NFL Draft: Ten defensive players whose stock rose at combine

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

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

MORE: Ten stock-boosters on offense | Top combine performances by position

Recruiting: On National Signing Day, Burns committed to Florida State over Florida, Georgia and others. He had taken a late official visit to Tallahassee and it paid off with his signature.

Combine performance: Burns tested well at the combine, finishing third among defensive linemen in the 40-yard dash, seventh in the three-cone drill and tied for eighth on the bench press, so he showed a nice mix of speed and power throughout the weekend. Coupled with a strong showing this past season, Burns could be heavily in the first-round discussion.

Farrell’s take: Burns was a Rivals100 prospect with excellent speed around the edge and a great first step, but we had questions about his ability to handle the run. Size is still a question, but his play in the backfield has been stellar and speaks to his ability to disrupt plays with speed and acceleration. As he adds strength, he will become better against the run, but at the combine he showed how explosive he can be as an edge rusher.

Recruiting: In December of his senior season, Bush committed to Michigan over Florida State, Georgia, Auburn and others. He picked the Wolverines even though his father played for the Seminoles.

Combine performance: The testing numbers across the board were solid for Bush, tying for second in the 40-yard dash with a 4.43-second time, as Devin White led with a 4.42. The Michigan linebacker also had the best vertical leap, he was third in the broad jump and he finished top five in the three-cone drill as well.

Farrell’s take: We had Bush ranked in the Rivals250 and as a top 10 inside linebacker, but I never expected him to be as dominant as he was in his college career or turn out to be such a great athlete. He’s a much bigger hitter at the college level than I expected he would be, and his lack of length – something we worried about – hasn’t hurt him at all. He explodes to the football, arrives with a thump and was a huge key for Michigan’s defense. His combine checked all the boxes for a first-rounder.

Recruiting: Dean committed to Ohio State in December 2013 after a visit to Columbus and said he wanted to leave the state of Florida for college to try something new. Florida, Miami, Mississippi State and others were involved. He enrolled at Ohio State but never received medical clearance, so the four-star transferred to Auburn.

Combine performance: Dean had an outstanding performance in the testing portion of the combine as he blazed a 4.3 40-yard dash, which was only .02 seconds off the recent best time set in 2017. He was also third in the vertical leap among cornerbacks and seventh in the bench press. Throughout the workout, Dean only helped his draft stock move up at a position of weakness this cycle.

Farrell’s take: Dean was a four-star cornerback coming out of high school with good size and speed and we thought he might grow into a safety because he was thick and powerful. After he transferred to Auburn he really developed, as it did a great job with him. He could be the first cornerback off the board.

Recruiting: On National Signing Day, Gary picked Michigan over Clemson. The Wolverines were considered the front-runner for some time. Alabama and Auburn were also in the running late in the recruiting cycle.

Combine performance: There was no doubt that Gary would perform well at the combine, especially during the testing, and he definitely backed up his reputation throughout the day. The former No. 1 overall prospect was fourth among defensive lineman in the 40 at 4.58 seconds, fourth in the vertical and tied for seventh place in the broad jump. His athleticism is well-known, and he showed it off in Indianapolis.

Farrell’s take: Gary is arguably the most athletic player in the country for his size, and he pushed to our No. 1 overall spot out of high school based on his ability to play end or tackle with ease and dominate at both. He has No. 1 overall pick potential as he showed at the combine. He’s that freaky. I remember his improvement in high school from a kid who was very upright and raw to a terror by his senior year. His 40 time at his size is simply astonishing.

Recruiting: Rated as a two-star offensive guard at Live Oak (Fla.) Suwannee, Hill committed to and signed with Virginia, but he was denied admission and then landed at UCF. He had 11 total offers.

Combine performance: One of the big surprises of the combine, Hill looked excellent during on-field drills and drew rave reviews numerous times from the analysts on the NFL Network. He also had solid testing numbers across the board which could move him up. There are questions about why he played in 12 games but only started one this past season, which will be addressed in the pre-draft process.

Farrell’s take: Hill was a short, squat offensive lineman with a lot of power out of high school but who didn’t have the agility he has today. He moved very well at the combine and got high on the board of many teams. He was clearly a find by Virginia out of high school and UCF reaped the benefits at times.

