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NFL Scouting Combine Notes through Day 3

Erik Turner
03/04/2018
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The 2018 NFL Scouting Combine has been underway and through the weekend there have been plenty of standouts. While I am a firm believer that the Combine shouldn’t have a major effect on your film evaluations, it is still a part of the context needed to tell a prospect’s full story. Here are a few players either confirmed their film, or who may have forced some of us to take a look at it.

 

What else needs to be said about Shaquem Griffin? His stock has been on the rise for months now. He has done anything and everything that coaches at the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine have asked of him, and he has done it with a big smile on his face. Griffin had the scouts in the bench press area cheering him on as he put up 20 reps of 225 pounds while wearing a prosthetic hand:

But then he burned the turf at Lucas Oil Stadium by running a 4.38 forty-yard dash, a time NO-ONE expected.

 

He has definitely cemented his status as a player who is going to be drafted. His hustle and athleticism have always shown up on tape but maybe not to this extent.

It will be a major asset for him at the next level, as it will continue to be the driving force of his game.

As most expected, QB Baker Mayfield had a great weekend. He was poised in front of the mic, confident in his tape and abilities, and continued to show his competitive toughness in his media segments and on the field. It’s no surprise to hear that he impressed front office personnel in his interviews.

 

His on-field drills were right in line with his 2017 season. His mechanics were crisp, his throws were compact and accurate.

 

A player that is starting to pick up steam is running back Nick Chubb. The Senior running back from Georgia who had to overcome a horrific knee injury in 2015 appears to be back to 100% after a tremendous 2017 season. Chubb graded out as the 4th-most elusive running back in this class, per Pro Football Focus. He forced 55 missed tackles in the run game and reached the end zone 15 times.

Aside from the freak Saquon Barkley, Chubb may have had the best combine among running backs. The 227 pound back showed off his speed by running a 4.52 forty-yard dash, bench pressed 225 pounds 29 times, registered a vertical jump of 38.5″, a broad jump of 10’8″, and rounded out his workout with a 7.09 three cone drill. It is safe to say that, while many analysts love his teammate Sony Michel, Chubb may actually be the better player to come out of that backfield.

 

A player who I haven’t scouted thoroughly yet is Florida State’s defensive end Josh Sweat. Sweat really opened some eyes this weekend. His measurables were off the charts. At 6’4, 251 pounds with 34 5/8 arm length, but he was able to show off a different area of his game.

On tape he looked like a player who is very good against the run, able to stack and hold the point of attack, but left a little to be desired in the pass rush portion of his game.

He’s a player that definitely is going to make analysts and scouts go back to check the tape to see if those raw measurables and  athleticism or explosion were overlooked.  His 4.53 forty-yard dash, defensive line-leading 39.5 vertical, and 1.55 10-yard split are remarkable.

Include me in that group that plans on taking closer look at him as I have only seen one game on him.

 

 

 

2018 NFL Draft | Baker Mayfield | Florida State University | Josh Sweat | NFL Combine | Nick Chubb | Shaquem Griffin | University of Central Florida | University of Georgia | University of Oklahoma

Erik Turner

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