With the NFL Combine done and dusted, we’ve finally seen how these upcoming prospects stack up athletically. While the tape tells a lot of the story, it can be difficult to separate the tenths of a second that are compared during the 40-yard dash, and college teams are notorious for lying about the size of their players. In order to best put some of these athletic testing numbers into context, I’ll be using Kent Lee Platte’s (@MathBomb) Relative Athletic Score (RAS) to show how “athletic” a player is compared to other players from their position who also tested this year. All credit goes to his work, and you can find the numbers for yourself at RAS.football.
So, without further adieu, the winners and losers of the NFL Combine:
Quarterbacks
Winners
Malik Willis – Liberty
Willis was widely considered the best performer at his position at the Senior Bowl, and, with many of the same competitors attending in Indy, Willis was able to further his lead among scouting personnel’s QB ranks. Like many of the other quarterbacks in attendance, Willis did not participate in the athletic testing. However, the drills allowed him to showcase his massive arm strength and even a little bit of deep-ball accuracy, and he didn’t disappoint.
An absolute BEAUTY of a throw from @LibertyFootball
QB @malikwillis 😮📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/nBtecvoB2I
— NFL (@NFL) March 4, 2022
Alongside his performance in drills, Willis was also a hot commodity in meeting rooms, as he met with every single NFL team while in Indianapolis. The whispers heard around the press indicate that his performance in these interviews was more than good enough and the expectation now seems to be that Willis a lock to be the first quarterback off the board.
Desmond Ridder – Cincinnati
While Willis shined in the drills, it was Ridder who flashed his athleticism in the athletic testing portion of the Combine. The former Bearcat ran a 4.52 40 yard dash, jumped 36″ and 10’7″ in the vertical and broad, respectively, ran a 7.15 3 cone, and a 4.29 shuttle. His 40 yard dash time puts him in the 97th percentile of QBs and his burst score of 126.5 finished in the 94th percentile. His performance alongside his size resulted in a 9.56 RAS score, showcasing his high-level athleticism. For fantasy purposes, this level of athleticism can help him score a lot of fantasy points if he gets the opportunity to start for an NFL team.
In order for him to be considered a long-term solution, he’ll also have to be viewed as a good passer. He had the opportunity to prove his mettle in this portion of the game during the throwing drills, and he likely did not hurt his stock in those drills. He looked like a very good, not great passer, which could be considered an improvement from some of his games at Cincy.
Losers
Kenny Pickett – Pittsburgh
After dodging hand measurements at the Senior Bowl, Kenny Pickett finally had his hands measured at the combine, and the Twitterverse erupted with fans measuring their own hands after Pickett’s measurements came in. The former Panther’s hands measured in at 8.5 inches, which would be the smallest of any starting QB in the NFL. The next smallest are Taysom Hill at 8.75″ and then Joe Burrow, Ryan Tannehill, and Jared Goff all having hands measuring in at 9″.
While some evaluators may not agree with hand size being a metric that actually matters, other evaluators may possibly move Pickett down, or even off, their boards. We’ll see how much this truly affects his draft stock in Las Vegas this April.
D’Eriq King – Miami
Almost nobody was excited about King before the Combine, but even his mother needs to be concerned now. King looked nothing like an NFL quarterback during the throwing drills; at points, he didn’t even look like an FBS-level QB. He also measured in at 5’9″ tall, which is incredibly short for an NFL quarterback. King will need to change positions and hope he finds a team that’s nice to him or move on to the USFL.
Running Backs
Winners
Breece Hall – Iowa State
While Hall was largely considered the RB1 in this class, and definitely deserved that mantle, he has now cemented that position after an incredible Combine performance. Hall ran one of the fastest 40-yard dashes of any running back at the combine, with a 4.39 time. He also posted a 40″ vertical jump and a 10’6″ broad jump, resulting in a 9.95 Relative Athletic Score. With this performance, Hall may even be considered in the late first round of the NFL draft.
Rachaad White – Arizona State
White had some weight concerns coming into the Combine, as the Arizona State website listed him at 6’2″ and 210 lbs which would put him lower on the BMI scale. However, he measured in at 6’0″ and 214 lbs at the Combine; which, when combined with his athletic testing, makes him a great athletic prospect. Speaking of, his athletic testing results included a 38″ vertical jump, a 10’5″ broad jump, and a 4.48 40 yard dash. All of these results finished above the 85th percentile among all RBs who have attended the combine and, combined, led to a 9.84 RAS. White has now performed incredibly well at the college level, at the senior bowl, and at the combine. He should now be a day 2 NFL draft pick and a late 1st in dynasty Superflex rookie drafts.
