NFL Draft 2020: 1st-Round Order and Predictions for Combine's Early Stars

Teams should never put too much stock into an NFL hopeful's combine performance. Game tape, medical evaluations, proven production and play style should all be bigger factors than how a guy runs or jumps in spandex.

However, combine workouts are still a valuable evaluation tool, and when a player's film and athletic prowess sync up, it can make him a rising star heading into the rest of the pre-draft process. 

Take Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs III, for example. He didn't have the greatest raw numbers in 2019—40 catches for 746 yards and seven touchdowns—but his speed and athleticism regularly leap off the game film. His combine performance proved the 21-year-old wasn't simply beating up on inferior athletes in college; he is supremely physically talented.

Ruggs officially ran a 4.27 40-yard dash in Indianapolis while also producing a 42-inch vertical jump. According to ESPN Stats & Info, no receiver has produced both a sub 4.3 40 and a 40-inch vertical since 2006.

Ruggs may have been one of the biggest winners of early combine workouts, but he wasn't the only one.

Mock Draft

1. Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow, QB, LSU

2. Washington Redskins: Chase Young, Edge, Ohio State

3. Detroit Lions: Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State

4. New York Giants: Jedrick Wills Jr., OT, Alabama 

5. Miami Dolphins: Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama

6. Los Angeles Chargers: Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon

7. Carolina Panthers: Isaiah Simmons, OLB, Clemson

8. Arizona Cardinals: Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama

9. Jacksonville Jaguars: Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn

10. Cleveland Browns: Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville 

11. New York Jets: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma

12. Las Vegas Raiders: Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama

13. Indianapolis Colts: Javon Kinlaw, DL, South Carolina

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: A.J. Epenesa, Edge, Iowa

15. Denver Broncos: Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia

16. Atlanta Falcons: K'Lavon Chaisson, Edge, LSU

17. Dallas Cowboys: Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama

18. Miami Dolphins (from Pittsburgh): Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa

19. Las Vegas Raiders (from Chicago): Zack Baun, Edge, Wisconsin

20. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Rams): Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama

21. Philadelphia Eagles: CJ Henderson, CB, Florida

22. Buffalo Bills: Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson

23. New England Patriots: Laviska Shenault Jr., WR, Colorado

24. New Orleans Saints: Jacob Eason, QB, Washington

25. Minnesota Vikings: Bryce Hall, CB, Virginia

26. Miami Dolphins (from Houston): D'Andre Swift, RB, Georgia

27. Seattle Seahawks: Yetur Gross-Matos, Edge, Penn State

28. Baltimore Ravens: Julian Okwara, DE, Notre Dame

29. Tennessee Titans: Patrick Queen, LB, LSU

30. Green Bay Packers: Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma

31. San Francisco 49ers: Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU

32. Kansas City Chiefs: Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin

Tristan Wirfs and Mekhi Becton

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Two offensive linemen really stood out in combine workouts—Louisville's Mekhi Becton and Iowa's Tristan Wirfs.

Wirfs ran the 40-yard dash in 4.85 seconds. He also produced a stunning 36.5-inch vertical jump at 320 pounds, and he wasn't done there. A 7.65-second three-cone and 4.68-second short shuttle put a bow on his sensational performance.

"He moved like he was controlled by a joystick on change of direction and pulling drills, moving effortlessly from side to side and back and forth at the whim of coaches leading the drills," NFL Media's Chad Reuter wrote of Wirfs.

Perhaps even more impressive was the 5.1-second 40 turned in by the 364-pound Becton.

To his credit, Becton called his shot.

"I'm about to shock a lot of people in this testing. They don't expect me to do the things I'm about to do," he said Wedensday, per NFL.com's Chase Goodbread.

Unfortunately, Becton wasn't able to complete his workout because of hamstring tightness. Still, for teams seeking athletic marvels along the offensive line, he and Wirfs should be shooting up bboards.

Jonathan Taylor

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Coming into the combine, Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor wasn't widely in the first-round discussion. He was listed as the No. 4 running back on Bleacher Report Matt Miller's big board, and he did not have a reputation of a home-run hitter.

"He's more body puncher than knockout artist, wearing down his opponents with carry after carry," NFL Media's Lance Zierlein wrote of Taylor prior to the combine.

At 5'10" and 226 pounds, Taylor is indeed built to wear down a defense. However, he showed on Friday that he does possess the speed needed to hit the home-run play. He ran a 4.39-second (official) 40, fastest among all running backs.

While this combination of size and speed is intriguing, Taylor also has plenty of proven production on his resume. He had 2,003 rushing yards—ironically, the same number as Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins—252 receiving yards and 26 total touchdowns in 2019 alone.

The fact that Taylor averaged more than 2,000 yards per season with the Badgers should catch the attention of many a running back-needy team.

While Taylor isn't a lock for the first round—Zierlein and NFL Media's Charley Casserly do both have him mocked in Round 1, however—he should be in that conversation moving forward.