Every week in “4-Down Territory,” Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling of Bucs Wire and Draft Wire go over the things you need to know about, and the things you need to watch, in the NFL right now. With the 2023 scouting combine wrapped up, it’s all about how the prospects did in the medicals, in the meeting rooms with NFL teams, and of course, on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium.
This week, Doug and Luke discuss:
00:00 – Intro
01:01 – Which offensive draft prospect helped himself with the combine drills?
05:29 – Which defensive draft prospect helped himself with the combine drills?
09:18 – Which offensive prospect failed to capitalize on it when the rubber hit the road?
13:36 – Which defensive prospect didn’t meet expectations at the combine?
You can watch this week’s episode of “4-Down Territory” right here:
Which offensive prospect helped himself the most at the combine?
Now that the 2023 scouting combine is in the books, it’s time to get into which draft prospects helped themselves the most in Indianapolis, and which prospects didn’t. Let’s start on the offensive side of the ball. Which draft prospect, under the radar or not, helped himself with the combine drills?
Doug: Luke, we should start by saying that what happens at the combine generally comprises about 10 percent of the evaluation process, unless serious medical concerns arise, or character issues come up. At least, that’s the case for smart teams. You always want to go back to the tape.
That said, the event is important, and I’ll go with Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He’s a name because of a 2021 season in which he caught 95 passes for 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns, but he was limited to just three games last season with a hamstring injury. Smith-Njigba didn’t run the 40 at the combine, but he participated in the vertical and broad jumps, as well as the three-cone drill and the 20-yard shuttle, and he posted high-ninetieth percentile numbers in the last two events. He then hit the receiver drills, and looked smooth and practiced with everything. I’m not sure if this and his 2021 tape makes him WR1, but it certainly erased any concerns about what he can do on the field.
Luke: How about Old Dominion tight end Zack Kuntz? 6-7, 255 pounds, and dominated pretty much every measured event for his position group. He had the 2nd-fastest 40-yard dash of the tight ends, and topped the group in the vertical leap, broad jump, and 3-cone drill. This year’s TE class is extremely deep, and Kuntz still has some work to do as a receiver, but the athleticism is off the charts, and that’ll be enough to get him off the board earlier than expected.
And which defensive prospect made the most money in Indianapolis?
Now, it’s time to turn our attention to defense. Which defensive draft prospect flew out of the Indianapolis airport knowing full well that he made himself a lot of money?
Doug: Michigan cornerback DJ Turner impressed me with his tape before the combine – to the point where I was wondering why people weren’t talking about him more. I think people will talk about him more after a combine in which he posted the best 40-yard dash at 4.26 seconds, and the second-fastest 10-yard split at 1.47 seconds, behind only TCU receiver Derius Davis. When you go back to the tape, you see a big cornerback who saw a lot of targets in 2022, and won more often than not. Last season, he allowed 33 catches on 71 targets for 408 yards, 123 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, one interception, seven pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 68,3. Before the combine, I thought he had mid-round potentia, and maybe that combine show bumps him up a bit in an impressive cornerback class.
Luke: I’ll take Nolan Smith, the edge defender from Georgia. After missing most of the season with a torn pec, I think a lot of folks may have forgotten what a ridiculous athlete Smith is. Well, he remedied that in Indy with a ridiculous performance that included a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at nearly 240 pounds. He might still carry the “undersized” label for some teams, but the explosiveness and versatility he brings to the table makes him a first-round lock, despite the lack of film from last year’s injury.
Which offensive prospect would most like a do-over in Lucas Oil Stadium?
Now, it’s time for the less-fun side,vWhich offensive prospect came into this combine with some hype, and failed to capitalize on it when the rubber hit the road?
Doug: Houston receiver Nathaniel “Tank” Dell didn’t blow the receiver drills or anything, but when you’re his size (five-foot 8 3/8 and 165 pounds), you’d better burn up the track in the 40, and sadly, Dell didn’t. A 4.49 is nothing to write home about – as I like to say, you can be small in the NFL, and you can be slow in the NFL, but you can’t be both small and slow in the NFL. The question is, what will that mean in the grand scheme of things? Does it matter? I should note that Dell’s 10-yard split of 1.49 was the third-fastest among receivers, and that’s really more where Dell’s game lies at the next level – in creating separation with quickness. If he can go full Road Runner at his pro day, great. If not, it might be a problem during draft week. Because at that size, NFL teams will be looking for reasons to talk themselves out of his potential, whether that’s fair or not.
Luke: LSU WR Kayshon Boutte didn’t have the 2022 season we were hoping to see, and originally said he’d be returning for 2023, before eventually deciding to declare for this year’s draft. Unfortunately, his combine performance left as much to be desired as his 2022 campaign. He just didn’t show the kind of athleticism or explosiveness you’d like to see from a receiver his size, and this class is too deep for him not to tumble into the Day 3 range now.
And which defensive prospect did himself no favors last week?
Finally, which defensive prospect needs to show out at his pro day and team visits to overcome a less than stellar combine performance?
Doug: Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo’s tape is exciting but frustrating – he’s got a lot on the ball in a physical sense, but his struggles in transition with quicker receivers might not get better at the NFL level without a lot of coaching, and his arm measurements of 31 1/4 inches and hand measurements of 8 ½ inches don’t set him apart. Ringo ran fast enough with a 4.36 40, but the other drills, especially the positional movement drills, did nothing to dissuade me from the idea that he’s got some work ahead of him if he wants to be regarded as a first-round pick.
Luke: I was hoping for better numbers from Army EDGE Andre Carter II. His production fell off a cliff in 2022, but the hope was that his athleticism would still give him tons of upside as a Day 2 pick. He didn’t run the 40-yard dash, and failed to impress in any of the other measured events. Plenty of this year’s other top EDGE prospects had stellar days, while we’re left wondering whether or not Carter can truly be an impact player at the next level.
