Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:32 — 48.2MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | RSS | More
2019 NFL Draft Big Board (1-50)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:59 — 44.6MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | RSS | More
2019 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING COMBINE RESULTS: SAFETIES
ANALYSIS: Not to start on a downer, but I was highly disappointed to find out that my man-crush Nasir Adderley was not going to compete at the Scouting Combine…Adderley is still nursing an ankle injury, so I am very much looking forward to see him workout at the University of Delaware Pro Day…to the prospects who competed…the first thing that became apparent quickly was that the Safety position is deeper, and more talented than many first thought…the real winner from the Safety position has to be Juan Thornhill…Thornhill is a former CB, so his athleticism has never been brought into question, but his marks on Monday were just on another level…a 4.42 40 time, 21 reps on the bench, a 44 inch vertical leap, 141 inch broad jump–simply incredible…I would suggest that Juan Thornhill has elevated his stock into the 2nd round range…Chauncey Gardner-Johnson is a prospect I hold in high regard due to his versatility…his workouts in Indianapolis only confirmed the suspicion…Gardner-Johnson is in the late 1st/early 2nd round mix..Johnathan Abram ran a 4.45 40, and did little else after that…this time should not be surprising if you watch Abram’s range on tape…he has a chance to slide into the 1st round…Taylor Rapp showed extremely well in the short area quickness drills, 3-cone and 20-yard were on another level from his contemporaries…great sign for his projection…another prospect the very likely elevated his draft stock is Darnell Savage Jr…Savage is a prospect that I have been warming up to over the last few weeks…his speed is clearly evident on tape, but seeing it at the Scouting Combine helps his stock in a big way…Darnell Savage Jr. is on the RD2/RD3 fringe…the class continues to get deeper with the excellent showings from Amani Hooker, Marquise Blair, Sheldrick Redwine, and Zedrick Woods…not to be outdone, but Marvell Tell did so well on Monday that NFL teams are considering moving him to CB to play man to man, and play to his strengths…
2019 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING COMBINE RESULTS: CORNERBACKS
ANALYSIS: All draft season long the rhetoric being bantered around was that the 2019 Cornerback class is an underwhelming bunch, and the Scouting Combine echoed that sentiment with a resounding thud…I came away thoroughly unimpressed by this group as a whole…Byron Murphy put on 15 lbs. in the off-season to bulk up to 190 lbs…while this is a good thing, he looked a little sluggish with the added weight…will need to see a better Pro Day from him…Deandre Baker faced many questions as it related to his athleticism–and those persist after his measurements came in just average and he looked stiff in several of the drills…Greedy Williams ran a nice 40 at 4.37, but looked very erratic in other drills…the knock on Greedy is that he won’t bring it down in and down out, and he did nothing to qualm these concerns during his time in Indianapolis…Amari Oruwariye tested better than we anticipated…his evaluations have been all over the place, but he did very well in this part of the process…I was a big fan of Joejuan Williams coming into the Scouting Combine, but even I have to admit, his draft stock takes a huge hit with a 4.64 40 time…this was not what he wanted nor what the scouting community wanted to see…Rock Ya-Sin had a mixed bag type of weekend…showed very well in some drills, not so much in others…from what I hear, he did very well in interviews so his draft stock should be coming into focus here, he looks like a mid-late Day 2 pick to me…it wasn’t all doom and gloom at the position, we saw some prospects emerge and show their talents…we were led to believe that Jamel Dean was an athletic phenom, and he did not disappoint…Jamel Dean had the best showing off all the Cornerbacks and now we have to seriously take another look at him, potentially as a Day 2 pick…Corey Ballentine out of Washburn also really made a name for himself…under the radar coming in, he left many scouts talking about him…another prospect who could find his way into the Top 100 picks…David Long is another prospect to keep in mind…he did well in his measurements, but perhaps even more important, where others were stumbling around during the drills, Long looked like a seasoned vet…another player to take an additional look at…another position where I could talk all day…Isaiah Johnson is another prospect who deserves your attention…the former WR was thought to have upper-tier athleticism and it showed on Monday…he is also on the radar as a RD2/RD3 type…
2019 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING COMBINE RESULTS: LINEBACKERS
