The NFL Scouting Combine concluded on Sunday. Day 4 featured the best and brightest offensive linemen and running backs in the 2023 rookie class. All the pomp and circumstance surrounding the Combine offers to verify prior scouting and illuminate prospects who might otherwise go overlooked leading into next month’s NFL Draft. The debate rages on regarding just how important the Combine is to the scouting process, especially when it comes to athletic testing.
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2023 NFL Scouting Combine: Day 4 Recap
Offensive Linemen
The position group with arguably the least correlation between Combine testing and ability level are the offensive linemen. Often the largest men in the sport, not much stock is put on the 40-yard dash or jumps. The 3-Cone drill demonstrates agility and footwork, while the bench press sheds light on a prospect’s upper body strength. In the end, game tape and interviews will weigh much more heavily for future NFL blockers.
Georgia tackle Broderick Jones was the most fleet of foot among offensive linemen on Day 4. The 6-foot-5, 311-pound former basketball player came in with a 40-time of 4.97 seconds.
Ohio State sent a gigantic human to Indianapolis in the form of tackle Dawand Jones. The staggering mountain of a man measured over 6-foot-8 and 374 pounds. He has grizzly bear-sized 11 5/8-inch hands and 36 3/8-inch pterodactyl arms. Incredibly, Jones did not run the slowest 40 at 5.35 seconds.
Running Backs
The RB group was the real focal point on Sunday’s Day 4 workouts. The fantasy community was buzzing, eagerly anticipating the chance to see the NFL’s future ball carriers.
The 2023 class is the deepest pool of RB talent in recent memory, headlined by megastar prospect Bijan Robinson from Texas. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound back has been compared to seemingly every RB with a gold jacket, from Walter Payton to LaDainian Tomlinson. Robinson did nothing to scare away the hype, with a 4.46 in the 40 and above-average marks in the vertical and broad jumps. He is widely considered the best RB prospect since Saquon Barkley, and I can’t argue with it.
Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs is an explosive, shifty RB with elite receiving chops. He raised eyebrows with a 4.36 in the 40, including a blistering 1.52-second 10-yard split. A landing spot with strong intentions of unleashing Gibbs as a weapon in space has many analysts envisioning a player with RB1 upside.
The fastest RB on Day 4 was no surprise. Devon Achane from Texas A&M has huge breakaway plays all over his game tape. While some predicted Achane would run his 40 in under 4.3 seconds, especially at only 188 pounds, he was respectably speedy, with an official time of 4.32 seconds.
Three larger backs, more known for their power, held serve, with 40 times in the 4.5s. Zach Charbonnet from UCLA ran a 4.53 and also jumped well with a 37-inch vertical and 10-foot-2 broad jump. Robinson’s Austin backfield mate Roschon Johnson came in with 4.58 and looked sharp in positional drills. Auburn’s Tank Bigsby is a highly-touted RB in this year’s class and ran a respectable 4.56 in the 40.
Senior Bowl darling Tyjae Spears from Tulane did not run the 40 on Day 4 but wowed everyone with a 39-inch vertical and 10-foot-5 in the broad jump. At 5-foot-10 and 201 pounds, Spears is a dynasty asset whose value is on a rapid ascent.
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Thank you for following along with me as I broke down the events and storylines in this year’s NFL Scouting Combine. For more prospect-related content, keep checking for my work on FantasyPros and follow me on Twitter here.
