3 NFL Combine Overreactions (2026 Fantasy Football)

The times have been changing over the years at the NFL Scouting Combine. Instead of competing in all the drills, many of the best prospects are selective, picking only the drills in which they anticipate shining. As a result, football fans and fantasy football gamers should take the NFL Network’s hammering of the fastest 40-yard dash times ever for many positions with a grain of salt.

When prospects recognize they’ll post a disappointing 40-yard dash time, they don’t test. There’s a survivorship bias at play. Players who choose to skip their worst events and drills make it challenging to identify prospects who performed poorly at the combine. Still, gamers shouldn’t give up on two players who had underwhelming showings, especially at their average draft position (ADP). Additionally, I took some liberties with a third player featured below.

FantasyPros Fantasy Football My Playbook

Fantasy Football NFL Combine Overreactions 

Denzel Boston (WR – Washington) | Underdog ADP: 108.7

There was an expectation that Denzel Boston would fully participate in the Combine.

Boston didn’t come close to fully participating. Instead, he only participated in the vertical jump, 20-yard shuttle and the gauntlet.

Boston is a big-bodied wide receiver. He measured 6-foot-4 and weighed 212 pounds. Boston’s size is appealing, but his lack of a 40-yard dash time was disappointing. He also didn’t blow the doors off the testing for the vertical jump and the 20-yard shuttle.

Among 30 wideouts who tested in the vertical jump, Boston’s 35-inch vertical was tied for 21st. Out of seven wide receivers who competed in the 20-yard shuttle, Boston’s 4.28 seconds was third.

Boston also had a couple of (uncharacteristic) drops in the gauntlet.

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Boston had only two drops on 95 targets in 2025 and three drops on 98 targets in 2024. Boston had a tiny 3.6% drop rate in his collegiate career. Boston’s speed was also measured favorably by GPS tracking in the gauntlet, reaching a top speed of 19.02 miles per hour (MPH).

With other big-bodied wideouts testing like freaks, Boston’s lackluster showing and lack of a 40-yard dash could lead to him falling a bit in mock drafts. Nevertheless, he’ll almost certainly still get favorable draft capital, whether it’s late in the first round or early in the second round.

It’s entirely reasonable to ding Boston a bit, but gamers shouldn’t overreact. Among 151 FBS wide receivers from this year’s draft class with at least 40 targets in 2025, Boston was fourth in PFF’s receiving grade. Boston’s production should carry more weight than his combine, and he still has an opportunity to improve his testing numbers or run a 40-yard dash at Washington’s Pro Day on March 16.

Emmett Johnson (RB – Nebraska) | Underdog ADP: 130.5

In a running back class that lacks hype behind Jeremiyah Love, Emmett Johnson didn’t do himself any favors with his testing at the Combine.

Johnson barely cracked 200 pounds, weighing 202 pounds. As a small back, his 40-yard dash, jumps and agility scores were all uninspiring. Fortunately, Johnson’s game isn’t predicated on long speed.

The most significant concern about Johnson’s testing is that it could hurt his draft capital. That said, Johnson’s ability to handle a bell-cow workload and do it all skill set should appeal to NFL teams.

Per PFF, in 12 games in Johnson’s final collegiate season, he toted the rock 20.9 times for 120.8 rushing yards per game and 12 rushing touchdowns, with just one fumble. Johnson also generated 0.27 missed tackles forced per attempt.

The incoming rookie back was an asset in the passing game, averaging 4.5 targets per game with 0.19 targets per route run (TPRR), 3.8 receptions per game, 30.8 receiving yards per game and three receiving touchdowns.

In a more talented class of running backs last year, Devin Neal was a sixth-round pick and the 17th running back selected. Neal had a similar relative athletic score (RAS score) to Johnson.

Neal had a longer track record of bell-cow usage for Kansas, but his best season wasn’t as good as Johnson’s, and Johnson had more receiving production. Moreover, this year’s draft class isn’t as deep or impressive at running back as last year’s class.

In 2024’s underwhelming running back class, Bucky Irving was the sixth running back picked, when the Buccaneers popped him with the 25th pick in the fourth round. Irving is smaller than Johnson. Irving was also a dreadful tester.

Johnson shouldn’t be expected to match Irving’s rookie season. That’s not the point of highlighting Irving in Johnson’s write-up. Instead, the idea is that Irving’s well-rounded ability appealed to the Buccaneers in a widely panned running back class, and they picked him in the fourth round.

Johnson’s ho-hum testing might not prevent him from getting picked in the middle rounds. I suspect Johnson’s ADP will dip in Underdog drafts, and I’ll buy the dip.

Nicholas Singleton (RB – Penn State) | Underdog ADP: 191.9

Unfortunately, Nicholas Singleton broke his foot in Senior Bowl practice. While he was unable to test at the combine, Singleton still showed up. He measured 6-foot-0 and weighed 219 pounds, giving him a workhorse build.

Singleton would have tested off-the-charts. He made Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List three times. Singleton’s testing could have generated similar buzz to that of Mike Washington Jr. I analyzed both incoming running backs as undervalued rookies to target.

As I stated in the intro, I took some liberties by including Singleton in this piece. Gamers shouldn’t forget how well Singleton would have tested. Singleton should be healthy enough to work out the week before the NFL Draft.

Singleton is an intriguing best ball pick, even without combine testing.

Join the FantasyPros Fantasy Football Discord Server!

Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | TuneIn

Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.


Articles Busts Combine Fantasy Draft Advice NFL NFL Draft Rookies

More Articles

DraftKings NFL Early Bird Best Ball: $1M in Total Prizes

DraftKings NFL Early Bird Best Ball: $1M in Total Prizes

fp-headshot by Raju Byfield | 3 min read
15 Dynasty Rookie Draft Risers & Fallers (2026 Fantasy Football)

15 Dynasty Rookie Draft Risers & Fallers (2026 Fantasy Football)

fp-headshot by FantasyPros Staff | 4 min read
2026 NFL Draft Predictions: Dynasty Rookies & Landing Spots

2026 NFL Draft Predictions: Dynasty Rookies & Landing Spots

fp-headshot by FantasyPros Staff | 4 min read
2026 NFL Draft Big Board: Expert Prospect Rankings

2026 NFL Draft Big Board: Expert Prospect Rankings

fp-headshot by FantasyPros Staff | 2 min read

About Author

fp-headshot

Josh Shepardson

|

Josh is a savvy, grizzled veteran in the realm of make-believe sports. He's thoroughly experienced playing in season-long re-draft leagues, keeper formats and daily games. His fantasy advice for baseball and football has been found at many locations around the internet. He's finished in the top 10 accuracy scores among experts here, at Fantasy Pros, in three of four years competing with his colleagues including a first-place finish in 2012.