5 NFL Draft Prospects That Hurt Their Stock the Most (2024 Combine)

There were some big-time performances at the NFL Combine that likely pushed some prospects’ stocks up. However, with every riser, there must be a faller, a player dropping down draft boards before they even close the door on their Uber back to the Indianapolis airport.

Here are the prospects who hurt their stock the most in Indianapolis.

2024 NFL Combine: Prospects That Hurt Their Stock the Most

Olu Fashanu (OT, Penn State)

Coming into the season, Olu Fashanu was one of my top prospects on my summer scouting big board, and he was my top-ranked offensive tackle. That no longer remains the case, and much of it is due to Fashanu not looking as fluid as he did a year ago. There are times that his lower body wasn’t as quick as the season before. In the run game, he didn’t always steer or drive defenders; he ended up just leaning on them. A lower-body injury in 2022 limited him to just eight games, so maybe that’s impacted some of his play.

In addition, Fashanu did the vertical jump and broad jump but hurt his hamstring after running the 40-yard dash (5.11 seconds) one time. Whether Fashanu was the first or second-ranked offensive tackle, there’s belief after the NFL Combine that he’s now the third or fourth-ranked offensive tackle for teams.

Bralen Trice (EDGE – Washington)

Playing with more power than speed, there’s some quality execution from Bralen Trice on tape. During the Huskies’ playoff run against Texas and Michigan, he displayed explosiveness and made disruptive plays in the backfield.

However, he was listed at 275 pounds on the Washington team site, and then he checked into the Combine at 245 pounds. That’s concerning for a player who only has 32 ½” arms and rarely wins with finesse or speed off the edge. Trice ran the 40-yard dash in 4.72 seconds at the NFL Combine. Being 30 pounds lighter than expected and running that time is somewhat concerning. Trice will need to find a comfortable weight to play in the NFL.

There was some expectation that he would end up as a top-50 pick after the Combine. It’s still possible, but the chances of that happening now appear smaller than ever.

Kalen King (CB – Penn State)

When watching the tape on Kalen King, I first noticed that he was not a good tackler. With teams wanting help on the perimeter with better tackling defensive backs, it’s hard to see them finding value in his style of play. Add in his 40-yard dash time of 4.61 seconds, and it’s raising questions on if he will be able to stay with receivers in the NFL. Teams may be enticed by his production from 2022. Yet, with the rise of so many other cornerbacks, it’s hard to picture King being selected before Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Leonard Taylor III (IDL, Miami)

Once upon a time, there was talk of Leonard Taylor III being a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. When watching his film over the summer, he never looked like that type of player to me. When that happens, I let the upcoming season play out and see if there’s any type of improvement. Even with some additional games watched from 2023, it still didn’t feel like there were many improvements on film from Taylor. He played stagnant, didn’t always move his feet, kept the pad level high and got washed easily.

Add in his NFL Combine workout, where he didn’t draw much attention with a 3-cone drill time of 7.81 seconds, and it’s hard to imagine Taylor being selected during Day 1 or Day 2 of the draft.

Brevyn Spann-Ford (TE – Minnesota)

At 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, there’s much to be desired with Brevyn Spann-Ford out of Minnesota. He’s a former basketball player who averaged 19.9 PPG and 11.0 RPG during his senior year of high school. With that, there was a thought that maybe he’d test better at the Combine.

While he can move for a bigger player, he’s not overly explosive and looks built to be more of a blocker than a pass-catcher. His 7.38 second time in the 3-cone drill and 31.5” vertical were the lowest of any TE that competed at the Combine. In addition, his tape in 2023 was less than ideal due to drops. Per PFF, he had a 26.5% drop rate with nine total drops last season.