Advertisement
football Edit

NFL Draft: Ten offensive players whose stock rose at combine

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

Parris Campbell
Parris Campbell (AP)
Advertisement

The NFL Scouting Combine is in the books. Here is a look at 10 players on offense who helped their draft stock after their showing in Indianapolis.

MORE: Farrell names top combine performances by position

1. WR Miles Boykin, Notre Dame

Recruiting: In the summer before his senior season, Boykin committed to Notre Dame even after a late visit to Michigan State along with Florida, Illinois, Michigan and Missouri making his final list.

Combine performance: Measuring at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, it was a surprise that Boykin ran the 40-yard dash so well at 4.42 seconds, tied for ninth among wide receivers. The other testing went extraordinarily well, too, as Boykin led the position in the three-cone drill, which tests change-of-direction speed, he was tied for first in the vertical jump and finished second in the broad jump. His 12 bench press reps were low, which could continue questions about how physical he is, but Boykin showed he’s an elite athlete at the receiver position.

Farrell’s take: Am I shocked that Boykin tested so well? Not really since we knew he was a very good athlete from his high school days. He certainly improved his stock when compared to other wide receivers and will be near the top of the boards for big wide receivers for many schools. Boykin was ranked No. 156 overall in 2015, so we saw his promise.

2. C Garrett Bradbury, NC State

Recruiting: Bradbury committed to NC State in the spring of his junior year. The only other offers he received were from Charlotte and Colorado State.

Combine performance: NFL.com senior analyst Gil Brandt said after Bradbury’s combine performance that he might have punched his ticket for the first round and that he’s a plug-and-play center for the next decade. Bradbury was second among offensive linemen with 34 bench press reps and third in the 40-yard dash at 4.92 seconds. He was excellent during on-field work as well.

Farrell’s take: Bradbury was a 6-foot-3, 240-pound tight end prospect coming out of high school who was a physical blocker but there was no way to tell he was going to turn into the top center in the country and in the NFL Draft. This is one of those head-scratchers when I look back but he is certainly an impressive NFL prospect.

3. WR A.J. Brown, Ole Miss

Recruiting: A high four-star prospect from Mississippi State’s hometown of Starkville, Miss., Brown committed to Ole Miss over the Bulldogs and Alabama on National Signing Day.

Combine performance: Brown was not among the top receivers in the 40-yard dash , but 4.49 is still incredibly fast and his 19 bench press reps were tied for sixth overall. The question about Brown coming into the combine was his speed and he proved that it should not be a question any longer. He’s hugely productive and talented and should be firmly in the first-round discussion.

Farrell’s take: I am a huge AJ Brown fan and have been since his high school days. He was heavily discussed at the end of our rankings in 2016 as some thought No. 53 overall was too low. He answered questions about his speed at the combine and he’s the best all-around wide receiver in this draft.

4. WR Parris Campbell, Ohio State

Recruiting: Rated as an athlete who played running back in high school, Campbell committed to Ohio State shortly after being offered by the Buckeyes. His recruitment had just been heating up with new offers from Michigan State, Indiana and Tennessee.

Combine performance: Campbell is a phenomenal athlete and he backed it up across the board during the combine, tying for first with the fastest 40-yard dash at 4.31 seconds among receivers. He also finished third at his position in the broad jump and fifth in the vertical leap with outstanding numbers as well. Eleven bench press reps is not great, but Campbell can fly and it will intrigue NFL teams.

Farrell’s take: Campbell wowed everyone with his speed at the combine, but I was also impressed with his route running ability and the way he caught the ball. He didn’t have much of a route tree at Ohio State and was more of an athlete than a football player out of high school, so it’s good to see his skills has developed and he’s ready for a round one selection.

5. TE Noah Fant, Iowa

Recruiting: Fant committed to Iowa in August before his senior season. Nebraska and Minnesota remained contenders in his recruitment, but close to signing day Fant shut his recruitment down.

Combine performance: Fant posted the fastest 40-yard dash time of 4.5 seconds among tight ends and he was hauling at 6-foot-4 and 249 pounds. The Iowa standout also led the way at his position in the vertical leap, broad jump and three-cone drill. Hawkeyes teammate T.J. Hockenson put up nice numbers as well but leaving the event, Fant could be the tight end everybody remembers.

Farrell’s take: Fant was a high three star out of high school who was under recruited a bit because he hailed from Nebraska where there isn’t a ton of talent. He was tall and athletic and needed to fill out and Iowa has done a great job developing him as they do with most tight ends. He and Hockenson could both go in round one which would be amazing.

