NFL Draft 2015: Wide Receivers Who Shined Saturday at the Combine

The NFL combine is the perfect stage for prospects to put their athletic gifts on display, and plenty of draft hopefuls are taking full advantage in Indianapolis this weekend. 

There are few athletes in the world—let alone the sport—who possess the same kind of raw gifts as the wide receivers, so let's take a look at Saturday's best from that particular position group.  

Jaelen Strong, Arizona State

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Jaelen Strong entered the weekend as a first-round prospect, but it was more because of his strength and ball skills rather than his speed or athleticism. 

"He's not going to run fast, but it won't matter because any team who drafts him is going to have a plan for him," said an NFC West scout, via NFL.com.

Well, so much for that. 

Strong's first 40-yard dash on Saturday was timed at an unofficial 4.51 seconds, which invoked this response from NFL draft analyst Mike Mayock, via NFL.com's college football Twitter feed: 

Then Strong outdid that time, finishing with a blazing 4.44. That put him tied for 14th among all wide receivers, which is huge for a player who was seen as an enticing prospect even without perceived top-notch speed. 

Oh, and he can jump a little bit too, per Rotoworld's Evan Silva (he was later out-jumped by Chris Conley; more on him later): 

As Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman reported, the Arizona State product caught the eye of scouts in Indianapolis: 

Most pundits have viewed Strong as a first-round pick for a while now, but with this performance, he's a solid bet to hear his name within the first 20 picks. 

Kevin White, West Virginia

Kevin White measured in at 6'3" and 215 pounds, which gives him an ideal frame for a wide receiver. But then he ran like a guy who is 5'10" and 180 pounds: 

That would be a time of 4.35 seconds, which was just 0.02 behind speedster Phillip Dorsett, whom many tagged as a candidate to at least approach Chris Johnson's record time. 

"(The 40 time) officially makes him a freak," said Mayock, via NFL.com's Mike Huguenin. 

The West Virginia star also tied Sammie Coates and Geremy Davis for the most reps on the bench press (23). It's not often you see guys finishing near the top of the standings in the speed and strength drills. Fox Sports' Ross Jones summed it up: 

Don't forget big. Fast, physical, tough and big. Oh yeah, and good hands, too: 

Most experts have long regarded Alabama's Amari Cooper as the top receiver in the draft. White had been closing on some big boards—NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah ranks him No. 3 overall—but this performance gives him a good chance to be the first pass-catcher selected on draft night. 

Chris Conley, Georgia

You may see the name Chris Conley and think, "I know that name from somewhere." The answer is Star Wars, as he is the burgeoning filmmaker who created a remake of the classic movie back in July.

It turns out he's pretty decent outside the film room, as well. 

The SEC Network's Twitter feed summed up his unbelievable day at the combine: 

According to Huguenin, that's the best broad jump (by three inches) and best vertical jump (by 1.5 inches) for a wide receiver in the last decade. His 40-time was tied for third among receivers, and his bench-press reps (18) were fourth most. 

Conley recorded just 81 receptions over the last two years at Georgia, per Sports-Reference.com, but this was a mind-boggling performance. 3SigmaAthlete.com's Zach Whitman had an interesting idea for his future:

NFL.com's Bryan Fischer, on the other hand, appears to believe Conley will be just fine as a wide receiver:

Wherever he ultimately lands, Conley is a compelling prospect whose stock is flying somewhere near the Millennium Falcon right now.