I’m sure a lot of NFL general managers wish they could rebuild their rosters as easily as those of us who play dynasty fantasy football. Imagine if a team could compile a half dozen first-round picks in a single draft. They would have their pick of more than a handful of the brightest prospects available like they were window shopping.
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All-Combine Team (2023 Fantasy Football)
The NFL Scouting Combine is arguably more of a spectacle than a useful way of scouting players (unless you’re Al Davis). The 2023 rookie class has been one of the most eagerly anticipated collections of future talent in a long time. They did not disappoint at the Combine either. While some of the most highly-touted athletes merely confirmed their resumes, a few were so remarkable that they actually improved their future net worth with one workout in Indianapolis.
Since it’s fun to operate in hypotheticals, let’s imagine we are an NFL franchise with a bunch of first-round picks at our disposal. We need some new talented weapons to turn our team into a freakishly intimidating squad full of studs. The NFL has always struggled to win matchups, so why not pull all the best athletes from the Combine to create mismatches and annihilate the opposition? Here is the 2023 All-Combine Team.
Anthony Richardson (QB – Florida)
The Florida Gators have built a sketchy reputation over the past few years when it comes to properly utilizing players with professional skill sets and aspirations. Last year, we were left wondering how such a sledgehammer of an RB like Dameon Pierce could be limited to fewer than 10 touches per game. He hit the NFL running with fresh legs and impressed everyone despite playing for the horrendous Texans.
This year, the Florida head-scratcher has to be why it took them so long to stick with Anthony Richardson at QB over Emory Jones. Richardson’s game tape is littered with highlight plays and impressive traits that will carry over well at the next level. He took the Combine by storm, setting QB records in the vertical and broad jumps and running a 4.43 40-yard dash at 6-foot-4 and 244 pounds. Any coach worth their salt should be able to carve an Adonis from this granite slab and create a dangerous weapon under center.
You might be surprised I didn’t pick Bijan Robinson here. It is true that the Texas megastar prospect is a can’t-miss in this class, but this is the All-Combine team. Jahmyr Gibbs is high-voltage. His 4.36 in the 40, along with his vision and breathtakingly sudden changes of direction in the open field as a rusher and receiver, makes him a player that will have defensive coordinators jolting awake in a cold sweat. We have season tickets (and popcorn) to sell.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR – Ohio State)
To some, blinding speed matters a lot. The problem is that a fast 40 time has almost no correlation to successful NFL WRs. Jaxon Smith-Njigba did not run the 40 in Indy, but he was stunning in the 3-Cone and 20-yard shuttle. JSN also flashed the surgical short-area quickness in his routes, making him the breadwinner in a Buckeye receiving corps featuring Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave in 2021. Ohio State has been a stud WR factory under Ryan Day, and JSN might be the best one they’ve ever produced.
Bryce Ford-Wheaton (WR – West Virginia)
It would be really anticlimactic to compile an All-Combine team without the outlier freak that was the most impressive overall performer. Last year it was Christian Watson from FCS North Dakota State. His ridiculous showing at the Combine catapulted him into a second-round pick by the Green Bay Packers, where he produced one of the best stretches of fantasy performances of the 2022 season.
Bryce Ford-Wheaton from West Virginia is a bit stouter than Watson at 6-foot-4 and 221 pounds but ran a blistering 4.38 in the 40 nonetheless. I would argue that, where Watson is a field-stretching speedster who struggles to win contested catches with his size, Ford-Wheaton is more of a boundary jump ball winner and uses his 41-inch vertical leap more than his foot speed. The young Mountaineer has the raw athleticism to be a nightmare for defensive backs with a bit of coaching to sharpen his route running and increase his success rate against press coverage.
Darnell Washington (TE – Georgia)
The job that Kirby Smart has done to attract absolute freaks to Athens and cultivate football superstars is nothing short of incredible. Darnell Washington is an absolute specimen at 6-foot-7 and 264 pounds. He’s essentially a skinny tackle that reminds me of Trent Williams as a blocker early in his career.
If he chose to, Washington could become an all-pro lineman. The problem is he’s incredibly fast and nimble for his size. His 4.64 in the 40 with a 1.57-second 10-yard split was truly absurd. He also ran a 4.08 in the 20-yard shuttle, which would have put him at third-best…among WRs. Since red zone scoring is so paramount in professional football, having a fleet-footed Godzilla running route is desirable.
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