With the NFL Scouting Combine behind us, most attention is turning back to the NFL’s free agency period. The rookies, though, are still keeping busy, and this week saw the first trickle of pre-draft visit announcements from teams.
At this point, it feels like a ripe opportunity to examine players whose NFL Draft stock has increased or decreased in the last few weeks.
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NFL Draft Risers & Fallers
NFL Draft Risers
Kenyon Sadiq (TE – Oregon)
It’s been clear that Kenyon Sadiq is the TE1 of this class, but that didn’t stop him from competing at the combine, describing himself as a true competitor. This is the kind of thing NFL teams lap up, and when it’s followed through with excellent results, teams and analysts can’t help but bump a player up their boards.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah pushed Sadiq up three spots in his top 50 rankings to 13th overall. Sadiq’s agility has been there for all to see on film, with him hurdling defenders and mauling anyone in his way. A 4.39 40-yard dash could have pushed him inside the top 10.
Omar Cooper Jr. (WR – Indiana)
Someone who has more quietly moved up in estimations is Omar Cooper Jr. A couple of weeks ago, Cooper was a fringe first-round selection for mock drafters. Over the last week, however, we’ve seen Lance Zierlein mock him to Cleveland with the 24th overall pick and Dane Brugler mocked him to Pittsburgh with the 21st pick.
Those are two very well-connected analysts, and when you throw in Daniel Jeremiah ranking Cooper as his 18th prospect overall, it seems pretty clear the NFL likes him. Cooper was excellent as a deep threat in 2025, totaling 937 yards (21.2 yards per reception) on 69 catches and 13 touchdowns. With that skill set, plenty of teams should find a role for Cooper.
Mike Washington Jr. (RB – Arkansas)
This running back class has been much maligned, and probably fairly so. It seems possible we might see as few as three, maybe four prospects hear their name called before Day 3 at this rate. One player who’s elevated himself firmly into contention for a Day 2 selection is Mike Washington Jr., who thrived at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Washington was excellent in the jumping drills and was one of the highlights of the 40-yard dash drill with a mercurial 4.33 time. At 22 years of age and coming off a 1,070-yard season, Washington should draw interest from teams looking for a complementary back in the draft. The lack of options could help increase his chances of being drafted even higher. For now, he’s still likely a third-round pick.
Zachariah Branch (WR – Georgia)
Often, we see bigger-bodied wide receivers pushed up the board in a way that lighter and smaller receivers simply aren’t. Traditional values hold strong in the NFL, and it’s taken a while for smaller players to find bigger roles.
At 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, Zachariah Branch is definitely on the smaller end of the scale, but his lightning 4.35 40-yard dash and all-around impressive college profile have him creeping up draft boards.
Branch has crept up to WR8 on consensus draft boards, after a strong combine performance where other receivers stumbled. He’s unlikely to be more than a late second-round selection, but that’s an area we’ve seen good-quality wide receivers come from. With the right offensive coach, he could be a lot of fun.
Jadarian Price (RB – Notre Dame)
Jadarian Price didn’t particularly show out at the NFL Scouting Combine, ranking seventh in the 40-yard dash (4.49), sixth in the vertical jump (35 inches) and tied for third in the broad jump (10-foot-8-inches). His game isn’t necessarily about that, and his smooth running style is what attracts many people.
Price came into the combine as the clear RB2, and nobody did anything to change that, with the perceived gap between him and Mike Washington Jr. still expected to be as much as 30 picks. In consensus big boards, Price sits inside the top 50, up slightly from being a low second-rounder previously. He could go higher should teams feel he’s the last running back of quality in the draft.
NFL Draft Fallers
Malachi Fields (WR – Notre Dame)
It wasn’t long ago that Malachi Fields was the name flying up draft boards, having put up an impressive performance at the Senior Bowl. Now, however, Daniel Jeremiah has dropped him out of his top 50 prospects. On the back of a 4.61 40-yard dash at the combine, Fields has seen his stock fall.
Perhaps the initial reaction at the Senior Bowl was an overreaction, and perhaps he should be valued somewhere closer to where he is now, or he might even rise on the back of Notre Dame’s Pro Day, but there still does remain interest in him. Fields is still expected to go towards the back end of the second round, and that’s where the better teams in the NFL pick. This slide could turn out to be more fortuitous than first assumed.
Denzel Boston (WR – Boston)
The wide receiver rankings among consensus big boards haven’t changed much after the combine when it comes to the top five receivers, but Denzel Boston has seen a little shift in how he’s viewed. Having not run the 40-yard dash and performed poorly in the vertical jump (35 inches), he’s dropped from being a top 16 pick in consensus boards.
Similarly, Daniel Jeremiah dropped him seven spots in his rankings. Pro Days and team visits matter significantly at this time of year. No position seems to cause runs on a group of players like wide receiver, so it’s not hard to imagine Boston going inside the top 20 at this point. Still, it is noteworthy that the NFL seems to have shifted away from chasing big-bodied wide receivers if they’re not able to do other things well.
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