Day 2 of on-field workouts commenced Friday at the 2024 NFL combine, with the defensive backs and tight ends taking center stage.
The Washington Commanders have needs at both positions, specifically at tight end. On Friday, the Commanders released starting tight end Logan Thomas. Washington’s best cornerback, Kendall Fuller, is an unrestricted free agent.
The 2024 cornerback class has good depth, while the depth falls off at tight end after the top three or four prospects.
Did Friday’s performances change any minds?
Here are six takeaways from the tight ends/defensive backs on-field workouts at the combine.
No Brock Bowers
Brock Bowers chose not to work out on Friday, instead waiting until his pro day this month. Bowers let his film do the talking. No tight end in recent years has as impressive college highlights as the former Georgia star.
There were reports that Bowers didn’t do well in some of the formal interviews. I wouldn’t put too much stock in that type of stuff. There has never been any talk of Bowers having any type of issues. While it was disappointing not to see him in drills, he has such a lead at the position it made sense for him to wait.
Ben Sinnott makes his case as TE2
We see you, Ben Sinnott. Heading into the combine, Sinnott was perhaps the most interesting player at this position. He was productive in college, not afraid to mix it up in the run game and has plenty of experience. But what type of athlete is Sinnott?
First, he measured in at 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.68 seconds, had a 6.82-second three-cone drill (tops among the tight ends), posted a 40″ vertical leap, and had a broad jump of 10-foot-6. The vertical jump is off the charts for Sinnott.
Sinnott has firmly put himself in the mix to be the second tight end selected and could be in play for the Commanders at No. 36 or No. 40.
Ben Sinnott is a TE prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.49 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 57 out of 1105 TE from 1987 to 2024.
Splits projectedhttps://t.co/cxnYFtYIau pic.twitter.com/csteYTHzQb
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 2, 2024
Can Penn State's Theo Johnson crack the top four tight ends?
Theo Johnson didn’t put up eye-popping stats at Penn State. But tight ends aren’t always used the same way in college as they are in the NFL. Johnson is 6-foot-6, 259 pounds, and had a phenomenal day on Friday. He ran the 40 in 4.57 seconds and posted a 39.5″ vertical jump and a 10-foot-5 broad jump. He did well in drills, too.
NFL teams love players with these measurables.
TE Theo Johnson (Penn State) is the only TE in the combine (data since 1987) to:
► weigh over 255 lbs
► run a sub 4.6 40
► post a vertical of over 39 incheshe ran a 4.57 40 weighing 259 lbs with a 39.5 inch vertical
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) March 2, 2024
Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell is the top cornerback
Has any player helped himself more since January than Quinyon Mitchell? Many analysts viewed him as a second-round pick after the college football season. However, Mitchell crushed Senior Bowl week, solidifying himself as a first-round pick. At the combine, he shined in all of the drills and ran a blazing 4.33 40. Mitchell isn’t just a first-round pick; he should be the first cornerback taken in April’s draft.
Quinyon Mitchell’s official 4.33-second 40-yard dash is the 2nd-fastest mark among cornerbacks at the 2024 NFL Combine.
Mitchell is @MoveTheSticks’ 2nd-highest ranked CB and has a similar size and athleticism profile to Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore. pic.twitter.com/7FwpgI23Ay
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 2, 2024
Clemson's Nate Wiggins should land in the top 15
Nate Wiggins was already in contention to be the top cornerback selected heading into the combine. When he ran the fastest 40-yard dash of the first two days (4.28 seconds), it matched his college film at Clemson. Wiggins plays fast. He times fast. At 6-foot-1 with 4.28 speed, Wiggins has everything teams covet in a No. 1 cornerback. The only concern is with Wiggins’ weight (173 pounds).
Fastest 40 Yard Dash Times (CBs):
1️⃣ Nate Wiggins, Clemson: 4.28s
2️⃣ Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo: 4.33s
3️⃣ Decamerion Richardson, Mississippi State: 4.34s
4️⃣ Nehemiah Pritchett, Auburn: 4.36s pic.twitter.com/aI9oiNHd1a— PFF College (@PFF_College) March 1, 2024
Texas Tech safety Tyler Owens is rising
Tyler Owens posted some ridiculous testing numbers on Friday before suffering an injury before he could run the 40. He had a broad jump of 12-foot-2, the second-best number in combine history. The 6-foot-2, 216-pound Owens is raw and inexperienced, but you can’t teach the physical tools. The great thing about Owens is you could play him on special teams from day one of his NFL career, and he could thrive. It allows more time to develop him as a safety.
The second-best broad jump in Combine history.
12'2" for @TexasTechFB DB Tyler Owens. 🫢
📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/3S5Zrdyyb3— NFL (@NFL) March 1, 2024