ANALYSIS: This write-up will be brief…it was the Devin and Devin show at the Linebacker position during the Scouting Combine…Devin White has been the clear headliner from this class all season and draft season long…White set the Scouting Combine in fire during each and every drill…he projects to be a sideline to sideline force at the NFL level–and his showing Indianapolis supports this notion…for as good as Devin White was, Devin Bush was arguably better…previous measurements had the scouting community viewing Devin Bush as undersized…from how they weighed in on Sunday, Bush is just 1 inch shorter and 3 lbs. lighter than Devin White…the arrow is pointing WAY up for Devin Bush, and I would not be surprised if he is a Top 15-20 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft…Mack Wilson did not complete all of the drills, but he is not on par with White or Bush at this point…he’s a tier below and likely headed for a 2nd round evaluation…
2019 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING COMBINE RESULTS: DEFENSIVE TACKLES
ANALYSIS: The Defensive Tackle class won’t get the ballyhoo that the Defensive End/edge class will, but these prospects still showed very well…it all starts with Quinnen Williams…Quinnen Williams running a 4.83 40 at 300 lbs. is just bewildering…he was the most productive and explosive defender on tape in 2018, and the workout backs it up…speaking of production–Ed Oliver did not complete all of the drills in Indianapolis, but the one’s that he did complete, he looked spectacular in doing so…Oliver showed off his strength and his explosiveness…and one thing that is being underplayed for me is the fact that he measured in at 287 lbs…there was concern that Oliver would measure in closer to his playing weight at Houston, 270…Ed Oliver showed that he added the necessary bulk and it didn’t stop him from posting great marks…the Clemson Defensive Tackle duo also did their thing at the Scouting Combine…Christian Wilkins posted solid numbers across the board, and also was winning people over during the interview process…Wilkins is one of the more polished prospects in the entire 2019 NFL Draft…Dexter Lawrence was only able to do the bench press and then strained a muscle during his 40 yard dash…it was just a small sample size, but Lawrence was incredibly impressive…36 bench presses and a 5.05 40 time–at 340 lbs. illustrates how athletically gifted Dexter Lawrence is for such a massive young man…my hunch is that Wilkins and Lawrence solidified themselves as 1st round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft…a couple of prospects who are flying under the radar showed well…Jerry Tillery looked very agile and quick in the drills–expecting a 2nd-3rd round pick for him and Trysten Hill looked tremendous…in Hill’s case, the production doesn’t match the athleticism, but he now has a chance to sneak into the latter part of Day 2…
2019 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING COMBINE RESULTS: DEFENSIVE ENDS
ANALYSIS: Man, did this pass rushing class show off or what…honestly, we could begin with any number of our edge rushers, but I think we have to start with Montez Sweat…Sweat was simply unreal to watch during his time at the Scouting Combine…a 4.41 40 yard dash, 36 inch vertical leap, 125 inch broad jump and a 7 second 3-cone drill…Montez Sweat is officially a freak…this elevates his stock from simply a 1st rounder to someone who needs to be considered a legit threat to be drafted in the Top 5 at this point…speaking of Freaks–Rashan Gary reintroduced himself to the scouting community…mind you, I have been critical of Gary in the past due to his lack of statistical production during his time at Michigan…I’ve come full circle here…they simply just don’t make them like Rashan Gary and he profiles as a prospect who will be a better pro than a collegiate once he receives proper NFL coaching…Gary could very well find himself being drafted in the Top 5-10 picks as well…coming in to the process, Nick Bosa and Josh Allen were viewed as Top 3-5 prospects–and they performed as advertised…it was very important to see a healthy Nick Bosa in action–and he showed off a truly unique blend of speed and athleticism–firmly in the Top 3 mix…Josh Allen did the same…at 6’4 260 lbs. with his speed to power ability–Josh Allen will appeal to top 5 teams looking for that speed rushing ability off the edge…the hits just keep on coming…if you’re looking for that special speed rushing ability–look no further than Brian Burns…one of the larger question marks heading into the Scouting Combine surrounded around the weight of Burns…playing around 235 at Florida State, Burns added 15 lbs. in the off-season and comes in at a statuesque 6’5 250 lbs. and not just that, but he smoked the Scouting Combine…a 4.53 40 yard dash, 36 inch vertical leap, astronomical 129 inch broad jump, and a 7 second 3-cone drill…Brian Burns looked spectacular in everything that he did in Indianapolis and is now in the mix for a Top 10 pick as well…Clelin Ferrell did not compete in all of the drills, but did well in what he participated in…it feels like he is being passed by some of his contemporaries…he was once thought to be a Top 10 pick, the feeling now is his stock is more around the Top 15-20…one prospect who did not have a good weekend was Jachai Polite…he