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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
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Christian D'Andrea and Robert Zeglinski

2023 NFL Combine Winners Day 1: Blazing-fast DTs give the Bears plenty to consider

NFL Bears Combine Anfernee Orji Nolan Smith Bryan Bresee Calijah Kancey Aaron Donald Corbin K Smith Will McDonald IV

With questions out of the way, Thursday was put up or shut-up time at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. Day 1 of workouts featured the big boys on the front seven — defensive linemen and linebackers.

Hoo boy did it ever transcend past our initial expectations.

We had an EDGE player running faster than current star professional running backs. A defensive tackle surpassed Aaron Donald (yes, that Aaron Donald) on the 40-yard dash. Oh, and a potential first-round pick went all-in on his “toughness” rating — he tested and passed with flying colors just two days after a sky-high fever.

And that’s just the start.

All of this had to be music to the ears of teams looking for front-seven help near the top of the 2023 NFL Draft. The most noteworthy might be the Chicago Bears, who own the No. 1 overall pick, but likely won’t stay there for too long.

The league-worst Bears could use an infusion of talent essentially everywhere but quarterback. They’re, how do we put this: good with Justin Fields.

But for a team with the 29th-ranked defense by yardage and the 32nd-ranked unit by Football Outsiders’ DVOA — Chicago had to be salivating watching these larger defenders put on a show. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus know they can act as kingmakers of sorts this offseason. And whatever ransom of draft picks they get for the top pick could potentially be used on one of the names from our Day 1 winners of the 2023 Combine.

1
DL Calijah Kancey, Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh has a tremendous track record when it comes to producing elite NFL talent despite just OK returns on the field. Past Panther standouts include Larry Fitzgerald, Darrelle Revis and Aaron Donald.

Kancey has the chops to carry on that tradition. Like Donald, he’s powerful interior defensive lineman with less-than-ideal size at 6-feet and 280 pounds. But he has the explosiveness and athleticism to win one-on-one or against double teams thanks to the speed that can propel him through gaps and into the backfield.

The 4.67 second 40 he ran his second time up wasn’t just the fastest of the day among down linemen by 0.14 seconds — it was the fastest for an interior lineman in Combine history. That means it was 0.01 second faster than Donald’s official time in the simulcast above. Kancey entered the offseason as a late-first, early-second round prospect. By showcasing his burst in Indy he may have earned himself a Day 1 guarantee.

2
DT Bryan Bresee, Clemson

Bresee has carried first round hype throughout his college career, but still managed to fly under the radar on a Clemson defense filled with other five-star recruits (including fellow Combine invitees and potential Day 1 picks Myles Murphy and Trenton Simpson). As a defensive tackle, his effectiveness isn’t always about personal stats — which aren’t overwhelming — but about how he can make life easier for his teammates.

On Thursday, he displayed the speed and power that will occupy blockers, flush quarterbacks from the pocket and set the table for his fellow grunts in the trenches to feast. He ran a 4.86 second 40 at 298 pounds and generally looked smooth as hell in front of scouts.

3
DT Jalen Redmond, Oklahoma

Redmond came into the Combine as the average 229th-ranked prospect on big boards, per Mock Draft Database. He’ll leave as a solid mid-draft pick after making himself a staple at the top of the defensive lineman ranks across Thursday’s drills.

His 4.81 second 40 was second only to Kancey. His 34.5 inch vertical and 9’8″ broad jump either led his position group or tied for the lead. For someone NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein labeled as a “below-average athlete” he certainly looked capable out there. At 6-foot-2 and 291 pounds he’s got enough bulk to emerge as a starter on Sundays — even if he may not rack up big numbers on the stat sheet each week.

4
EDGE Nolan Smith, Georgia

Smith has a borderline first round pedigree, but also had several factors working against him. His playing weight of 232 pounds was slight for an NFL edge rusher. His place in a stacked Georgia defense meant fewer chances to rack up attention-grabbing stats. Then a torn pectoral muscle ended his 2022 season after only eight games.

That left a prospect whose main selling point was his athletic potential. He put it on full display in Indianapolis. Smith weighed in at a manageable 238 pounds but that modest increase in bulk failed to dent his speed or explosiveness. His 41.5-inch vertical leap was Thursday’s high score.

His 4.39 second 40 time stood atop the defensive ends and edge rushers Thursday. Despite that, Smith wasn’t happy with his performance when his unofficial time clocked in at .05 seconds higher. He’d later say he considered himself running at “about 85 percent.”

5
EDGE Will McDonald IV, Iowa State

McDonald has risen up mock drafts this offseason, landing at eighth overall in Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest ESPN simulation even though he clocks in at 53rd in the consensus big board right now. That climb was thanks to an excellent showing at the Senior Bowl; his workouts at the Combine gassed him up with helium with less than two months before the 2023 NFL Draft.

McDonald fell off a bit as a fifth-year senior after recording double-digit sacks in both 2020 and 2021. His performance in Indianapolis, which includes fluid movements through untimed drills, suggests that’s no red flag. He was able to display top of his class explosiveness without even running the 40 (fellow first round edge prospects Myles Murphy and Tyree Wilson also opted not to run).

Furthermore, NFL executives will find themselves completely unable to doubt his commitment or toughness.

6
EDGE Byron Young, Tennessee

Young didn’t have any scholarship offers coming out of high school. His age 18 season was spent working his way into a managerial role at Dollar General. But eventually he walked on at Georgia Military College, built himself into a coveted junior college prospect, then moved on to the University of Tennessee and became an All-SEC force.

His Combine workouts proved he has NFL traits despite his humble beginnings. The soon-to-be 25-year-old had top-two performances among edge rushers in the 40 as well as both jumping drills.

7
LB Anfernee Orji, Vanderbilt

A three-year starter and team captain with the Commodores, Orji played college football like a human missile. You generally want linebackers to play downhill and with a nasty attitude consistently. That was almost never an issue for Orji.

He transferred his college productivity to a stellar Combine, including a 1.54 time on the 10-yard split. That is quite an ability to change direction for a man who weighs 230 pounds.

Oh, and Orji was one of the fastest linebackers working out, too:

8
EDGE Lukas Van Ness, Iowa

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more stereotypical “Iowa” football player than Van Ness. The edge rusher is not only built like a cyborg at 6-foot-5, 272 pounds, he’s apparently as fast and strong as one, too. It’s no wonder he had a “Hercules” nickname with the Hawkeyes — the man is simply built differently. Though, in college, Van Ness could sometimes be more flashy than steady.

After his rousing Combine performance, it’ll be hard for a team to pass on Van Ness’s physical tools:

9
DL YaYa Diaby, Louisville

Power rushers will never go extinct.

Diaby carved out a solid career with the Cardinals, finishing his amateur career with a nine-sack, 14-tackle-for-loss campaign. But where Diaby could stand to grow is by getting some more creativity as a rusher. The demonstrated productivity is nice, but NFL offensive linemen are less forgiving to players who don’t show off a lot of skill.

Thankfully for Diaby, someone will be willing to be patient with any needed development after he lit the Combine up.

A 10-yard split of 1.56 for a prospect weighing over 260 pounds (!). Tell me that doesn’t scream someone who could be a force in time.

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