NFL Combine Day 2 Standouts

NFL Combine Day 2 Standouts

Day two of the workouts has come and past seeing both the offensive lineman and running backs go through timed measurements along with on the field drills. In our NFL Combine Day 2 Standouts we take a look at whose generated the most buzz either good or negative.

NFL Combine Day 2 Standouts

Tristian Wirfs

We already knew that Wirfs was a good athlete, but that doesn’t take away from the show that Wirfs put up on Friday night. It all started with the 40 yard dash as Wirfs glided to a 4.85 40 yard dash and then went and jumped 36.5″ which sets a NFL Combine record while his 10’1″ broad jump tied Kolton Miller’s record. Wirfs wasn’t just a workout warrior as he continued to show his ease of movement in position drills showing quickness change of direction and lateral agility. Whether Wirfs plays guard or tackle in the NFL, he’s likely cemented his status as a top 10 pick.

Mekhi Becton

People will often laugh at the notion of offensive lineman running the 40 yard dash at the NFL Combine but when you have a lineman at 6’7 and 364lbs and can run a 5.10 40 yard dash is pretty impressive. And while an offensive lineman will never run 40 yards, putting up an impressive time shows his athletic ability and can put some of those concerns away. A hamstring tweak kept Becton out from other drills but after his 40 yard dash, he really didn’t need to do much else. Look for Becton to go very high in the 2020 NFL Draft and the top 10 is definitely in play.

Ezra Cleveland

We all know about Wirfs, Wills, Thomas and Becton as the top tackles in this class, but there is a dog fight in that second tier of guys trying to work their way into the back end of the first round. One of those guys is Cleveland out of Boise State who showed off his athleticism with a sub 5.0 40 yard dash but had the best 20 yard shuttle time of any offensive lineman and was a top 10 finisher in the broad jump. This is for sure going to have people going out and watching his tape to see if he can be a late first round pick.

Matt Hennessey

The competition atop the interior offensive line is pretty thick, and Hennessey is rig ht in the middle of it. Hennesseey did put up an impressive 7.45 3 Cone Drill his other timed measurements were just ok. But it’s his performance on the position drills that really had him stand out as he was a smooth mover showing the lateral quickness and smooth movement skills that has him as a second round pick and one of the fist centers off the board.

Jonathan Taylor

In college Taylor was a prolific rusher who accumulated 6,174 yards over his three year career. Wanting to prove he’s the top running back in this class Taylor put on a show at the combine blazing a 4.39 40 yard dash which was the best of any running back while also finishing in the top 10 in both the broad jump and short shuttle showing off his explosiveness. At this point Taylor may have locked up his status as a second round pick, but he’s entered the discussion of who the top running back taken may be.

AJ Dillon

Dillon weighed in at 247lbs which made him the heaviest running back by 15lbs, but you wouldn’t know that by the performance Dillon put up on Friday night. His 4.53 40 yard dash wasn’t eye popping but at his size that was still impressive. But in the explosion drills is where Dillon really stood out putting up the top vertical leap at 41″ along with the best broad jump at 10’11” while finishing in the top 10 in the 3 cone drill. Dillon reminds me a lot of James Connor when he came out of Pittsburgh and with Conner’s success and Dillon’s performance could also see him get drafted in the Day 2 range.