did not do many of the drills, but reportedly, had very off-putting interviews and is turning people off on his projection…Polite is a prospect I love athletically and on the field, it feels like his mentality and maturity may have him tumbling down into the late 1st/early 2nd round range…Chase Winovich calmed any concerns in regards to his athletic testing…you see the fluidity on tape, and it was matched during his workout in Indianapolis…I have Chase Winovich as a solid 2nd round pick at this juncture…I could talk about the prospects all day, but one guy I want to make sure to highlight is Anthony Nelson the DE from Purdue…initially Anthony Nelson didn’t pop in his workouts, until we hit the 3-cone drill…Nelson posted a 6.95 3-cone time–and why is this important..? For a 6’7 270 lb. prospect to be this fluid in a short-area quickness drill is jaw-dropping…what that tells me is that Nelson can win quickly with different moves at the line of scrimmage…a couple of mid-round prospects that we need to do more work on following their lights-out workout at the Scouting Combine…Ben Banogu from TCU and John Cominsky from Charleston…
2019 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING COMBINE RESULTS: INTERIOR OFFENSIVE LINE
ANALYSIS: It’s becoming more and more apparent that the 2019 interior offensive line class is stacked at the top…we have to begin with Garrett Bradbury who just put on a show…across the board, Bradbury just checks the boxes, and will be in the mix for a Top 15-20 pick…Chris Lindstrom isn’t far off from Bradbury…Lindstrom showed off better than anticipated athleticism with a 4.91 40 yard dash and a mesmerizing 117 inch broad jump…Lindstrom is a plug and play guard who has stamped his 1st round evaluation…Erik McCoy is continuing to have himself a draft season…an experienced prospect from his days in the SEC–McCoy continues to wow with athletic traits…Erik McCoy was not being discussed early on in the draft process, but his momentum is rolling now…don’t be surprised if McCoy winds up a late 1st round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft…
2019 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING COMBINE RESULTS: OFFENSIVE TACKLE
Analysis: Much ado about nothing here at the offensive tackle position…there were a couple highlights…Andre Dillard was considered to be one of the more NFL-ready pass protectors entering the draft process–and he did not disappoint…Dillard led the way with a 4.96 40 time and a massive 118 inch broad jump…Dillard needs to get more nasty and physical in the running game, but from a pass protection standpoint he is plug and play ready…Jawaan Taylor is going to workout at his Pro Day and the expectation is that he will emerge as the #1 offensive tackle in the 2019 NFL Draft class…there’s a big uproar as it relates to Jonah Williams–whether is is long enough to play offensive tackle or whether he has to kick inside to guard…regardless, he is a high-end offensive lineman prospect, and I still expect him to be selected in the Top 20 picks…Dalton Risner won over personnel people with his interviews and attention to detail…Yodny Cajuste didn’t do very much, but what he did impresed…32 reps on the bench–Cajuste is country strong and has the potential to maul people…Kaleb McGary showed very well at the Scouting Combine and puts his draft stock firmly in the Day 2 conversation…
2019 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING COMBINE RESULTS: TIGHT ENDS
Analysis: We knew coming into the 2019 NFL Draft Scouting Combine that Iowa teammates T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant were going to test out well…we didn’t know HOW well they would do…Hockenson and Fant removed all doubt that the Hawkeye’ teammates are the class of the TE position…they measured in identically…Noah Fant blazed the fastest 40 time at 4.5 flat and left everyone else in his dust…combine that with a class best 39.5 vertical leap, 127 inch broad jump, and an insane 6.81 3-cone drill and Noah Fant put in the most complete workout that I can recall…Hockenson put up a better 20-yard split, but doesn’t have the high-end speed that Fant has…that being said, Hockenson is a ferocious blocker and Fant has work to do here…it really comes down to preference and what you want from the position…regardless, these two prospects are in the Top 10-15 conversation following this type of performance…Irv Smith Jr. did well, he just got left behind as it relates to the Iowa duo…solid across the board, Irv. Smith Jr. did nothing to dissuade a team from taking him in the late 1st/early 2nd round range…Dawson Knox didn’t run the 40 yard dash as he is still healing from a previous injury, but he did everything else pretty well…I like Dawson Knox as one of the better 2nd round value picks in the entire 2019 NFL Draft…Jace Sternberger was not extraordinary at any particular drill, but he didn’t leave any lingering concerns either…Foster Moreau and Kahale Warring are two prospects who are certainly on the rise at this point…going to dive into their tape a little bit more, but for now, I wouldn’t have an issue with a mid-late 3rd round projection…