NFL Prospects Shooting Up Draft Boards After the Scouting Combine
NFL scouts spend months on end watching film of college prospects, going to games and gathering as much information as possible about how these players will transition to the NFL. Although sometimes the scouting combine confirms what we've believed to be true, those scouts are almost always sent back to the film room after a few players defy preconceived notions at the scouting combine.
If the scouts like what they see upon further review, the player in question could see a move up the draft board. In this way, NFL hopefuls can dramatically improve their stock simply by performing well at the scouting combine.
Whether it's a blazing-fast 40-yard dash, an eye-popping broad jump, a light-footed journey through the three-cone drill or some combination of everything, there are plenty of opportunities for a player to show exactly how much athletic potential they possess.
Let's take a look back at some of the players who helped put some cash in their pockets with a strong performance in Indianapolis.
All combine numbers obtained via NFL.com.
Aaron Donald (DT, Pitt)
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Pre-Combine Value: Late first round
Projected Value: Mid first round
Draft analysts have knocked Aaron Donald for a lack of size, but he is not short on athleticism, as he showed the world at the combine. He bolted through the 40-yard dash at 4.68 seconds and weaved his way through the three-cone drill in 7.11 seconds. Both were among the five fastest times for any defensive linemen at the combine.
By the way, this is all for a man who weighed in at 285 pounds.
He's not just quick, either, as he showed off his strength by putting up 35 reps on the 225-pound bench press.
Donald's burst off the snap routinely popped out when watching his game tape. He has a rare first step that makes him tough to block, as we see here on a sack against Virginia. A quick swim move helps him get past the offensive guard and into the backfield in a hurry for a quick sack. The only question, as mentioned before, is his frame. His short arms make it tough for him to shed blocks at times when an offensive linemen gets into his pads, as transpired on a touchdown run against North Carolina.
Even despite his lack of ideal size, Donald's athleticism made him a frequent target for double-teams at Pitt. He was a lock for the first round before the combine, and now that we have confirmation of his athleticism, he should be taken off the board in the first 20 picks.
Martavis Bryant (WR, Clemson)
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Pre-Combine Value: Late second to early third round
Projected Value: Early to mid second round
Sometimes, a player's performance in shorts and a T-shirt causes scouts to go back to the tape and re-evaluate their performance in pads. Martavis Bryant turned heads in Indianapolis with a 4.42-second 40-yard dash, which put him sixth among wide receivers at the combine.
"I have to go home and re-check the film," said Bleacher Report NFL Draft Lead Writer Matt Miller, "because he was lost behind DeAndre Hopkins in 2012 (and) Sammy Watkins in 2013. What type of player is he? I'll be going home and trying to figure that out."
If and when they do, they will find a receiver who is capable of making incredibly difficult catches. Though he is also prone to dropping some easy ones and double-catching others. He knows how to use his body to win leverage on his defender, making difficult catches look routine, but with such a lean frame, he may have to add some bulk to his body if he wants to continue to make those kinds of catches.
Bryant has long been considered Clemson's "other" wide receiver, as Miller alluded to, but his combination of size and speed will make him an intriguing prospect for teams searching for that mix at wide receiver.
Justin Gilbert (CB, Oklahoma State)
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Pre-Combine Value: Late first round
Projected Value: Mid first round
It's hard to "shoot up the draft boards" too much when you're already considered one of the top two prospects at your position, but Justin Gilbert may have catapulted to the top of the board at cornerback.
The 6'0", 202-pound Gilbert ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash, which was the fastest for any cornerback in Indianapolis, and his 20 reps on the bench press were tied for the third most at his position. The combination of size, speed and strength will make him a sought-after commodity for teams who may be trying to copy the Seattle Seahawks' blueprint of big, athletic cornerbacks.
As mentioned, Gilbert has been considered a hot commodity for some time, but it's close to a dead heat between Gilbert and Michigan State cornerback Darqueze Dennard for the top spot on the big board. In situations like that, a standout performance at the combine can give one player the edge over another.
Gilbert has some holes in his game when it comes to discipline and technique, whereas Dennard is considered a more "complete" cornerback right now. However, Gilbert showed the world he has the physical tools to carry out any assignment you can throw at him and to break up any pass you can throw at him, too.
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Deone Bucannon (S, Washington State)
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Pre-Combine Value: Third round
Projected Value: Second round
Deone Bucannon was regarded as a fairly versatile safety before the combine, and he proved to be a versatile workout warrior when he showed up at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Washington State safety ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash, put up 19 reps on the bench press, and logged a vertical jump of 36.5 inches and a broad jump of 125 inches—all of which put him in the top five safeties in Indianapolis.
That 40 time is ridiculous for a safety of his size (6'1", 211 lbs) and will probably cause some scouts to go back to the tape to double check on those supposed flaws in deep coverage. Although he has enough initial burst and speed to close off passing windows when the field is split in half in Cover 2, he's not rangy enough to hold his own when on his own on the back end.
He also doesn't have enough quickness to match with slot receivers in man coverage, but he is more than capable of covering tight ends. His real strength is as an in-the-box defender, where he is quick to recognize a run and come downhill in support.
With the rising value of the safety position—especially big-bodied, athletic ones like Bucannon—it's possible that he could be off the board by the middle of the second round.
Greg Robinson (LT, Auburn)
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Pre-Combine Value: First round
Projected Value: Top 10
Auburn tackle Greg Robinson and Texas A&M tackle Jake Matthews were in a dead heat at the top of offensive tackle board in this year's draft class, but Robinson may have started to pull away a little.
The combine was one display of athleticism after another by Robinson, whose 4.92-second finish in the 40-yard dash was the second-fastest among offensive linemen. He also put up 32 reps on the bench press— seventh-best among offensive linemen—and his 113-inch broad jump was fourth-best.
