Like every year, representatives of the 32 NFL franchises were present in Indianapolis for the 2024 NFL Combine. On the program: athletic tests, workshops specific to different positions and individual interviews.
Here are the top 10 takeaways from the 2024 NFL Combine.
1- The 40 yard record has fallen!
The 40-yard dash is the most televised drill at the NFL Combine and in 2024, the record has been broken. Texas receiver Xavier Worthy took just 4.21 seconds to run 40 yards! He did better than John Ross in 2017 by a hundredth of a second.
Author of 1014 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2023, he can allow a quarterback to attack deep and thus punish the opponent with one blow! Expert in screen pass receptions and hitch road inside the field (like Puka Nacua), Xavier Worthy will nevertheless have to develop his game: the previous record holder, John Ross, never justified his selection in the 1st round of the draft!
2- Big and fast receivers
The 2024 vintage offers a lot of talent and they confirmed this during the event. Xavier Worthy's teammate at Texas, Adonai Mitchell scored 11 touchdowns in 2023. In addition, he caught 55 balls with the paltry rate of drop (ball released) by 1.7%! Tall (1m89) and fast (4.34 sec over 40 yards), he has a future in the NFL.
Other receivers confirmed the talent seen on the NCAA fields. Notably Brian Thomas (1m92 and 4.33 sec over 40 yards) and Rome Odunze (1m92 and 4.45 sec over 40 yards) who have solidified their odds to be chosen in the 1st round on April 25. At the 2024 NFL Combine, eight receivers clocked a time under 4.4 seconds for 40 yards!
But more important than straight line speed, it is the speed when tracing before catching the leather which is interesting in the NFL. Tall and strong (1m92 and 96 kilos), Keon Coleman showed his advantage during the specific workshops, despite a time of “only” 4.61 seconds over 40 yards.
3- Revenge of the T-Rex
Arm length is measured for each player. To catch balls in the air or to have the reach advantage over your opponent, NFL recruiters note this physical attribute in their files. Performing well with Florida State (43 tackles including 6 sacks in 2023), Braden Fiske does not have a great wingspan.
During this event, however, he signed the best performance for a defensive tackle over 40 yards (4.78 sec), the best vertical relaxation (85 centimeters), the longest standing start long jump (a little over 3 meters ) as well as the best time in the exercise of shuttle (measuring changes in direction).
His rating among draft experts placed him as a solid 3rd round pick heading into the NFL Combine. After his performance, he could have won a draft round.
4- The pass rushers responded
Favorite to be the first chosen at this position, Dallas Turner ran the 40 yards in 4.46 seconds. An impressive time for a player weighing 112 kilos! And because physical dimensions are scrutinized by NFL decision-makers, his arm length also caused a sensation, a useful extension in duels.
Only 21 years old (since January 2024), Chop Robinson respects the tradition of Penn State: a university renowned for producing very athletic players. Jared Verse also showed up with a time of 4.58 seconds over 40 yards as well as 31 bench presses with a 100 kilo bar!
Laiatu Latu ran a little slower in a straight line (4.64 sec) but what is required of a player in this position is to have speed while leaning to get around the offensive lineman. In the exercise of hoophe confirmed this ability already demonstrated on the NCAA fields: 23.5 sacks over his last two seasons.
These four players were already considered the best in this position: they confirmed it.
5- Quinyon Mitchell continues performances
The cornerback is coming off two very productive seasons in Toledo: 19 passes defended including 5 interceptions in 2022 and 18 including 1 in 2023! But coming from a smaller university, therefore facing lesser opponents, some doubted Quinyon Mitchell's ability to succeed at the highest level.
He first cleared up a lot of doubts during the 2024 Senior Bowl. During the NFL Combine, he set a time of 4.33 seconds over 40 yards! He is also fluid in specific workshops and performs 20 repetitions with the 100 kilo bar.
After the NCAA fields and the Senior Bowl, Quinyon Mitchell continued to impress in Indianapolis. Enough to become the first cornerback chosen in the draft?
