While no players worked out on the field, Thursday at the 2017 NFL Combine saw the running backs, and offensive linemen talk to the media, and the wide receivers, quarterbacks, and tight ends weigh in.
Here are my winners and losers from it all.
Winners
Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
Measuring in at 6’3 1/2” and 218 pounds, Williams was the tallest wide receiver of his group and almost a full inch taller than Corey Davis, his main competition to be the first wideout drafted. Thought to be somewhat lanky, 218 pounds is a respectable weight for the former Clemson star.
David Njoku, TE, Miami
Njoku looks like he’s chiseled out of rock, and his 82 1/2” wingspan is larger than Jason Pierre-Paul’s. Yeah, seriously. Bonkers. At 6’4” and 246 pounds, this Miami product exudes athleticism and significant length. Many teams will be interested in Round 1. His workout could be special.
Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina
Listed just about everyone on the internet at 6’1” and 185 pounds, Division I’s receptions leader (158) in 2016 measured in 6’2” and 201 pounds. It shows he’s been really hitting the weight room over the past few months, and he’ll get a little boost from some teams for being 6’2”. Remember, Bills wide receivers coach Phil McGeoghan was Jones’ positional coach at East Carolina last year.
Jalen Robinette, WR, Air Force
Coming from the triple-option offense at Air Force, Robinette enters the combine as the classic “flying-under-the-radar” prospect. His film is loaded with crazy, high-pointing receptions in traffic. Today in Indy, he measured in at 6’2 7/8”, 220 pounds. Solid size. But the story was his ginormous hands, which were 10 7/8”. For reference, Odell Beckham Jr.’s hands are 10”. Kelvin Benjamin’s are 10 1/4”. Robinette could see a gradual rise up draft boards over the next coming months.
OJ Howard, TE, Alabama
Howard didn’t prove to have the length Njoku does, but an 80 5/8” wingspan wouldn’t exactly characterize him as someone with T-Rex arms. Before the combine, his typical listing was 6’6”, 242, painting the picture of him being slightly “slender.” He measured in at 6’5 3/4” and 251 pounds with large 10” hands. Howard checked all the boxes there.
Isaac Asiata, OL, Utah
Asiata is a powerful interior offensive linemen who played both guard spots during his time at Utah. Because he lacks some of the lateral agility, he needed a good weigh in to solidify himself in his mold as a downhill force. He weighed in at 6’3”, 323 pounds with 33 3/4” arms and did 35 reps on the bench press, the most in his group.
Adam Shaheen, TE, Ashland
Shaheen dominated the Division 2 ranks at Ashland University, and was thought to be 6’6” and 277 pounds. Some believed those measurements were a minimal exaggeration. Nope. He weighed in at 6’6” and 278 pounds, which bigger than Rob Gronkowski. His combine workout will either lead to him being in the discussion to be the third tight end drafted or send him into one of the middle rounds. But he was a clear “winner” today.
DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
In Kizer’s group, all the quarterback’s were all 6’2” and some change. Kizer literally stood above them, measuring in at 6’4 2/8” and 233 pounds. He’s certainly a specimen at the quarterback spot and fits what some would call the “classic prototype.”
Samaje Perine, RB, Oklahoma
The bulldozing yet nimble Oklahoma running back did 30 bench press reps, 12 more than his Texas rival D’Onta Foreman, who weighed in at the same 233 pounds.
Losers
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, USC
The young USC star was believed to be 6’2” and 220 pounds. Today at the combine, he measured in at 6’1 3/8” and 215. Those numbers won’t crush his draft stock obviously but the Dez Bryant size comparisons will probably stop.
DeDe Westbrook, WR, Oklahoma
No one expected — or wanted — Westbrook to be close to 200 pounds. He’s a lightning-quick slot guy all the way. But the former Oklahoma standout only weighed in at 178 pounds, the lightest in his group. Similar receiver prospects like Greg Ward (186), John Ross (188), Travis Rudolph (189) and Ryan Switzer (181) were all heavier than Westbrook.
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech
Every year at the combine there’s plenty of chatter about QB hand size. Some swear by it. Others swear when they hear anyone talking about it. However, many teams do prefer their signal-callers to have larger hands. Mahomes’ hands weren’t dangerously small but at 9 1/4”, they were the smallest in his quarterback group.
Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
Although he dazzled in front of the media, McCaffrey didn’t have the best showing on the bench press. Though his agility lends credence to the idea of him as a change-of-pace running back in the NFL, he did run between the tackles quite often in college. His 10 bench press reps were among the lowest in the running back group. Huge deal? No. But it’ll raise some strength questions for a few teams.