The NFL Combine doesn't always guarantee an improvement in draft stock for players, but for these five players, that's exactly what happened.
5. Kyler Murray
Murray didn't participate in on-field drills, but his tape is already as good or better than any other QB in the class. Where Murray needed to have a good showing was the weigh-in. He will be one of the smallest QBs in NFL history, and needed to prove that he wasn't too small. Rumors put him around 5'8″ and 160lbs. Instead, Murray measured 5'10 1/8″ 207lbs with a 9 4/8″ hand. It's unlikely that Murray played at 207lbs, but it has to be encouraging to teams that he isn't the string bean that he was made out by some to be. His size will be a big obstacle to NFL success, but it isn't insurmountable.
4. Ed Oliver
One of the country's most hyped recruits in 2016, Oliver's college career was very good. He drew comparisons to Aaron Donald, and while those may be unfair, Oliver has the potential to be a disruptive and dominant defender in the NFL. The biggest worry that analysts and teams had of Oliver was his size. Houston listed him at 6'3″ 292lbs, but some felt that he played at closer to 270lbs. That would make him extremely light for a defensive tackle, over 10lbs lighter than Donald.
Oliver put up 32 reps on the bench press, tied for third among defensive lineman. Again he tied for third among DL in the vertical jump with a height of 36″. His 120″ broad jump again ranked third among DL. Oliver will run the 40-yard dash at Houston's pro day, where he will in all certainty weigh less. The most important thing for Oliver at the Combine was to prove he could retain his elite athleticism at an acceptable weight for a DT, and he did just that.
3. Montez Sweat
After a productive two seasons at Mississippi State in which he totaled 22.5 sacks and 30 tackles for loss, Sweat was talked about as a potential top-20 pick. After his Combine performance, he may not make it out of the top 10. He measured in at 6'6″ 260lbs, ideal size for a defensive end. He put up 21 reps on the bench press, impressive for his 35 3/4″ arms. He placed fourth among defensive lineman in the broad jump at 125″. But where Sweat really stole the show is the 40-yard dash. He finished with a time of 4.41 seconds, the fastest ever for a defensive lineman. His time was faster than all but one running back this year. Teams are always in search of athletic pass-rushers, and Sweat, at least physically, is about as prototypical as they come.
2. D.K. Metcalf
A neck injury sidelined Metcalf for much of the 2018 season, but his film and pre-draft work has established him as the top receiver in this year's class. First there was this workout picture:
DK Metcalf has somehow gotten bigger since last we saw him pic.twitter.com/DdkEZ2my6g
— Bunkie Perkins (@BunkiePerkins) February 11, 2019
Metcalf looks more like a defensive end than a wide receiver. He measured 6'3 3/8″ and weighed in at 228lbs. He put up 27 reps on the bench press, tied for the most by a WR since 2009. There are plenty of examples of receivers getting too big and losing their explosiveness and speed (David Boston comes to mind), but Metcalf's athletic testing should silence those fears. He hit 40.5″ on his vertical, an excellent number. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds, tied for the third-fastest time among wideouts. His agility testing wasn't anything special, but for a player his size, it isn't too worrying. The NFL hasn't seen a receiver prospect with Metcalf's physical gifts since Calvin Johnson, and Metcalf's Combine performance has solidified him as a top-15 pick, and he could possibly go in the top-10.
1. Miles Boykin
Boykin didn't enter or exit the Combine with as much fanfare as Metcalf, but he may have improved his stock by the most of any player in Indianapolis. Boykin's 6'4″ 220lbs frame already had scouts interested, and his athletic testing took him from a day 3 prospect to a likely second-round pick. Here are his results and how they stacked up to the rest of this year's WR class:
40-yard dash: 4.42 seconds – 10th
Vertical jump: 43.5″ – tied for 1st
Broad jump: 140″ – 2nd
Three-cone: 6.77 seconds – 1st
20-yard shuttle: 4.07 seconds – 3rd
Those ranks would be impressive in any case, but for a prospect who stands 6'4″, they are exceptional. Boykin may not have dominated the 40-yard dash like Metcalf did, but his agility testing was far superior. Last week, Boykin was a relative unknown in a very deep WR class. With his performance over the weekend, he just made himself quite a bit of money.
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