The 2024 NFL scouting combine is officially behind us, and hoo boy, was it a doozy.
We had several blistering 40-yard dash times, including an all-time record. We had one big-name quarterback seize the day during the weekend in a way many NFL teams aren’t accustomed to. (But they should start getting used to it.) We had some bigger guys put on a show, likely elevating their draft stock in the process.
All in all, it was the expected treat we thought we’d get from young men trying to realize their professional football dreams. But there are some more critical conclusions than others from a pivotal weekend in Indianapolis.
Let’s dive into some good old-fashioned winners and losers.
1
Winner: WR Xavier Worthy, Texas
A speedster during his time with the Longhorns, it was already well understood that Worthy had a likely place in the NFL as a deep threat. But then he broke the combine record for a 40-yard with a run of 4.21 seconds. Worthy’s more diminutive stature at an officially listed 5-foot-11, 165 pounds, will understandably scare some teams away from making an investment in his talent.
OFFICIAL: 4.21
XAVIER WORTHY HOLDS THE NEW 40-YARD DASH RECORD pic.twitter.com/IrXf3WyemB
— NFL (@NFL) March 2, 2024
But you can’t teach him his kind of special speed, and that should make him an early Day 2 lock. It’s always better to be quicker than more lumbering in the NFL. Always. It’s also no guarantee defenders would even be able to touch Worthy much anyway. You know, because he’s so fast. And yes, this was so special that he deserved his own section.
2
Loser: Any team seeking high-end pass-rush talent without a premium pick
The top of this draft class has some awesome edge-rushers that project well as Day 1 contributors. Namely, Alabama’s Dallas Turner and Florida State’s Jared Verse, and only Turner really performed well (imagine a 40.5-inch vertical while weighing 247 pounds). But after these two, there remains a steep drop-off for anyone seeking a player who can get after quarterbacks.
UCLA’s Laitu Latu history of injuries (and subsequent medicals) may scare many teams even after quality testing. Penn State’s Chop Robinson has tantalizing athleticism and quickness, but there still needs to be proof in the pudding. And then we start talking more about projects and lower-floor players who can contribute. This is a top-heavy edge class that will rely on a lot of deeper scouting and wish casting through and through.
Put another way: It’s a bad year to need a star pass rusher through the draft. The pass-rush depth down the draft board did not show out in their first real opportunity to make an impression.
3
Winner: Caleb Williams, USC
Williams stirred up controversy when he revealed that he wouldn’t do medical testing for all 32 NFL teams. He will only do it for those with a legitimate chance of drafting him when conducting more personalized visits later this spring.
I, for one, don’t understand why this is a big deal and see it in an entirely positive light.
This young man walked around Indianapolis like he owned the place, and not in an arrogant way. It was more like: “I control my own narrative; there is zero chance I leave the top three of the draft because I’m so good, and I’m not worried about presenting any red flags.” Even while not throwing (which wasn’t a big deal either way), Williams knew he was the talk of the combine, the big man on campus, and carried himself that way. Plus, he leveraged his power as a top prospect in a way we haven’t seen during draft season in a long time. That speaks volumes and might even change how future young talents conduct themselves down the line. It is not a bad thing that Williams broke some conventions. Not at all.
As the hopeful and potential future face of a downtrodden franchise like the Chicago Bears, this is precisely the right mentality for Williams to have. He will have a world of pressure on his shoulders to succeed from the jump. There cannot be any doubt in his process at the first misstep or mistake. Confidence and resilience will be vital to channeling that energy and becoming the legitimate superstar quarterback many believe he will be.
It also helps that Williams apparently has a heart of gold and the right perspective on life, at least based on gestures like this:
Last player to leave the field Saturday night after the drills?
Caleb Williams.
Hung and said goodbye to all the folks who ran the drills and worked the event.
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) March 3, 2024
4
Loser: Anyone with hope in a QB prospect outside of the big three
The consensus, by and large, is that the top three quarterback prospects in this year’s draft are Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, and LSU’s Jayden Daniels. None of them really participated in this year’s combine. Given the current positioning of teams in the top three of the draft’s order (Bears, Washington Commanders, New England Patriots), all three likely understand that they might not be on the board for long and that it’s better to conduct testing on their own turf. For good reason.
But there’s … kind of a chasm of a talent drop-off after this trio.
Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy will project as one of those guys one team will convince itself it can develop into a juggernaut. But he still didn’t do much in college on a great team. That he occasionally struggled with accuracy while throwing on air during the combine could be a sign he needs to sit for a bit and get some good seasoning.
He’s got a rocket of an arm, but be wary, hmm … New York Giants — he’ll need significant work.
Listen to the screams for @jjmccarthy09 😂
📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/PJRzqZrTxb— NFL (@NFL) March 2, 2024
Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. looked fine when throwing, but his athleticism score was eighth among all combine quarterbacks. Call me football progressive, but I do not think quarterbacks with limited athleticism can survive in today’s NFL. You need to be able to create and improvise on the fly, and Penix doesn’t have the ability to do so (which we also saw occasionally in college). His weird throwing release that will probably need a rework to be consistently successful doesn’t help matters either.
And don’t get me started on Oregon’s Bo Nix. I think we’re looking at a glorified game manager when all is said and done. Even with a somewhat solid combine performance, I’m not sure I’m really moved to reach any other conclusion.
I think the top three quarterbacks of this class all have a chance to be legitimate difference-makers. With what we saw in Indianapolis over the past few days, I would have significant questions about anyone else sticking their nose out for a young signal-caller of the future, at least near the top of the draft.
5
Winner: Any team who needs an infusion of blue-chip offensive talent
Worthy aside, this is a very, er, worthy year to need foundational non-quarterback offensive upgrades. (Again, the top quarterbacks are great, but they’re not the focus of this segment.) If you’re an NFL team in need of big-time pieces that can anchor and shift entire game outcomes on a dime, I’m struggling to think of a better draft class in recent memory. And not all of these guys needed to test anyway. (Some did, some didn’t.)
Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., the second coming of Larry Fitzgerald and Calvin Johnson? Check.
Malik Nabers, a tornado of speed and power in the open field from LSU? Check.
Rome Odunze, the centerpiece of Washington’s run to January’s national title game? My goodness, he ran a sub-4.5-second 40-yard dash with a 39-inch vertical and 6.88 three-cone drill performance at … 6-foot-3, 212 pounds. Holy moly.
4.47u for @RomeOdunze on his first try.
📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/IGyJEUjXMp— NFL (@NFL) March 2, 2024
If the receivers aren’t your speed and you need some more beef, how about Penn State’s uber-athletic Olu Fashanu, a generational tackle prospect? Or what about Notre Dame’s Joe Alt.
I did not know they made human beings THIS big. Confession: I needed to sit down when I first saw these measurements.
Joe Alt
6085
321
10 hand
34 1/4 arm
82 3/4 wing— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) March 3, 2024
If you’re a team in the top 10 and you need help to become a full-fledged offense again, this is the perfect year. On paper, there has not been a class of elite offensive prospects like this in a long time. And if they all pan out (most of them very well actually might), this is the kind of talent crop that can change the NFL’s future.
So, if you’re a Bears, Commanders, Patriots, Giants, Arizona Cardinals, or Los Angeles Chargers fan, among others, congratulations. You’re likely about to be happy no matter what.
