Ideal Landing Spots for the Stars of the NFL Scouting Combine
In the grand scheme of player evaluations for the NFL draft, tape is the most important. That doesn't change the fact that the NFL Scouting Combine serves to generate some buzz and hype for some of the most athletic prospects in each draft class.
Draft history is teeming with players who had their coming-out party at the combine.
This year's class was no different. Indianapolis was the site of several athletic marvels, and it won't be surprising to see some of those names go earlier than expected in April on the heels of their performance.
These players were the stars of the combine based on their testing results and the buzz they generated for themselves. Below is a look at their performances and ideal landing spots based on team need and potential role.
QB Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati
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Malik Willis (scouting report) gets a lot of the recognition as the toolsy, athletic quarterback in this class, but Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder (scouting report) shouldn't be counted out for that designation.
His workout numbers saw him post a 9.8 relative athletic score. For context, that's the 18th-highest out of 831 quarterbacks going back to 1987.
The highlight of his athletic testing was a 4.5-second 40-yard dash, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported he also impressed teams in the interview process, which might be the most important for quarterbacks.
The Bleacher Report Scouting Department already has Ridder as the QB1 of the draft, but that's far from consensus. Perhaps after what he's shown at the combine, though, it will become a more popular thought.
This class of passers hasn't created a ton of buzz, but Ridder is a high-upside choice for anyone searching for a potential franchise quarterback.
Ideal Landing Spots: Denver Broncos, Washington Commanders, Pittsburgh Steelers
RB Breece Hall, Iowa State
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Iowa State running back Breece Hall (scouting report) told the media in Indy that he was the best running back in the draft.
Then he went out and did everything he could to prove it in his athletic testing. Hall showed that he has more than enough straight-line speed to pull away from NFL defenses. He popped a 4.39-second 40-yard dash, a 40-inch vertical and a 10'6" broad jump.
He became just the sixth back since 2003 to earn a 99 athleticism score from Next Gen Stats.
It's worth noting that each of the previous five on that list went in the first round. While taking a back in the first round continues to fall out of fashion, there has been at least one back that has been taken in the first 32 selections in the last seven drafts.
Hall has the production of a three-down back. He had nearly 4,000 yards and 50 touchdowns on the ground while adding 82 receptions over three seasons in Ames. At the combine, he showed he has the elite athleticism to be the kind of offensive weapon that can carry a rushing attack and get drafted as RB1 in the class.
Ideal Landings Spots: Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins
WR Christian Watson, North Dakota State
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In a loaded draft class for wide receivers, the combine was a great platform for a receiver like Christian Watson (scouting report) to garner some attention.
While the top of the receiver class comes from major conference schools like Alabama, Ohio State, USC and Arkansas, Watson is coming from the FCS level, where he was one of Trey Lance's favorite targets at North Dakota State.
Watson made some noise at the Senior Bowl and continued a great pre-draft process at the combine. He came in at 6'4" and 208 pounds, then recorded a 4.36-second 40-yard dash, 38½" vertical and 11'4" broad jump.
In short, he proved he has the speed and leaping ability to be the downfield threat he looks like on tape.
He came away with the highest athleticism score from Next Gen Stats of all the receivers. The frame and athleticism are reminiscent of Marquez Valdez-Scantling, and that seems like the floor of his potential development.
He makes sense as an option for anyone looking to add a deep threat in the late first to early second round.
Ideal Landing Spots: Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs
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OT Ickey Ekwonu, North Carolina State
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Alabama's Evan Neal (scouting report) is the closest thing there is in this draft to a consensus No. 1 pick, but Ickey Ekwonu (scouting report) is doing everything he can to overtake his fellow offensive tackle.
While Neal skipped the athletic testing at the combine, the North Carolina State big man confirmed that he is as fluid and explosive as he looks on tape.
He showed up to the combine weighing in at 310 pounds yet ran the 40 in 4.93 seconds. He didn't stop there, though. Ekwonu also put up good enough numbers with his jumping and agility drills to be one of just four tackles to receive a 99 athletic rating from Next Gen Stats as a tackle since 2003.
Ekwonu was already the No. 2 player on Bleacher Report's big board with a pro comparison to Jason Peters. He would likely do best in a team that heavily relies on zone, but he's nasty enough in the run game he would do fine in a more gap-centric system as well.
The bottom line is he stood out at the combine, but he already has the tape of an elite tackle prospect. Anyone looking to upgrade the offensive line at the top of the draft would be lucky to have him.
Ideal Landings Spots: Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, New York Giants
OT Charles Cross, Mississippi State
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Teams picking in the top ten but might not be in a position to draft Evan Neal or Ikem Okonwu were hoping Charles Cross would look like a top 10 pick at the combine.
They weren't disappointed.
Cross put elite pass-blocking skills on film. He only gave up two sacks and 14 hurries across 719 pass-blocking snaps in his final year at Mississippi State, per Pro Football Focus. He verified the quick feet and athleticism you see on film with a well-rounded performance at the combine.
Cross posted a 4.95-second 40, the fourth-best shuttle time among tackles and 34 ½" arms, showing he has the burst, quickness and length you'd like to see from a franchise left tackle. His movement in the position drills looked smooth and quick too.
