INDIANAPOLIS — The arms race was on at the NFL Combine Saturday afternoon.

The quarterbacks went through their paces at Lucas Oil Stadium and a couple of smaller-school prospects who have been linked to the Patriots for various reasons fared well.

Richmond’s Kyle Lauletta, projected to be a mid-round selection, and Toledo’s Logan Woodside, tabbed by many as a later-round guy, showed athleticism and accuracy.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 213-pound Lauletta was a three-year starter and threw for 10,357 yards and 71 touchdowns for the Spiders. A former lacrosse standout in high school, his father, Joe, was a Navy quarterback in the mid-1980s.

Lauletta has been compared to Jimmy Garoppolo (he has similar size and a quick release) and he’s just fine with that.

“I’ve watched him quite a bit and I definitely see some similarities,’’ Lauletta said. “He’s obviously an FCS guy. He has quick feet and he’s accurate. He’s an outstanding leader from the sound bites I’ve seen. As a QB, you have to be a great communicator, and Jimmy is a great communicator. It just seems like he has a mojo to him, a little bit of swagger to him that is infectious. He’s a player I’d love to model my game around.’’

If Lauletta lands in Foxborough next month, he’ll be modeling his game after another guy that was a bit of swagger to him.

“I think any quarterback would love to be in that position,’’ Lauletta said. “Learning from a guy like Tom Brady, you can learn so much just by the way he works and observing the way he goes about his business day to day. Wherever I am, I think I’ll be in a good spot, but that would definitely be a good one.’’

Woodside (6-2, 201 pounds) put up more than 8,000 yards, and 36 TDs the last two seasons for the Rockets.

He said he met with some of New England’s scouts and at the NFLPA game, and he received some positive feedback.

“It was good,’’ Woodside said. “I think they’re going to be on the market for a QB. We’ll see. You never know what’s going to happen in the draft. But it’d be a great experience to go up there and get a shot with those guys.’’

Though he said he tries to emulate Drew Brees’s style, Woodside also said he would fit in well as a Brady protégé because of his ability to activate all his weapons.

“We did a lot of that at Toledo,’’ he said. “Spreading it out, getting the ball to a bunch of guys, and obviously Tom does a great job of that — the best to ever do it. I think I do a good job of finding matchups and getting the ball where it needs to be on time.’’

Impressive display

Without a doubt the best moment of the combine was watching Shaquem Griffin rip off 20 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press Saturday afternoon.

The outside linebacker, who helped lead Central Florida to 13-0 mark last season, had his left hand amputated at age 4 because of a prenatal condition that caused his hands and fingers to not fully develop. Griffin used a prosthetic device during his lift.

An extremely athletic and instinctive player, the 6-1, 227-pounder had 74 tackles, 13½ for losses, a team-high 7 sacks, and an interception for the Golden Knights. His twin, Shaquill, was a third-round pick of the Seahawks last season.

Shaquem’s “Open Letter to NFL GMs,’’ posted on the Players’ Tribune last week, is heartfelt, inspiring, and definitely worth your time. He is projected as a middle-round selection.

Simply the best

Boston College defensive end Harold Landry declared he’s “the best pass rusher in this draft.’’ Why? “Nobody has my first step and bend.’’ . . . ESPN reported that former Xaverian star Maurice Hurst Jr. was diagnosed with an unspecified heart condition, ending his combine. The Michigan product and son of the former Patriot is among the top defensive tackles in this class. He is expected to undergo further testing this coming week . . . Ohio State defensive end Sam Hubbard was scheduled to have a formal meeting with the Patriots Saturday night. Hubbard was another star lacrosse player in high school and turned down a scholarship to play the sport at Notre Dame . . . Washington State defensive tackle Hercules Mata’afa was so named by his mother because “I was the biggest baby in my family — I came out like 10 pounds. So it was between Anthony and Hercules and she chose Hercules. I’m glad she did, too.’’ The 6-1, 254-pound Mata’afa (pronounced MAH-tah-AH-FAH) was a standout wrestler in high school and plays with great balance and agility. He projects as an edge rusher at the next level.

Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com.