Mike Fanelli | March 7th, 2019
The 2019 NFL combine has come and gone while many players had great days, some had horrible ones. Now the scouts will go back to the tape to confirm what they saw at the combine. Some people will be swayed too much from the 40 times or the bench press but the tape is still the most important element when evaluating a player. Because of that, my rankings didn’t change much from pre-combine to post combine. However, there were some adjustments and below are my post combine rankings for each position.
Quarterbacks
#1) Dwayne Haskins
#2) Kyler Murray
#3) Drew Lock
#4) Daniel Jones
#5) Will Grier
HM) Tyreek Jackson
Measuring in just over 5’10” and 207 lbs, Murray had to be the winner at the quarterback position despite not running or throwing. I was disappointed he didn’t do either and I’m looking forward to seeing what his weight is at his pro day on March 13th. If Murray stays around the 207-pound range and looks as explosive as he did at Oklahoma, he very well could end up my QB1.
Running Backs
#1) David Montgomery
#2) Josh Jacobs
#3) Devin Singletary
#4) Damien Harris
HM) Miles Sanders
My running back rankings didn’t change much given everyone’s combine performances but I’m going to have to take a second look at Sanders. His 4.49 40 time took me by surprise and he looked good during the positional drills as well. With so many running backs stacked together in that third or fourth round range, Sanders’ combine performance might have pushed him to the top of that group.
Wide Receivers
#1) D.K. Metcalf
#2) Hakeem Butler
#3) N’Keal Harry
#4) A.J. Brown
#5) Marquise Brown
#6) Kelvin Harmon
#7) Deebo Samuel
#8) Preston Williams
#9) Parris Campbell
#10) Andy Isabella
HM) David Sills
How can anyone other than Metcalf be the winner from the wide receiver group? At 6’3” and 228 lbs he ran a 4.33 40 time while matching the combine record among wide receivers with 27 reps of 225 lbs on the bench press. Some will point to his poor three-cone drill and 20 yard shuttle times but outside of that, Metcalf had one of the best combines in history and that locks him in as my WR1.
Tight Ends
#1) T.J. Hockenson
#2) Noah Fant
#3) Irv Smith Jr.
#4) Jace Sternberger
#5) Dawson Knox
HM) Foster Moreau
Hockenson remains my top tight end but the gap between him and Iowa teammate Fant has closed. Fant had the fastest 40 time at tight end this year and had the sixth most reps of 225 lbs on the bench press with 20. He looked good in all the drills but really impressed me in the blocking drills. Hockenson is still likely to be the first tight end drafted but Fant has cemented himself as the second off the board.
Offensive Tackles
#1) Jonah Williams
#2) Jawaan Taylor
#3) Andre Dillard
#4) Cody Ford
#5) Yodny Cajuste
HM) Greg Little
This was the one position where my rankings changed a fair amount. Dillard jumped from fifth on my list to third. His athleticism showed during the drills and he had the fastest 40 time among all offensive tackles. His explosiveness was on display and his 24 reps on the bench press were good enough. In a class that lacks good left tackle prospects, Dillard has a shot to be the first off the board in April.
Interior Offensive Lineman
#1) Garrett Bradbury
#2) Dalton Risner
#3) Chris Lindstrom
#4) Michael Jordan
#5) Erik McCoy
HM) Elgton Jenkins
Entering the combine, Bradbury was my top rated interior offensive lineman and nothing has changed. He had the second fastest 40 time among all offensive linemen while his movement in the drills was better than I had anticipated and his 34 reps on the bench press was a nice surprise. After his performance at the combine, Bradbury has a real shot to land in the bottom part of the first round.
Interior Defensive Linemen
#1) Quinnen Williams
#2) Rashan Gary
#3) Ed Oliver
#5) Dexter Lawrence
HM) Jeffery Simmons
Before the combine started, Williams was my top interior defensive lineman and with his performance, that won’t change. At 6’3” and 303 lbs, Williams ran a 4.83 40 time and looked awesome in the drills. His tape is second to none in this draft class. He entered the combine as my top prospect and that isn’t likely to change between now and the draft.
EDGE
#1) Nick Bosa
#2) Josh Allen
#3) Clelin Ferrell
#4) Montez Sweat
#5) Brian Burns
HM) Jachai Polite
On Saturday when Metcalf had a crazy great day, everyone thought that was going to be the best combine performance this year. However, Sweat had something to say about that. At 6’6” and 260 lbs, Sweat ran a 4.41 40 time. By comparison, that is faster than any defensive lineman this year and faster than many wide receivers in the league including Odell Beckham Jr. and Antonio Brown. He also looked good during the drills and Sweat has likely locked himself into a top 15 selection in April.
Linebackers
#1) Devin White
#2) Devin Bush
#3) Mack Wilson
#4) Blake Cashman
#5) Gary Johnson
HM) Cameron Smith
While both White and Bush had a great combine, the real winner was Cashman. Not many people knew about him entering the combine but after his performance, everyone should go take a look at his tape. Cashman finished fifth among linebackers with a 4.5 40 time and looked fluid during the drills. I’m going to have to take a second look at him after his combine performance for sure.
Cornerbacks
#1) Byron Murphy
#2) Greedy Williams
#3) Deandre Baker
#4) Justin Layne
#5) Amani Oruwariye
#6) Rock Ya-Sin
#7) Trayvon Mullen
#8) Kris Boyd
#9) Julian Love
#10) Joejuan Williams
HM) David Long
As a unit, the cornerbacks were a disappointment this year. Some ran slower than expected and many struggled during the drills. However, the one guy I was impressed with was Layne. His 4.5 40 was faster than I expected and he had a good day in the drills. All three of my top cornerbacks were a disappointment and I’m going to have to go back and watch their tape again. After Layne’s performance during the combine, he deserves to be in the talk for the top cornerback off the board in April.
Safeties
#2) Johnathan Abram
#3) Taylor Rapp
#4) Nasir Adderley
#5) Deionte Thompson
HM) Juan Thornhill
Gardner-Johnson has been my SAF1 for a while now and that didn’t change during the combine. His 40 time was slightly better than I thought it would be and he looked good during the on the field drills. I love his versatility and experience at both cornerback and safety. This year’s safety class is pretty good but I think Gardner-Johnson is easily the top guy and the only one with a first round grade from me.
Be sure to check out Andrew’s and Gio’s post-combine rankings as well as for the complete Scorecrow team rankings.
Winners and Losers of the Combine: Offense | Defense
Diamonds in the Rough: Emmanuel Butler
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