With Neal and Okonwu looking like locks to go in the top five, Cross will make another team in the back half of the top 10 happy. He is another player who is good enough to fit across schemes even if he has some developing to do as a run-blocker.
Ideal Landings Spots: New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos
DT Jordan Davis, Georgia
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There may be multiple stars of the combine on this list, but Jordan Davis (scouting report) turned in the defining performance of this year's event. The Georgia defensive tackle changed the perception of his ceiling by amazing scouts and analysts with his terrifying blend of size and athleticism.
The best way to contextualize what the hulking 6'6" 341-pounder did is that he posted the second-highest relative athletic score out of 17,565 players in the database, per Kent Lee Platte. The top player in his database is Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson.
Davis blazed a 4.78 40 time and showcased his explosiveness with a 10'3" broad jump, the longest from a defensive lineman since 2006.
These numbers weren't necessary to make Davis a first-rounder. He came into the event No. 9 on Bleacher Report's big board. However, these numbers helped show that he's a transcendent athlete with the ability to be so much more than a two-gapping nose tackle.
Several teams could utilize his presence in the middle and play-wrecking capabilities. He could be an instant upgrade for teams needing to transform their run defense.
Ideal Landing Spots: New York Jets, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings
Edge Travon Walker, Georgia
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The combine served as another reminder that Georgia's front seven was among the best college football has ever seen. Nakobe Dean (scouting report), Jordan Davis, Devonte Wyatt (scouting report) and Travon Walker (scouting report) all had great weekends.
Walker might have helped his draft stock the most, though. He did not have elite production at Georgia but was electrifying in his testing and is worth re-evaluating based on the athleticism he showed in Indy.
The 6'5" 272-pound pass-rusher posted the third-fastest 40 time for his position at 4.51. His 6.89 three-cone time was the fifth-fastest time regardless of position before the defensive backs tested.
That kind of change of direction and burst is an indication that Walker is still at the beginning of his development as a pass-rusher. Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski compared Walker to Malik Willis as a prospect who will go much higher than expected because of his athletic gifts.
There are plenty of teams in the mid-first round that need pass-rushers, and the upside of Walker will be hard to ignore.
Ideal Landing Spots: Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles
Edge Amare Barno, Virginia Tech
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Going into the combine, you'd have to be pretty deep into researching this class or be a Virginia Tech fan to have Amare Barno on your radar.
Running the fastest 40-yard dash time since 2003 of any linebacker or defensive lineman will change that. Barno ran a mind-boggling 4.36-second time at 6'5" and 246 pounds, a full tenth of a second better than the next fastest edge defender.
The time caught the attention of analysts, as his athletic profile has been compared to Danielle Hunter and Brian Burns.
Barno is fairly unpolished at this point. Despite the deadly speed and length combo that he brings to the table, he only registered 10 sacks in two seasons with Virginia Tech.
However, a team willing to let him be a pure pass-rusher on the outside while he adds some bulk to his frame and learns the position could be rewarded. It will take a creative defensive coordinator to get the most out of him, but he proved he's worth a developmental role in the middle rounds.
Ideal Landings Spots: Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers
CB Tariq Woolen, UTSA
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Tariq Woolen (scouting report) is one of the more unique prospects in this year's draft, and he didn't fail to show why in Indianapolis.
The 6'4" 205-pounder started building buzz at the Senior Bowl, where he was tracked at a speed of more than 22 miles per hour. That speed showed up at the combine in the form of a 4.26-second 40-yard dash. Only Baylor's Kalon Barnes ran a faster time (4.23), and he's nearly five inches shorter and 22 pounds lighter than Woolen.
It wasn't just the blazing speed that will help him move up draft boards, though. He posted a 42" vertical with 33⅝" arms. That kind of size, speed and length will make him an interesting developmental prospect.
He only started playing cornerback in the middle of the 2019 season, so it might take time to reach his potential in the league. A team that can take him in the middle rounds and develop him in a zone scheme would probably be the best fit.
Given what he could become, the investment could be worth it.
Ideal Landing Spots: Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks
CB Sauce Gardner, Cincinnati
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There's no questioning cornerback Sauce Gardner (scouting report) when it comes to his collegiate production. According to Pro Football Focus, he did not allow a single touchdown in his career with Cincinnati, and he gave up a passer rating of just 22.6 in his final season.
At the combine, he rounded out his pre-draft resume in every way evaluators could hope for.
Gardner showed the confidence and bravado you'd like to see in a lockdown corner. He told reporters he doesn't plan on giving up any touchdowns in the NFL. Then he answered any possible questions people would have about his athleticism.
The corner started off on a strong note with his measurements. At 6'2 ¾" with 33 ½" arms, only six other cornerbacks have had similar measurements since 1987, per Warren Sharp.
He posted a 4.41-second 40-yard dash. That wasn't the fastest time in Indy, but it was still impressive given Gardner's size and the skills he's already put on tape.
His confidence, measurement and athleticism were definitive statements and could put him ahead of Derek Stingley for CB1 honors in the class.
Ideal Landing Spots: New York Jets, New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings
All measurements and times per NFL.com.
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