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Recruiting: A high four-star prospect out of junior college, Johnson landed an offer from Texas, quickly set up a visit and a few days later he was committed to the Longhorns. Oregon and USC were also under serious consideration, and Arizona State and Louisville were also in the mix.

Combine performance: Johnson did everything he could possibly do to help himself at the combine as he turned in a 4.43-second 40-yard dash to get in the same sentence as White and Bush at linebacker. His vertical and broad jump were also among the top 15 at his position as he showed off athleticism and consistency throughout the workout.

Farrell’s take: Johnson was one of the highest-rated JUCO recruits in the country in 2017 as a physical and aggressive inside linebacker, and he took those talents to Texas and improved upon them. He ran much better than expected at the combine and really pushed his way up into that second tier of linebackers.

Recruiting: A few days before National Signing Day, Murphy committed to Washington over Arizona State, Texas A&M, USC and others. The Huskies also told Murphy he could walk-on to the basketball team if he wanted.

Combine performance: Murphy did not have the best testing numbers among cornerbacks - and his 4.55 in the 40 could get a second look at his pro day - but he was arguably the smoothest and most fluid cornerback when it came to on-field drills. Cornerback is a weaker spot in this draft, but Murphy showed he should be considered at or near the top when his position is ready to be drafted.

Farrell’s take: Murphy wasn’t the biggest cornerback coming out of high school, but he had good length and played bigger wide receivers very well. He was also an aggressive tackler and very instinctual, which is why we had him rated so high. He was a natural, and the only thing that kept him from his fifth star was his lack of overall strength. He was so fluid at the combine and did all the drills so effortlessly his 40 time isn’t a big issue.

Recruiting: After playing at Stone Mountain (Ga.) Stephenson, Sweat played at Michigan State before transferring to junior college at Wesson (Miss.) Copiah-Lincoln and eventually ending up at Mississippi State.

Combine performance: Sweat did everything possible to enter the top 10 pick discussion after his combine showing. He ran a 4.41 in the 40-yard dash, setting the event record for defensive linemen. He was so fast only one running back - Justice Hill - was faster. He was so fast that he would have ranked eighth at wide receiver. And Sweat did it at 6-foot-6, 260 pounds. Sweat’s other numbers were also solid, and he looked great during on-field drills, too.

Farrell’s take: Sweat was a tall, filled-out defensive end out of JUCO who was a three-star, but before that he was a skinny two-star tight end who committed to Michigan State. He has developed into an athletic freak who has NFL scouts drooling and has jumped into my top 10.

Recruiting: A few weeks after a decommitment from Auburn, Williams made his pledge to Alabama in the summer before his senior season. He had visited with the Crimson Tide in the spring while still committed to the Tigers.

Combine performance: At 6-foot-3 and 303 pounds, Williams ran the 40-yard dash at 4.83 seconds. When it was finished, on the NFL Network broadcast, Rich Eisen said, “Holy cow,” and Daniel Jeremiah said, “Somebody is in the mix for the first overall pick.” The Alabama star also looked really smooth through all the on-field work as well.

Farrell’s take: Williams was a highly ranked prospect coming out of high school, a kid who just missed the Rivals100. He was very quick and had a good frame to fill out. He made a huge jump at the end of the rankings cycle, thanks to some great play at the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game. Now he’s become one of the best playmakers in the country and his combine time was astonishing. He could be the No. 1 pick in the draft.

Recruiting: A teammate of Laremy Tunsil, Woods visited Ole Miss in the summer before his senior season and committed to Ole Miss over East Carolina, Iowa State and UCF. He was ranked as a three-star inside linebacker in high school.

Combine performance: Woods clocked the fastest 40-yard dash of the entire combine at 4.29 seconds, but he did not stop there. The Ole Miss defensive back was also tied for fifth on the bench press, was tied for No. 13 in the vertical leap and was No. 10 in the broad jump as well showing a special mix of explosiveness and power throughout the workout.

Farrell’s take: Woods was an undersized linebacker out of high school who many considered a throw in with Tunsil, and now he’s the fastest player at the combine and might have jumped into the first round. He’s the rare prospect that moved from linebacker to safety and excelled.