INDIANAPOLIS -- As mentioned Saturday, one of the weirdest Indy scouting combine news conferences involved the NFL trying to persuade players to run 40-yard dashes years ago on what was considered a slow track.

Before the combine was televised, the NFL had an impossible time persuading draft prospects to run because the artificial turf in the old RCA Dome was slow. In response, the NFL purchased something called Mondo Track, a rubberized surface used in Olympic venues that is supposed to be fast.

Unfortunately, the NFL placed Mondo Track on top of the old surface. The league brought in a world-class sprinter to test it out and he ran a 4.8-second 40. Whoops.

Well, speed isn't a problem at the 2013 combine.

Here is what we learned Sunday:

West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin made an strong impression at the combine with his speed and hands. AP Photo/Ben Liebenberg

1. There is plenty of speed in the year's class of receivers. According to NFL Network times, 30 of the 34 wide receivers who ran 40s clocked 4.5 or better. When the official times came in, 15 were credited with 4.5 times or better, which was still impressive. The big winner was West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin, who not only ran a blistering 4.34, but he caught the ball very well. Austin might have sprinted his way to the bottom of the first round. The consensus is that Cordarrelle Patterson of Tennessee and Keenan Allen of California are the sure first-round choices. Patterson didn't hurt his cause by running a 4.42 40. Allen was injured and didn't work out. Nevertheless, most believe they will both go in the first round because they are big receivers who can play the outside. Austin could be the next DeSean Jackson, only faster. He's 5-foot-8, 174 pounds and is explosive and exciting. Eleven more receivers could go in rounds 2-4. What was evident Sunday is that most of the receivers have good size and great speed. Teams heading into this draft now don't have to worry and panic about getting a quality athlete at receiver too early. Sunday's track meet showed this draft has depth at the position even though many of the receivers looked raw in running precise routes.

2. None of the quarterback prospects made a breakthrough. On Sunday, the hope of the NFL was for the quarterbacks to step up and claim top-10 draft spots. That didn't happen. Geno Smith of West Virginia probably did the best of the quarterbacks who worked out, but he didn't put on a show. When he did a seven-step drop, he had a hop in his footwork that took away from his throws. He wasn't consistently great, but he showed a strong arm and a lot of promise. That's the problem with the quarterbacks in this draft class. They continue to prove consistently inconsistent. Mike Glennon of North Carolina State showed a strong arm but was inconsistent throwing. Ryan Nassib of Syracuse didn't show a strong arm and didn't make a move. EJ Manuel of Florida State could be the next Colin Kaepernick, but he's going to need someone willing to wait until he develops. Tyler Wilson of Arkansas would be among the top three quarterbacks of Sunday, but he needs more work. Landry Jones of Oklahoma looks like a quarterback who's struggling moving from a shotgun offense to any kind of dropback scheme.