NFL Combine 2023 Results: Highlights, Reaction and Recap from Thursday

A couple of future NFL players made themselves some coin Thursday.

The first day of the NFL Scouting Combine undoubtedly had a few stars of the show, and chief among them were Georgia edge-rusher Nolan Smith and Pittsburgh defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, who each blazed impressive 40-yard dash times.

For the full testing results from Thursday, be sure to check out NFL.com.

Smith dropped jaws by running his in a blazing 4.39 seconds to go along with elite vertical and broad jumps.

Smith has proved himself on the field, too, notching 20 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks for the ferocious Georgia defense in his four years at the school. His numbers don't jump off the page, but his athleticism will have NFL teams coveting him.

Kancey likely padded his wallet Thursday, too, running a 4.67-second 40-yard dash.

With 14.5 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss in the past two seasons, Kancey's production showed up on the field in a big way. Those are impressive numbers for an interior lineman, and Kancey may have solidified a first-round draft stock.

The NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah already had him as the No. 30 overall prospect in the Class of 2023. Expect him to get at least a slight bump.

One player who came into the combine with a top-five draft stock and likely will keep it is edge-rusher Will Anderson Jr., who didn't necessarily turn heads with a 4.69-second 40-yard dash but impressed with his get-off:

Anderson chose not to run a second 40-yard dash. He doesn't need it after posting 34.5 sacks in his three college seasons and 58.5 tackles for loss. Teams that need help getting after the quarterback are going to be very, very intrigued by Anderson.

There was a clear theme Thursday—the prospects hitting the NFL, especially coming off the edge, are just a different level of athlete:

The other big story that continued to develop surrounded Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter, a potential top-five pick who was arrested Wednesday and charged with reckless driving and racing after being accused of racing his 2021 Jeep Trackhawk against recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy, who was in a 2021 Ford Expedition, on Jan. 15.

Both LeCroy and Georgia offensive lineman Devin Willock were killed in the crash, and Carter is facing up to 12 months in jail and a $1,000 fine if found guilty.

On Thursday, Carter returned to the combine to continue conducting interviews with teams and taking measurements, per multiple reports. He hadn't planned on participating in testing or drills even before his arrest.