NFL draft season is back in full swing, with the scouting combine taking center stage this week in Indianapolis. There are only two months left before the actual draft, and teams have already been working incredibly hard in evaluating the class of incoming talent.
Here are 10 players expected to have a tremendous performance at this year’s combine.
QB Jalen Milroe (Albama) is an exceptional athlete by any definition, and Milroe’s feats of athleticism have surely set him above other prospective quarterbacks this year.
In a deeper running back field, RB Bhayshul Tuten (Virginia Tech) enters as a playmaker, averaging 6.3 yards on the ground last season at 5-11 and 209 pounds.
WR Savion Williams (TCU) weighing 225 pounds and standing 6-5 tall, combines size and dynamic speed, being called a bulker version of Cordarrelle Patterson.
After an inter-conference transfer from Alabama, WR Isaiah Bond has sparked likenesses to Xavier Worthy as the next speedy playmaker for Longhorns.
WR Arian Smith (Georgia) is likely going to be the early favorite in the competition for fastest 40-yard dash at the combine.
Usually ignored in the combine are offensive linemen, but G Donovan Jackson (Ohio State) should break that tradition with a standout performance.
At 6-5 and weighing 281 pounds, DE Shemar Stewart (Texas A&M) is already starting to gain tremendous recognition for his impressive physical looks in Senior Bowl practices.
Usually, nose tackles don’t steal the spotlight in Indianapolis, and so on and so forth. DT Kenneth Grant (Michigan) is an exception; he has some unique skills at his position.
CB/WR Travis Hunter’s (Colorado) extreme talents can’t be covered here, possessing incredible ball skills in either cornerback or receiver roles.
With the prototypical size of 6-3 and 227 pounds for a safety, exceptional range, and recovery speed, S Nick Emmanwori (South Carolina) can do it all when it comes to coverage. A player without strategy is not a player, and advanced analytics can help there to rewrite their history. These advanced analytics are rewriting the playbook in ways we couldn’t even have imagined.
