The Underwear Olympics have concluded in Indianapolis, and NFL front offices are furiously recalibrating their draft boards based on the athletic testing. While tape should always take precedence over 40-yard dash times, the Scouting Combine provides vital data points that confirm suspicions or raise massive red flags. Let’s look at the prospects who made themselves a lot of money this March.
The Defensive Line Freaks
This draft class was already highly touted for its defensive line depth, but the combine testing was out of this world. We saw 300-pound defensive tackles running sub-4.8 seconds in the 40-yard dash and edge rushers jumping over 40 inches in the vertical. The sheer explosive power displayed by these athletes has likely pushed several offensive skill players down into the second half of the first round.
Small School Sleepers Awaken
The combine is also the ultimate equalizer for small-school prospects. A wide receiver from the FCS level stole the show, blazing the fastest 40-time of the weekend and looking incredibly fluid in the gauntlet drill. By proving he has elite, NFL-caliber speed, he erased concerns about his level of collegiate competition and solidified himself as a Day 2 lock.
