With the NFL Combine in the rearview mirror, its effects are being felt for some prospects’ draft stock, and not all of it is good, unfortunately. Let’s take a look back at what went well and what didn’t for the prospects and what we can now expect for them in the run-up to the NFL Draft.
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Stock Up
Anthony Richardson (QB – Florida)
It was no surprise that Anthony Richardson put up beastly numbers at the NFL Combine. The quarterback out of Florida looks more like a linebacker than a quarterback. Most quarterbacks elect not to go through all the drills that Richardson did, which make his numbers stand out even more than we might expect. A good combine isn’t enough to ignore the issues with Richardson’s game, particularly his poor mechanics, but those traits can be put to bed with good coaching. Raw athletic traits, however, aren’t something that can be coached, and there will be plenty around the league looking at Richardson and wondering what they can mold him into. When mock drafts started in January, Richardson was viewed as a top 20-30 pick, but now there should be no doubt he’ll be taken inside the top 10. In fantasy football, Richardson is unlikely to make it past the first five picks of a rookie draft, and with the upside case he presents, that seems entirely fair.
C.J. Stroud (QB – Ohio State)
While Anthony Richardson stole many of the headlines, C.J. Stroud did his best to insert his name into some headlines with an excellent showing in the quarterback throwing drills. Before the drills got started, Stroud told the press, “The film speaks for itself. I’ve been consistent through my two years of playing,” which is a fair remark for a player who was a Heisman finalist for two straight years and threw for over 8,000 yards, 85 touchdowns, and only 12 interceptions in those two seasons. There may be questions about Stroud’s ability to move between different reads, but at this point, he seems the most likely first quarterback off the board and when he does release the ball, he can throw one of the prettiest balls of all rookies.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR – Ohio State)
The wide receiver class as a whole failed to inspire at the NFL Combine, but one player who did impress was Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The wide receiver out of Ohio State missed much of 2022 with a hamstring injury, but the last time he was healthy, he outproduced Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave in the same offense, with more targets and yards than either of those players. At the combine, Smith-Njigba caught attention by running the 20-yard shuttle in 3.93 seconds and the 3-cone drill in 6.57 seconds, both the fastest times among all players who participated in those drills at this year’s combine. And that 20-yard shuttle time was the fourth best by a receiver since 2007. That kind of short-area twitch and speed is exactly what the NFL will want to see from a wide receiver who is being routinely compared to Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Zack Kuntz (TE – Old Dominion)
This tight end class is being referred to as the best in several years, and while Dalton Kincaid and Michael Mayer appear set to battle it out for the TE1 crown, Zack Kuntz had himself a nice combine that has helped him climb up rookie ADP somewhat. Kuntz is more of a pure pass-catching tight end in the Mike Gesicki mold than someone who looks like they can stay on the field for all types of plays, but at 6-foot-7 and 255 pounds running a 4.55 in the 40-yard dash with a 40-inch vertical and 10-foot-8 broad jump, Kuntz has the kind of athletic profile that should help him find a role and have offensive coordinators going out of their way to draw up plays for him.
Jalin Hyatt (WR – Tennessee)
When you look at Jalin Hyatt’s college production, it’s easy to come up with the idea that he’s a one-trick pony, specializing in deep receptions and boasting an outrageous 18.9 yards per catch. But with a solid combine, he might have teams thinking about how they can scheme him into their offense. Hyatt ran a 4.4 40-yard dash, which isn’t dazzlingly fast, but his broad jump of 11-foot-3 is 99th percentile and his 40-inch vertical is 93rd percentile. Those kinds of traits will stand out in this wide receiver class.
Stock Down
Bryce Young (QB – Alabama)
There were some sighs of relief when Bryce Young weighed in at over 200 lbs at the combine, along with measuring 5-foot-10. It’s widely believed that Young has played closer to 170 lbs, a size which would be a humongous outlier in the NFL. While it was good news that Young was able to add some bulk and be a similar size to Kyler Murray, his stock is down, as he opted to not compete with the other quarterbacks in the drills, electing to wait for his pro day instead. By now, we all know those pro days aren’t worth too much. We all can remember how well Zach Wilson did at his for instance. With C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis all looking good in those drills, Young missed an ideal opportunity to show he’s as good as those prospects.
Kayshon Boutte (WR – LSU)
A year ago, Kayshon Boutte was getting first-round hype for the 2023 draft, but after a scandal-hit season with LSU and rumors that he was told not to come back and should pursue the NFL instead, Boutte followed things up with a poor combine. Prospects with character concerns can’t afford below-average combine performances and Boutte had talked himself up beforehand, claiming to still be the WR1 of the class and able to run a 4.3 40-yard dash. But when it was time to back up that talk, he floundered to a mediocre 4.5 40-yard time. To add to that, Boutte was last in the vertical with 29 inches and second-to-last in the broad jump at 9-foot-10. Boutte might possess rare yards-after-the-catch ability, but he faces an uphill struggle to become a key part of a team’s offense.
Kenny McIntosh (RB – Georgia)
During his college career at Georgia, Kenny McIntosh played behind the likes of D’Andre Swift, Brian Herrien, Zamir White, and James Cook, which prevented him from ever being a true workhorse in college. A good combine could have elevated his draft stock to the point where teams considered building around him, but after running a 4.62 and opting out of other testing, he likely will remain as a player who can complement others instead of outshining them.
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