Winners
1. Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State
Labeled as a road grader who may have to kick inside to guard, Conklin showed better than expected athleticism during his positional drills. A 5.0 40 with a 1.75 10-yard split was one of the more impressive times for a lineman, and Conklin looked smooth in his footwork during workouts.
2. Jason Spriggs, OT, Indiana
Just about everyone expected Spriggs to dominate the combine exercises, so it came as no real surprise when his numbers led the class in every event. A 4.94 40 and an eye-popping 9’7 broad jump highlighted Spriggs impressive day, numbers that look even better next to his 31 bench press reps yesterday.
3. Connor McGovern, Missouri
After 33 reps on the bench yesterday, McGovern ran a swift 5.09 40, with an explosive 1.72 ten-yard split. Broad jumping just over 9-feet was another encouraging mark for McGovern, who really caught my eye with some pop on the bags in positional drills.
4. Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State
Not that he needed any assurance, but Elliott running a 4.47 should lock him in as the top running back off the board come April. He’s already a top ten overall prospect to me, but I’m leaning toward top five range for my next big board.
5. Tyler Ervin, San Jose State
Ervin wasn’t quite as fast as we anticipated, but still posted impressive marks with a 4.41 40, 39-inch vertical, and 10’10 broad jump. Looked great in pass-catching drills and making cuts with the ball in his hands as well.
6. Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama
What a show Henry put on, jumping 37 inches at 247 pounds, before broad-hopping the same 10’10 distance that Ervin did at 192 pounds. A 4.54 40 more than confirms the breakaway speed Henry has on tape too. Should be a lock for the late 1st, early 2nd round range, despite a 7.2 three-cone time.
7. Keith Marshall, RB, Georgia
The forgotten man in Georgia behind Todd Gurley and Nick Chubb, Marshall confirmed that a torn ACL and other injury concerns hadn’t affected his speed at all, flying to a 4.31 official finish in Indy. He hasn’t been on the field a lot over the past few years, but when healthy, Marshall still has special speed in the open field.
8. Daniel Lasco, RB, California
Maybe the running back who impressed me the most on Friday, Lasco flew to a 4.46 40 time, after setting the top mark in the vertical (41.5) and the broad jump (11’3) at his position. At 6-0, 209 pounds, I’ve got to get into Lasco’s tape heavily next week.
9. Dan Vitale, Super Back, Northwestern
The Wildcats extraordinary do-it-all back, Vitale floored the competition during Friday’s workouts, running a 4.60 40, jumping 38.5 inches, and benching 30 reps the day prior. Perhaps the most impressive mark was Vitale’s 7.12 three-cone time, better than Henry, Lasco, and Marshaun Coprich.
–Also deserves mentioning that I thought the linemen expected to excel in positional drills (Joshua Garnett, Christian Westerman, Laremy Tunsil, Ronnie Stanley, Cody Whitehair) generally looked very strong. Tunsil’s feet are magnificent, and although he didn’t run, his drill-work should help solidify his status as the top offensive lineman in the draft. Whitehair’s 3-cone time of 7.32 was fantastic. I underestimated how good of an athlete he is, and I have a late first round grade on him.
Losers
1. Vadal Alexander, OG, LSU
I’ve never been one to overhype the 40 for offensive linemen, but an official time of 5.57 (1.92 10-yard) is bad, even for Alexander. It was clear watching him move in positional drills (and on tape) that he doesn’t have the feet to play tackle, but I’ll continue to question if he has the movement skills to start in the NFL at all.
2. Landon Turner, OG, North Carolina
I expected Alexander to post some of the worst times during Friday’s workouts, but I thought Turner would establish himself as the more athletic gap scheme guard. That didn’t happen however, as Turner’s official 5.58 40 (1.92) was actually a tick worse than Alexander. He also appeared labored in drills, although I think his feet are a bit lighter laterally. A broad jump of 7’4 (worst amongst OL) isn’t going to ease concerns about Turner’s explosiveness either.
3. Denver Kirkland, OL, Arkansas
Kirkland has been one of the big flops of the week for me, and I wasn’t a huge fan coming into the combine. His tape is inconsistent and displays several technical flaws, and Kirkland’s work in drills today didn’t help matters. A 5.55 40 was perhaps expected, but 1.96 and 1.98 10-yard splits were easily the worst marks amongst his fellow offensive linemen. Kirkland is really stiff in space too, and could be as limited as Alexander at the next level.
4. Alex Collins, RB, Arkansas
It was a rough day for the Arkansas prospects at the combine, as Sebastian Tretola and Kirkland struggled athletically in the morning, and Collins followed suit in the afternoon. For a power back, Collins’ 4.59 40 didn’t bother me too much, but his 9’5 broad jump was worse than Spriggs’ mark, and the running back’s vertical hop of just 28.5 was two inches shy of last year’s 340-pound nose tackle Danny Shelton! Looked stiff making cuts in drills too.
5. Kelvin Taylor, RB, Florida
Taylor didn’t stand out in any of the timed exercises, running a 4.6 40 and posting jumps of just 32 inches and 9’5. He also dropped several passes, and appeared out of sorts while running routes.
6. Shad Thornton, RB, North Carolina State
Many had already pegged Thornton as a player who should not have been invited to the combine, and his performance did nothing to disprove that belief. Thornton ran a ridiculously slow 4.75 40, with jumps of just 31 and 9’8. His three-cone time of 6.85 was impressive however.