6. RB Justice Hill, Oklahoma State

Recruiting: Hill was the first commitment in Oklahoma State’s 2016 class and grew up a fan of the Cowboys. He made his pledge to coach Mike Gundy’s club in February 2015. Houston, Kansas and Louisville were his three other offers.

Combine performance: It was a day of firsts for Hill - as in the Oklahoma State running back finished first in a lot of events that tested his speed and explosiveness. Hill led all running backs with a 4.4 40-yard dash, he edged out Miami’s Travis Homer for the best vertical leap at his position and he was tied with Homer and Notre Dame’s Dexter Williams in the broad jump. Hill had an excellent day and proved he’s one of the more dynamic players in the draft.

Farrell’s take: Hill was a mid-level three-star coming out of high school who was elusive, could catch the ball and ran hard. He lacked great size which was an issue and there was a question about whether he’s an every down back. He has certainly proven he can carry the load, he’s hard to tackle and is a guy who has proven reliable. He’s shooting up the boards now with his testing numbers and hopefully he will be able to show off his skills at his pro day.

7. QB Drew Lock, Missouri

Recruiting: Lock committed to Missouri in April of his junior year over Ohio State, Tennessee, Michigan State and others. His father and grandfather also played for the Tigers. Late pressure from Michigan added intrigue to Lock’s recruitment.

Combine performance: Lock continued to draw comparisons to Detroit Lions starter Matthew Stafford during his on-field work so it was a good combine for him. He was also the fifth-fastest quarterback in the 40-yard dash with players ahead of him that haven’t proven to be high draft picks, either, including Penn State’s Trace McSorley and Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald. His arm strength was evident during drill work and that might have stood out most.

Farrell’s take: I like Lock more and more each time I see him and I liked him a lot out of high school. We had him ranked No. 177 nationally as a skinny quarterback with a live arm and he’s bulked up since and has earned those comparisons to Stafford. He’s a round one guy to me.

8. WR D.K. Metcalf, Ole Miss

Recruiting: Metcalf committed to Ole Miss in the summer before his sophomore season. Alabama, Auburn and Cal made a run at him but Metcalf stuck with his commitment. His father, Terrence, uncle, Eric, and grandfather, Terry, all played in the NFL. Calvin Johnson is Metcalf’s cousin.

Combine performance: In terms of overall combine performance, Metcalf might have had the best weekend of anybody at any position. He looks like a Greek God, measured 1.9 percent body fat, got insane comparisons throughout the event, tested off the charts including a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at his size of 6-foot-3 and 228 pounds which is incredible and has entered the discussion as the possible No. 1 receiver off the board. It could not have gone any better for him.

Farrell’s take: People won’t believe this but speed was a question mark for Metcalf coming out of high school as well as his hands. He was still ranked highly but dropped at the end when he couldn’t separate at the Army Bowl and dropped a ton of passes. Is he just a combine freak who doesn’t have the production to back it up? Time will tell but he certainly helped himself with his combine.

9. RB Jordan Scarlett, Florida

Recruiting: A couple days before National Signing Day, Scarlett committed to Florida over Florida State even though he took a late visit with the Seminoles. He had been committed to Miami through his visit to FSU leading many to believe the ‘Noles would win out in his recruitment. Earlier, Scarlett was committed to FAU.

Combine performance: There was not a tremendous amount of buzz around Scarlett entering the combine but that could change quickly following his showing in Indianapolis. He was a guy a lot of scouts wanted to see work out and he passed with flying colors including being tied for third among running backs with a 4.47-second 40-yard dash. He also showed good power with 21 bench press reps and nice change-of-direction scoring high at his position in the 3-cone drill.

Farrell’s take: Scarlett had good size and he was sudden and quick coming out of high school but he wasn’t a burner. He wasn’t the kind of running back we expected to break off long runs in college, but we could certainly see him being a steady chain mover who could pop off a 30-yarder here and there and that’s exactly what we’ve seen. He was a Rivals250 guy that many felt should have been ranked higher and now that he’s shown he has elite speed, he’s moving up the boards.

10. WR Emanuel Hall, Missouri

Recruiting: On Aug. 1 before his senior season, Hall committed to Missouri over Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Louisville and others.

Combine performance: Hall went 4.39 seconds in the 40-yard dash, his vertical was tied for first at 43.5 inches and he led the way in the broad jump among wide receivers. The Missouri receiver showed off his explosiveness all weekend long and gave NFL evaluators even more reason to like him after he averaged more than 22 yards per catch this past season for the Tigers.

Farrell’s take: Hall was a low three-star who was injured here and there and missed some key evaluation opportunities, but always had good size and solid speed. However, he’s taken it to the next level in college and has become a burner who will be a steal for someone in the draft especially if he slips out of round one. He’s one of my favorite wide receivers in this class.

Advertisement