Robinson was a big part of Auburn's success all year, but especially in the BCS National Championship Game, where he consistently opened up the outside for running back Tre Mason. His elite athleticism makes him a weapon in space; Watch him get out in front of this screen pass as a lead blocker with a violent earhole block on the safety to set up the score.
He is built like a prototypical NFL left tackle with the big frame and long arms teams look for. After showing his amazing athleticism, he should be taken somewhere in the top 10 picks of the draft.
Dri Archer (RB, Kent State)
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Pre-Combine Value: Seventh round
Projected Value: Fifth round
Dri Archer didn't do anything to eliminate doubts over which position he will play at the next level, but he did a lot to remind us that he will bring an immense amount of athleticism to whatever position he ends up at.
He posted a 4.26-second finish in the 40-yard dash, which fell just 0.02 seconds short of the combine record and was a full seven one-hundredths of a second faster than anyone else this year. His entire workout was a clinic of athleticism, as he posted a 6.86-second finish in the three-cone drill, a 4.06-second finish in the 20-yard shuttle and a 38-inch vertical jump, all of which ranked in the top five running backs.
At just 5'8" and 178 pounds, there are concerns over whether he can hold up at the NFL level as a "true" running back, but if he can carve out a niche role on special teams and as a receiver, a la Dexter McCluster of the Kansas City Chiefs, Archer's speed could be a lethal weapon to a team that needs it.
Taylor Lewan (OT, Michigan)
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Pre-Combine Value: First round
Projected Value: Top 20
On Thursday, Michigan tackle Taylor Lewan wished people would forget about the off-field concerns regarding his involvement in multiple police investigations.
On Saturday, his amazing display of athleticism expedited that process. He ran the fastest 40-yard dash for any offensive lineman at 4.87 seconds and also finished in the top five in the vertical jump (30.5 inches), broad jump (117 inches) and three-cone drill (7.39 seconds).
It's hard to climb too far up the draft board when you're already considered among the top three or four prospects at your position, but as was the case with Robinson in the previous slide, Lewan was in a dead heat with Notre Dame tackle Zack Martin headed into the combine, and he may have pushed himself ahead a little bit.
He is a big guy at 6'7" and 309 pounds, but he moves very well, getting out in front of the play as a lead blocker and consistently keeping up with quick defensive ends in pass protection. His performance against Nebraska was a clinic of the fundamentals of pass protection. He still has work to do in improving as a run blocker, and according to NFL.com's scouting report, he "is not a gritty, physical finisher."
Still, it would be a shock for Lewan to fall out of the top 16-20 picks after his strong showing at the combine.
Phillip Gaines (CB, Rice)
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Pre-Combine Value: Sixth to seventh round
Projected Value: Fifth round
Small-school products can always help their case with a strong showing at the combine, and Rice's Phillip Gaines did just that.
Gaines' 11 reps on the bench press only contributed to concerns about a lack of functional strength, but with top-five finishes in the 40-yard dash (4.38 seconds), three-cone drill (6.62 seconds) and the sixth-fastest 20-yard shuttle (4.04 seconds) for any defensive back at the combine, he proved that he's far from lacking in short-area quickness and long speed.
Those traits, combined with solid ball skills (four interceptions as a senior, 38 career passes defensed) should be enough to get him drafted. If that athleticism and those ball skills translate to the NFL, he should be able to carve out a role as a backup—particularly for a team that plays a lot of zone coverage.
Jerick McKinnon (RB, Georgia Southern)
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Pre-Combine Value: Sixth to seventh round
Projected Value: Fifth round
Two-way players still exist. Georgia Southern's Jerick McKinnon earned experience playing quarterback, running back, wide receiver, cornerback, safety and special teams in college. He will likely stay at running back in the NFL, but he showed scouts at the scouting combine that he may have enough athleticism to do whatever is asked of him at the next level.
McKinnon participated in six workouts and finished in the top five running backs in each: the 40-yard dash (4.41 seconds), bench press (32 reps), vertical jump (40.5 inches), broad jump (132 inches), three-cone drill (6.83 seconds) and the 20-yard shuttle (4.12 seconds).
He looks the part of an NFL running back—with a stocky, built frame at 5'9" and 209 pounds—but in spending so much time in college playing different positions, he didn't earn extensive experience as a running back. Perhaps he has a case of "Jason Pierre-Paul syndrome" (which is something I just made up, by the way), where he has all the athletic talent required but just needs time to learn the game.
Either way, his stock jumped considerably by proving just how much athleticism he possesses.
Jackson Jeffcoat (DE, Texas)
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Pre-Combine Value: Third round
Projected Value: Second round
Jackson Jeffcoat has been hit with the dubious label of a "tweener," due to his lack of frame. He played defensive end at Texas, but at 6'3" and 247 pounds, he's likely to switch to outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense in the NFL—otherwise, he's going to have to add a whole lot of muscle mass when he gets into an NFL training facility.
That being said, he wowed scouts at the combine with a 4.63-second 40-yard dash, a 123-inch broad jump and a 6.97-second three-cone drill, all of which ranked in the top five among defensive linemen in Indianapolis. Not surprisingly, he failed to impress on the bench press, where he pushed the bar only 18 times, which ranked in the bottom 10 at his position.
One other positive going for Jeffcoat is that he has an NFL bloodline. He's the son of two-time Super Bowl-winning defensive end Jim Jeffcoat, who logged 102.5 sacks in his 15 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. If he turns out anything like his father, some team will be getting great value.
Erik Frenz is also a Patriots/AFC East writer for Boston.com. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand or via team news releases. All measurements obtained via NFL.com.
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