But despite Carrasco�s track record of being a target, Francona isn�t worried about the 31-year-old showing any jitters when he pitches.

�He�s been hit before and you think, `OK will it bother him?�� Francona said. �He�s been hit before so I think he�s champing at the bit to get this out of there and start pitching again. It�s easy to tell him, `Hey, don�t worry about it.� I�m not the one standing out there.

�This is fourth time, and I�ve never seen any ill effects before and I don�t anticipate any going forward. I think he�s just glad that it�s a bruise and see how quick he can get better.�

Francona chalked up Carrasco�s mound misfortune to bad luck.

�I do think there are pitchers that put themselves in a position where they are not able to field their position, but Carlos is fine,� Francona said. �He lands flat and he�s in a really good position, most of the time. The fact that he could get his hand up and kind of block it and not hit somewhere else.�

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