6- JJ McCarthy silences the critics
University champion with Michigan, quarterback JJ McCarthy suffers from having played for a team that spent more on the ground than in the air. In 15 games in 2023, he throws 20 passes or less in seven games! For an increasingly aerial league, can it be a viable solution?
Precise in his readings and very often correct in his decision-making, he showed a lot of qualities in the NCAA. At the NFL Combine, he demonstrated his ability to throw to all areas of the field, something he wasn't asked to do at Michigan. Certainly, without a defender rushing him or covering his targets, the NFL Combine cannot define the level of a quarterback. But the visual impression is indeed that of a future franchise quarterback.
Especially for a young man who has only been 21 years old since January!
7- Revelations from the 2024 NFL Combine
Lost in the anonymity of 97,000 college players, the NFL Combine allows certain players to stand out each year.
Despite having 11 rushing touchdowns in 2023, no one was talking about running back Isaac Guerendo before the NFL Combine. He will be 24 years old during the next NFL season and plays a somewhat devalued position so obviously…
After his time of 4.33 seconds over 40 yards and high quality athletic tests (1st in dry relaxation and 2nd in length among runners), he also showed his advantage during workshops specific to this position. Enough to be selected on the Saturday of the draft (rounds 4 to 7).
Decamerion Richardson is a tall cornerback (1m89) offering a physical game: 85 tackles in 2022 then 79 in 2023. But if he had already shown speed with Mississippi State, his time of 4.34 seconds forces recruiters to go back and look the videos of his matches: could they have underestimated a future nugget?
8- They passed the medical examination
Quarterback Michael Penix is talented, no one doubts that. But during his university studies, his health concerns were worthy of a lifetime exclusion from any mutual insurance company! After proving on the field in 2023, he confirmed to the franchises that he is once again in full possession of his means by throwing during workshops dedicated to quarterbacks.
Ditto for linebacker Payton Wilson. Broken in his momentum after two very promising seasons (2019 and 2020), the North Carolina State player was able to bounce back in 2022. In 2023, Payton Wilson splashed his class on the NCAA fields: 138 tackles including 17.5 inflicting a loss yards! At the NFL Combine he proved that his injury is just a distant memory. In addition, his time of 4.43 seconds over 40 yards ranks him number 1 among linebackers in this exercise.
9- An outpouring of offensive linemen during the 1st round of the 2024 draft
Nine offensive linemen were chosen in the 1st round of the 2022 draft! After only five in 2023, the 2024 vintage once again offers a lot of talent in fundamental positions.
At the Tackle position, giants Joe Alt (2m08), Amarius Mims (2m06) and Tyler Guyton (2m06) should be selected in the 1st round. Just like the imposing JC Latham (1m98 and 155 kilos), the technical Oluwuyima Fashanu and the very solid Taliese Fuaga. Jordan Morgan and Patrick Paul in ambush.
Inside, Graham Barton played Tackle at Duke University but his profile could make him a Guard at the next level, like Brandon Schreff (Jaguars) or Peter Skoronski (Titans). The question also arises for Troy Fautanu who showed a lot of mobility in the workshops: enough to make him an ideal Guard for a zone system or an effective Tackle in protection.
At center, Jackson Powers-Johnson also has a chance of being selected in the 1st round. Further in the draft (but not too far), Tanor Bortolini confirmed his superior athletic qualities. He could follow in the footsteps of players like Jason Kelce and his designated successor in Philadelphia Cam Jurgens: players less imposing than average in this position but very mobile.
10- Always more originals!
Totally anonymous after 420 yards and 5 touchdowns in four seasons at Illinois, tight end Tip Reiman made himself known with a surprising comment:
“Has anyone ever seen a baby pigeon?” Are we sure that the power lines are not used to recharge the batteries of these robots? »
If he was able to draw attention to himself with this statement, Tip Reiman then showed important athletic qualities in all the workshops at the NFL Combine 2024!
Same fight for Texas Tech safety Tyler Owens. The latter first stated that he did not believe in the existence of space and planets! Then in the vertical relaxation exercise, he nevertheless got closer by signing 1.04 meters: enough to check for himself?