Losers
Kyren Williams – Notre Dame
Williams was one of the most obvious losers of the combine. Despite being one of the more hyped RBs in the fantasy community, Williams had an awful day at the Combine. It began with the measurements, where Williams weighed in at 194 lbs despite previously being listed at 199 and many hoping he would weigh over 200. After the measurements, he failed to make an impression anywhere else. Williams ran the slowest 40-yard dash time of any running back in attendance at 4.65 seconds, and he jumped just a 32″ vertical and 9’8″ broad. Combined, his performance led to a 1.75 RAS, by far the lowest score of all RBs in attendance.
Zonovan Knight
Knight didn’t have the greatest performance in college, but many Twitter scouts believed he would test really well since his athleticism seemed to show up on tape. However, his 4.58 40-yard dash, 31″ vertical, and 9’6″ broad were all average at best. With his poor Combine outing combined with his subpar college career, Knight isn’t a very interesting prospect and will likely fail to receive any semblance of draft capital in April.
Wide Receivers
Winners
Chris Olave – Ohio State
Olave has been a very good WR for the Buckeyes for the past few years; but, after returning for his senior season, some scouting analysts were worried about his NFL prospects. However, Olave showed Combine viewers what the more astute of scouts already knew: he’s an NFL-level deep threat. Olave ran a 4.39 second 40-yard dash, the eighth-fastest time at this year’s Combine. With his speed and route-running abilities, Olave will likely be selected in the late 1st or early 2nd of the NFL draft and will be a coveted dynasty asset.
Tyquan Thornton – Baylor
Thornton briefly “broke” the NFL Combine 40-yard dash record before the official time of 4.28 seconds came in. Even without being mind-blowingly fast, Thornton was still the fastest WR at the Combine. In addition, Thornton tested well in the other categories, as he recorded a 36.5″ vertical and 10’10” broad. Overall, the great performance won’t necessarily make him a highly coveted NFL draft pick, as he only had one good collegiate season and it wasn’t until year four. However, his Combine performance still likely made him some money later this year.
Losers
Wan’Dale Robinson – Kentucky
Robinson’s athletic testing went well, as he ran a 4.44 40, recorded a 34.5″ vertical, and jumped 9’10” in the broad. However, the University of Kentucky’s lies were revealed. The Wildcats’ website had Robinson’s height listed as 5’11”, a solid height for an NFL WR. However, Robinson was measured at just 5’8″ in Indianapolis. While NFL WRs come in many different shapes and sizes, the list of those who have turned into elite players at 5’8″ tall is incredibly slim. Here’s the list: Tyreek Hill. Now, Robinson is fast, but he’s definitely not Tyreek Hill fast. While the elite list is slim, the list of just good WRs who came out that short in recent years is also slight. Here’s that list: Jamison Crowder. Lovely! I personally greatly enjoyed Wan’Dale’s film, and I’d love for him to be an outlier at his height. However, betting on outliers rarely ends up being a good decision, so good luck.
David Bell – Purdue
Speaking of outliers, very few WRs entering the NFL since 2000 with an all-time RAS below 3 have turned into good or great fantasy assets. I may have missed a few, but the list I found is: Anquan Boldin, Wes Welker, Hunter Renfrow, and Jarvis Landry. Bell scored just a 2.73 All-time RAS after running a 4.65 40 alongside a 33″ vertical jump, 9’10” broad jump, 4.57 shuttle, and 7.14 3-cone. All of these results rank below the 45th percentile. While Bell was a fantastic producer with the Boilermakers, his lack of athletic ability will be a large hurdle to overcome at the NFL level. Once again, good luck if you plan to bet on Bell being an outlier.
Tight Ends
Winners
Jelani Woods – Virginia
Woods looked pretty goofy on tape, as he stands at 6’7″ and runs like he doesn’t yet know how to control all that length. He’s also 253 lbs, making him just an absolutely massive human being, and he uses his size to box out defenders and let his QB just throw it up to him. However, something that didn’t immediately show up on his tape is his speed. Woods ran a 4.61-second 40-yd dash, a 93rd percentile time for the TE position. With his amazing combination of size and speed, he has the tools to be quite the NFL tight end.
