The 2023 NFL combine is complete, with the top 300 draft prospects going through on-field workouts, medical testing and in-person interviews with coaches and front-office executives for all 32 teams. We’ll learn more about the behind-the-scenes stuff over the next few weeks ahead of April’s draft, but what you all want to know is this: Which prospects helped their stock the most during the on-field portion of the combine?
That’s where ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. comes in. We asked Kiper to pick the players who most helped their stock over the past few days, with an emphasis on those who starred and rose based on what we thought ahead of the event in Indianapolis. Some of it is because of their 40-yard dash time or another athletic test, but it also could be because of how they looked on the field vs. their peers.
Here are Kiper’s picks, in no order:
coverage:
Recapping Days 1-4 of the combine
Kiper’s latest Round 1 mock draft
Kiper’s updated Big Board rankings
We knew headed into the week that Mims wasn’t going to be the biggest wideout in Indianapolis, but would he be one of the fastest? As a 5-foot-11 deep threat, he needed to show he has elite speed to beat cornerbacks on vertical routes at the next level. That’s exactly what he did Saturday, running a 4.38 40-yard dash, the fifth fastest among the receivers. He also had a solid 39.5-inch vertical leap and 6.90-second 3-cone time.
Mims flashed big-time ability at Oklahoma, averaging 19.5 yards per catch and catching 20 touchdown passes over three seasons. He wasn’t asked to run the entire route tree, however, so he will need some refinement once he gets to the NFL. Headed into the week, I ranked him just outside my top 10 receivers, but he’s going to move up a few spots. I have a Round 3 grade on him, but a team could move into Round 2 to take him in April.
Smith, who tore his right pectoral muscle in November and missed the rest of the season, did just three drills on the field Thursday night, but he was elite in each one. He ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash and put up a 41.5-inch vertical and 10-foot-8 broad jump. At 238 pounds, he is now the second-heaviest player to run a sub-4.4 40 and have a 40-plus-inch vertical jump at the combine since 2006 (Vernon Davis is the other). Those are unreal numbers for an outside linebacker.
NFL teams covet edge rushers — it’s one of the positions they reach for most. Smith has all the physical tools teams want in an outside linebacker, but he had just 6.5 sacks over the past two seasons and too often got swallowed up by offensive tackles. He has to develop more pass-rush moves. I don’t have a Round 1 grade on Smith — he’s my No. 3 OLB — but I could see a team falling in love with him and taking him in the 15-25 range in April.
This selection isn’t so much about a player rising as it is entrenching his position. There were a lot of questions about Smith-Njigba heading into the week because he is coming off a totally lost season due to a hamstring injury. We saw him dominate in 2021, but he ran just 42 total routes all of last season. Would he show that he’s a lock to be a first-round pick?
The answer is a definitive yes, even though he’s waiting to run the 40-yard dash until his pro day later this month. Smith-Njigba led all receivers in Indianapolis with a 6.57-second 3-cone time and a 3.93-second short shuttle. Those are quick numbers. That explosiveness is all over his 2021 tape. Plus, he was effortless in the receiving drills, snatching the ball out of the air and being silky smooth out of his breaks. Smith-Njigba is going in Round 1 in April, potentially in the top 15.
Bresee had a great workout Thursday, dispelling any questions about his physical tools. He moved well, running a 4.86-second 40-yard dash, which ranked fourth among the defensive tackles. At 298 pounds, he looked fresh and healthy.
Bresee looked like a future top-five pick as a freshman in 2020, but he tore his left ACL and played four games in 2021. Last season, he dealt with the death of his sister and a kidney infection. He played 320 snaps and had 3.5 sacks and 18 total tackles. Bresee could be a 3-technique tackle in the NFL, and he has some juice as a pass-rusher. This workout puts him firmly in the Round 1 discussion for teams that need help inside.
I thought Bennett had an outstanding workout Saturday, both in the passing drills and in the athletic testing. Since he didn’t play in an all-star game after his season ended, this was the first time NFL teams have gotten to see him up close. He threw the ball very well. He ran a better-than-expected 4.67 40-yard dash.
Bennett’s college production isn’t in question; he completed 68.3% of his passes with 27 touchdowns and seven picks in 2022. The question is more about his frame, as he measured just under 5-foot-11 — a little taller than Bryce Young — and his arm strength. He throws the ball hard, but can he consistently connect on a deep out down the field? An arrest for public intoxication in January didn’t help his stock in the eyes of front-office execs. Bennett also will turn 26 as a rookie. Still, he’s in the Round 4 range on my board, and I think he’ll have a long NFL career.
I’m not afraid to admit when I need to go back to the tape on a prospect. I want to rewatch Turner’s past two seasons, because he hasn’t been ranked among my top 10 cornerbacks. I had him in the early Day 3 range headed into the week, but he’s going to rise now, thanks to a 4.26-second 40-yard dash, which is the fourth-fastest time at the combine since 2003. That is flying.
Turner is a little small — 5-foot-11, 178 pounds — but he played in both press and off coverage and outside and in the slot for the Wolverines. Quarterbacks completed 39.3% of their throws with him as the nearest defender in coverage, according to tracking by ESPN Stats & Information. He wasn’t afraid to tackle and was outstanding on special teams. You can’t coach up this kind of speed, but again, I’m going back to the tape to check on his playing speed vs. this track speed.
Adebawore was one of the stars of Thursday, putting up the fastest 40-yard dash (4.49 seconds) of any player over 280 pounds at the combine since at least 2006, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. He also has the second-best vertical jump (37.5 inches) of any player over 280 pounds. Those are off-the-charts numbers.
The question for NFL teams now is: Why doesn’t Adebawore’s sack production match his physical traits? He had 9.5 sacks over the past two seasons, playing about three times as many snaps as an edge defender vs. a defensive tackle. That versatility will help, but he’s a bit of a tweener at the next level. Adebawore was just outside my defensive end rankings headed into the week, but he’s firmly in the third-round discussion now.
The safeties really did not impress me on Friday, but I’ll highlight Martin. His 11-foot-1 broad jump, 44-inch vertical and 1.47-second 10-yard split ranked first among all the safeties in attendance. His 4.46-second 40-yard dash ranked third. Those are good numbers for the 5-foot-11, 194-pound Martin, who also was impressive in the on-field drills.
Martin played mostly as a slot corner for the Fighting Illini, and that might end up being the best position for him in the NFL. He’s my seventh-ranked safety as of now, putting him right on the fringes of Days 2 and 3.
Mallory came in a little light — 239 pounds — but he ran the fastest 40-yard dash of any of the tight ends (4.54 seconds) in Indianapolis and also surprised some scouts with a 36.5-inch vertical. Those are outstanding numbers for the veteran, who played in 59 games for the Hurricanes. He improved every season at Miami, even with erratic quarterback play, catching 42 passes for 538 yards last season.
In a great tight end class, Mallory had been a little lost in the shuffle; he was No. 11 in my updated rankings last week. Now, he’s moving up a bit, and I could see him going in Round 4 or 5.
I’m going to add Stroud here because he was that good in his on-field throwing session. He was businesslike in his approach, looking smooth and fluid with every pass. He threw with pace and accuracy on every single ball. He didn’t do athletic testing, opting to do those at his pro day later this month, but he was excellent.
Stroud doesn’t have Anthony Richardson‘s elite physical traits, but at 6-foot-3, 214 pounds, he has everything else NFL teams want in a starting quarterback. He’s in the discussion to be the No. 1 overall pick, and I don’t think he’ll make it out of the top five.
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