Friday at the 2019 NFL Combine was the chance for front seven defenders to arrive and have their measurements taken. From converted safeties playing linebacker to tweener linemen and prototypical marvels, yesterday’s weigh-ins ran the full gamut. Here were the highlights from Friday’s group:
Ed Oliver, DT, Houston
Nearly everyone was downplaying Oliver’s measurements before the Combine, suggesting that he was likely to measure far under size thresholds for a defensive tackle. He rewrote the narrative, measuring nearly 6’2” and 287 lbs—slightly small for a DT, but within the Geno Atkins, Grady Jarrett range.
Dexter Williams, DT, Clemson
Williams was billed as one of the biggest players in the draft, and that wasn’t unfounded. He measured 6’4 1⁄2” and a whopping 342 lbs. Plenty of that mass came from his 10 1⁄2” hands and 34 3⁄4“ arms, giving him an 84” wingspan to lasso runners.
Daniel Wise, DT, Kansas
After weighing in at 6’3” and 290 lbs at the East-West Shrine Game, Wise lost 9 lbs and only weighed 281 at the Combine. That puts him into DT/EDGE tweener territory, not ideal.
Brian Burns, EDGE, Florida State
Burns was another player dogged by size concerns, with people estimating he’d show up in the 220’s or 230’s at the Combine. Instead, he measured 6’5” and 249 lbs, comfortably in the acceptable range. Adding 10” hands and 34” arms, Burns placed himself firmly into round one territory.
Montez Sweat, EDGE, Mississippi State
Just like at the Senior Bowl, Sweat was once again the star of the weigh-ins at the Combine. He stood 6’5 3⁄4” tall, 260 lbs, and his 10 1⁄2” hands and 35 3⁄4” arms contributed to an 84 3⁄4” wingspan—second-best at the event.
Bobby Okereke, LB, Stanford
At one point, Okereke was a safety for the Cardinal. He grew nicely into his converted role at linebacker, though. Okereke stood 6’1 3⁄8” tall and 239 lbs, which are both slightly below average for an NFL linebacker. But he recorded 10 1⁄8” hands and vine-like 34 1⁄2” arms, giving him an 82 5⁄8” wingspan—longer than any other linebacker in attendance.