The annual NFL Combine is a four-day event that allows collegiate athletes to showcase their talent to all 32 NFL scouts in attendance. Depending on their performance, this can positively or negatively affect an athlete’s ranking on teams’ draft boards. 

At this year’s NFL Combine, the first day primarily focused on the linemen and the edge rushers. For the linemen, Ty Robinson from the University of Nebraska managed to run a 4.83 40-yard dash, being the fastest one in the 40-yard dash for all the linemen. Aside from that, he was doing decent, working to keep up but not anything eye-opening for the most part. Some other linemen like Tyree Ingram Dawkins from the University of Georgia and Jarden Harrison Hunt from Southern Methodist University were also able to do relatively well and were able to keep the draft stock they entered with.

Day one also featured edge rushers, which was a big difference from the linemen. One of the most prominent figures from the edge rusher section of the combine was Shemar Stewart from Texas A&M University. He was able to have one of the best combine performances ever, with a 40-inch vertical, 11-foot broad jump, and a 4.59 in the 40-yard dash. All of these numbers for someone of his size were considered to be elite numbers and classified his athleticism very clearly.  This had talks of having Stewert being a top 10 draft pick in the next upcoming NFL draft.

Another big edge rusher was James Pearce Jr. from the University of Tennessee. He was able to run a 4.47 for the 40-yard dash, being the fastest out of anyone, while also being the fastest for the 10-yard dash at 1.56. This easily showcases his amazing speed and explosive ability. 

One more very prominent edge rusher was Landon Jackson from the University of Arkansas, who was able to compare to Shemar Stewart with his elite vertical being 40.5, while he is also heavier than Stewart, showing off his athleticism as well.

On Day 2, it was the Defensive Backs and Tight End showcase. Going into this, there was confusion around this, as there was no stand-out prospect at these positions during the season. This idea continued to be shown during their evaluation.

One bright spot was that Corners put their speed on full display. Five Corners ran under 4.44 for the 40-yard dash. There were multiple players to help their draft stock; Maxell Hariston from the University of Kentucky was one of the three biggest standouts of the night. He ran a 4.28 40-yard dash which only helped when NFL Scouts turned on his film as he plays with this level of speed on each down. This was also the fastest time throughout the entire combine. Maxell is not just fast; he also has great jumps as well as he had a 10’9” broad jump and 39.5 inch vertical jump. 

Darien Porter from Iowa State had the overall best performance from the defensive backs as he had the second fastest 40-yard dash for his position running a 4.30, along with the fastest 10-yard split. He had the second longest broad jump, which was 10 ‘1 feet, the fastest 3-cone drill time which was a 6.71 and the second best short shuttle time being 4.03.

Nick Emmanwori, a safety from South Carolina, was an athletic freak. He is 6’3”, 220 pounds, putting up unreal numbers at the combine. He had a 43-inch vertical jump, an 11’ 6” broad jump, and ran a 4.38 40-yard dash. Moreover, his entire showcase was the best measurable ever recorded for a safety prospect in NFL history. 

On Day 3, it was the Skill positions such as Running Backs, Wide Receivers, and Quarterbacks. Many view this day as the most important, as there are many questions surrounding this section of the draft class. The consensus on this draft class is that this is the weakest quarterback draft class in the last three years. However, they believe that the running backs and receivers are the strong suits of this class. 

Many athletes shined; however, the person who stood out the most today was Matthew Golden out of Texas University. He ran a 4.29 440-yard dash. This dramatically boosted his draft stock, as his speed is evident in his film. He also has amazing hands, as he barely had any drops throughout his college career. 

Jimmy Horn from Colorado University is a fan favorite going into this combine. There was hype around his name as he played for Deion Sanders. Although he is undersized, standing at 5 ‘8 and weighing 174 lb, he had an amazing catching gauntlet, running smooth routes, and ran a 4.46 in the 40-yard dash. 

Jayden Higgins from Iowa State, listed as 6’4 214 lb, ran a 4.47 40 yard dash, had a 37 inch vertical jump. Which was impressive as at his size, it is uncommon for a prospect to be that explosive in those areas.

Even though many receivers showed out, many underperformed. Tez Johnson from Oregon University is 5 ’10” and 54 lb.; if he was to get drafted, this would make him the lightest player in the NFL. At his height and weight, scouts expected him to run a very fast 40-yard dash to make his size more reasonable for the NFL to draft him. However, he ran a 4.5,1, which was slow for NFL receiver standards. 

This year’s Running Backs are exceptional as there were many standout performances, which only helps their draft stock. 

Quinshon Judkins, coming off his national championship win with Ohio State listed at 6’0 221 lb, ran a 4.48 40-yard dash, had an 11-foot broad jump and a 38.5 inch vertical jump. At his size, these numbers are impressive as with these measurables, his numbers should not be this good. Treyvon Henderson, his teammate, ran a 4.43 as well.

Cam Skattebo from Arizona State, listed at 5 ‘9 219 l, got up there for a 39-inch vertical jump and a 10’ 3” broad jump. His playstyle is that of a powerback, a hard-hitting, bulky back who gets those tough, short-yard distances on fourth down that any NFL team can use.

Omarion Hampton was the clear biggest winner as he excelled in all facets of the combine. He was graded the best overall running back due to his physical skills and performance. This was the 14th best athletic grade in Combine history. He ran a 4.46 40-yard dash, jumped for a 38-inch vertical and 10’10” broad jump, a 4.4 20-yard shuttle, and had 18 bench press reps of 225 lb. 

 Speed was abundant from these running backs at this year’s combine. There were ten or more that ran a 4.44 or faster in the 40-yard dash. 

For the quarterbacks, it wasn’t all so good for them at this year’s combine, as nobody stood out much in particular. Brady Cook from the University of Missouri was the best performer at the combine(). Jalen Milroe from the University of Alabama is another quarterback who didn’t complete the physical part of the combine but rather chose to only throw passes, which was unusual because he’s prominently known for his athleticism more than his throwing ability. Another quarterback that was able to slightly make a name for himself at the combine would be Jaxson Dart from the University of Southern California, who did alright in most people’s eyes but was overall a success as he managed to increase his draft stock.

Although many players would see the NFL Combine as an opportunity to gain more recognition and increase their draft stock before the actual draft, some players see it as a risk and decide to opt out of the NFL Combine. The reason for this is that some players are already on most NFL scouts’ radars, meaning they already proved themselves more than enough for the most part.

Some players who chose to opt out were Shadeur Sanders, Travis Hunter, and Cam Ward, who are all known for their unique reasons, but all have something in common. They are all very highly sought-after players having the chance to be the number one overall pick.

Although some players chose to opt out voluntarily, some players were forced to opt out due to injury. The most well-known player, Abdul Carter, a potential first-round pick, wasn’t given a choice since he had to put their priorities on their injuries for a faster recovery. He could’ve potentially gotten a higher draft stock if they were able to participate, but upsettingly, they were unable to. 

Overall, the NFL Combine is one of the most exciting times for scouting opportunities for both coaches and players as it allows players to display their skills in a way to possibly get them more recognition and a higher draft stock to achieve their goal of making it to the NFL.