The NFL Scouting Combine kicked off with a bang on Thursday afternoon by starting with the defensive lineman and linebackers. There was a lot of intrigue with this group, especially at the top.
On Friday, we got the secondary players with the cornerbacks and safeties. This is one of, if not the, deepest class in recent memory.
Saturday was the day everyone was waiting for. The day we got to see the quarterbacks throw and the wide receivers run. Needless to say, they didn’t disappoint.
Here were the seven players that stood out on Saturday.
Florida QB Anthony Richardson
Coming into the combine, there were a lot of diverse opinions on Richardson. There were some saying that he wasn’t even close to being ready to play the position while most of the film grinders, including myself, were lauding his ability to work through progressions. What was really impressive was his athletic testing.
Not only did Richardson run a 4.4 second 40-yard dash, he set records in both the vertical jump (40.5″) and the broad jump (10’9″) for the quarterback position. He is the rarest of rare in terms of the quarterback position and compares to a former Minnesota Vikings quarterback really well.
West Virginia WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton
On tape, Ford-Wheaton looks like a leaper. He knows how to highpoint the football and attacks it well. One thing that was a question with Ford-Wheaton was his speed. A long strider, he didn’t naturally separate on tape. He did show soft hands and confirmed that on Saturday. His routes looked crisp and moved incredibly well for his size.
At the combine, Ford-Wheaton tested athletically freaky. He ran the 40-yard dash at 4.38 seconds, both making you feel better about his deep speed and also raising questions about why he wasn’t better at separating in college. Either way, a projected 10.0 RAS after both the jumps and 40-yard dash, it’s really impressive and someone that likely will be on the Vikings radar.
Oklahoma WR Marvin Mims
When the second group of players ran the 40-yard dash, there were some players that had disappointed. Jalin Hyatt didn’t get under 4.40 seconds and he was viewed as the fastest player in this draft class. He was outshined by multiple players, including Mims.
At Oklahoma, Mims dominated vertically and looked incredibly fast throughout his time in Norman. On Saturday at the combine, Mims did just that. He ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash and made the case to be a mid-day two selection.
Fresno State WR Jalen Moreno-Cropper
One of the many smaller receivers in this class, Moreno-Cropper was known for being shifty and winning with nuance more than athleticism. At the combine, he showed that he was more than that. He ran a 4.4 second 40-yard dash with a 1.55-second 10-yard split. With how technically savvy he is, seeing that level of speed from Moreno-Cropper was huge and could have moved him up into the early part of day three.
Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud
Coming into the combine, Stroud was my top-ranked quarterback and that got strengthened after his workout. Despite Richardson’s dynamic testing and really good performance throwing the football, Stroud had the best on-field workout of the day by far. He was pinpoint accurate to all three levels of the field and showed both power and touch.
Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Despite not testing in the 40-yard dash, Smith-Njigba decided to do positional drills and that helped him stand out in a major way. He looked the best of all the receivers when it came to running routes. He displayed incredible savvy, dipped his hips well and showed great hands.
After the positional drills, Smith-Njigba did do the three-cone and short shuttle with excellent times in both.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba:
3 cone time = 6.57s unofficial
20 shuttle = 3.93s unofficialThose are elite times if they hold up. #NFLCombine
— Tony Pauline (@TonyPauline) March 4, 2023
Georgia TE Darnell Washington
One of the biggest tight ends in some time, Washington measured in at 6065 and 264 lbs and tested like a freaky athlete. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.64 seconds and that’s truly remarkable for someone that size. He also happens to block like a tackle and can take on edge rushers with some regularity. Washington made himself a lot of money today, especially by finishing the day with this absurd catch.
OH MY, DARNELL WASHINGTON.
WHAT A CATCH. @GeorgiaFootball
📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/OYN4vaJ4a3— NFL (@NFL) March 5, 2023
Iowa TE Sam LaPorta
The tight end lineage from Iowa is excellent (George Kittle, Noah Fant, T.J. Hockenson) and the next guy up looks to have the tools to be successful as well. He ran the 40-yard dash in a blazing 4.59 seconds and looked like an effortless mover on the field. He was smooth beyond reason in all his movements and has the background as a blocker. In a great tight end class, LaPorta is getting somewhat overlooked and that likely is over.
