Lance's Post-Combine Top 5s

Lance Leach -

I said it in my Pre-Combine Top 5 article and I’m gonna say it again, the Combine plays a major role when it comes to the Factors and PSRs for each position on my draft boards. This year was a little frustrating with so many players opting out of a large number of the tests. For that reason, I’m holding off on posting my draft board articles until after pro days are finished, so instead I’m doing this updated article on my top fives. Two of the positions, Quarterbacks and Edge Rushers, stayed the same, but basically every other position had a major change. I’ve updated the blurb below the positions that have had changes. I’m hopeful the players that opted out of certain tests at the Combine will perform them at their pro days, but this is what I have while I wait:

Quarterbacks

  1. Matt Corral (Ole Miss)
  2. Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh)
  3. Malik Willis (Liberty)
  4. Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati)
  5. Cole Kelley (Southeastern Louisiana)

Running Backs

  1. Breece Hall (Iowa State)
  2. Kenneth Walker III (Michigan State)
  3. Zamir White (Georgia)
  4. Kennedy Brooks (Oklahoma)
  5. D’vonte Price (FIU)

It is Hall and Walker at the top all the way. Hall’s impressive speed and burst demonstration pushed him up just a tad over Walker, but it’s really about what scheme the interested teams are running. Hall is more of a one cut and go back, whereas Walker has more wiggle. Brooks didn’t have a great forty, but I knew he wasn’t going to, that was never his style at Oklahoma, he only shifted down one spot on my top five and that was because of White’s impressive performance. Price played for a small school and for that reason was held off my top five the first go around, but it’s tough to ignore his production now that we’ve seen his size-speed combo.

Wide Receivers

  1. Garrett Wilson (Ohio State)
  2. Calvin Austin III (Memphis)
  3. Tyquan Thornton (Baylor)
  4. Chris Olave (Ohio State)
  5. Romeo Doubs (Nevada)

Big time turnover here. Dotson was my number one and I didn’t see him falling out, but then he ran a slow 3-Cone and with it he hit on a factor that has led to a very small success rate. I mention that specifically because it also affected Treylon Burks and a handful of other Receivers this year, and because of that I’ve noticed a shift in recent years. More and more Receivers have been running slow times in the 3-Cone drill and I have a theory as to why, but we won’t know if I’m right for another 2-3 years. I think this is happening because the route tree for college Receivers is becoming smaller and smaller and that’s causing less focus in practice on route running. In other words, Receivers aren’t working on breaking down and changing direction as much as they used to. If I’m right, then removing Dotson and Burks from my board this year will look foolish in three years, but for now I’m sticking with the numbers I have. Thornton and Olave killed it and have seen a jump into the top five for that reason, and Doubs electing not to run significantly helped him out so far. I will note that I’m very high on Jaquarii Roberson and Jaivon Heiligh, I think both should have been invited to the Combine, and as long as they perform well at their pro days they will remain on my draft board.

Tight Ends

  1. Trey McBride (Colorado State)
  2. Charlie Kolar (Iowa State)
  3. Isaiah Likely (Coastal Carolina)
  4. Greg Dulcich (UCLA)
  5. Chigoziem Okonkwo (Maryland)

The top four remain the same, it’s Okonkwo who is new to the scene. I was unsure about how to grade him prior to the Combine because of his size. I’m still worried about his size, but I think his athleticism is going to allow an OC to utilize him in fun ways. He’s still nothing more than a 4th-5th round guy for me.

Offensive Tackles

  1. Charles Cross (Mississippi State)
  2. Evan Neal (Alabama)
  3. Trevor Penning (Northern Iowa)
  4. Ikem Ekwonu (North Carolina State)
  5. Abraham Lucas (Washington State)

You’ll notice Raimann is missing, but if you glance down one position group you’ll find his name. Every year there are Tackles that end up at Guard on my board because their arm length or height measurements are shorter than my lower limit and this year was no exception. As for the guys that remained at Tackle Penning, Lucas and Braxton Jones helped themselves out the most. Penning did well enough to move up to #1 on my board, but I still think he’s raw in his pass blocking unlike Cross and Neal. Lucas did incredible and his short area quickness demonstrated by his short shuttle and 3-Cone drill should not be overlooked. Braxton Jones did not make my top five, but he confirmed what I was already feeling and that’s that he isn’t getting enough respect from the analysts out there. He’s got good size and length (6’5, 310, 35 ⅜” arms), speed (4.97 forty) and he was incredible at Southern Utah this past season. He’s my sleeper Tackle and I think someone is going to get a major steal.

Interior Offensive Lineman

  1. Tyler Linderbaum (Iowa)
  2. Zion Johnson (Boston College)
  3. Bernhard Raimann (Central Michigan)
  4. Zach Tom (Wake Forest)
  5. Kellen Diesch (Arizona State)

Raimann, Tom and Diesch are all newcomers to this top five and that’s because they were all on my Tackle board prior to the Combine. Raimann and Diesch were moved to Guard because of their arm length, but they have the athleticism and college resume to make it inside as pros. Tom had the length to stay at Tackle, but from what I was reading and hearing, he played out of position at Wake Forest because they needed him to. I moved him over to Center and his results gave him a factor that has led to a 100% success rate. He is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Edge Rushers

  1. Aidan Hutchinson (Michigan)
  2. Kayvon Thibodeaux (Oregon)
  3. Jermaine Johnson II (Florida State)
  4. Arnold Ebiketie (Penn State)
  5. David Ojabo (Michigan)

Interior Defensive Lineman

  1. Jordan Davis (Georgia)
  2. Devonte Wyatt (Georgia)
  3. Phidarian Mathis (Alabama)
  4. Eyioma Uwazurike (Iowa State)
  5. Haskell Garrett (Ohio State)

I still don’t have a first or first-second round grade on any of the Defensive Tackles, but prior to the Combine I didn’t have much interest in this position…Davis and Wyatt definitely helped pique my interest. Mathis helped shift himself up a little in his PSR, just not as much as Davis and Wyatt. Opposite of them was Uwazurike who dropped down a little, but he did enough to remain a late day 2 to early day 3 pick on my board. Garrett slips in as my #5 mostly because I don’t think highly of the rest of the interior Defensive Lineman in this class.

Linebackers

  1. Nakobe Dean (Georgia)
  2. Chad Muma (Wyoming)
  3. Devin Lloyd (Utah)
  4. Leo Chenal (Wisconsin)
  5. Channing Tindall (Georgia)

Dean stays on top by default as he was one of just a handful of players that helped themselves out by deciding not to test at all at the Combine. Muma moves up over Lloyd for me because of the explosiveness he demonstrated with his Vert and Broad. We knew he had a nose for the ball, now we know he can back it up. I still like Lloyd, don’t let that 4.66 forty fool you. Chenal had a GREAT Combine, but his coverage skills are still a concern for me. Tindall moved up by performing well enough to pass by guys who did subpar.

Cornerbacks

  1. Ahmad Gardner (Cincinnati)
  2. Alontae Taylor (Tennessee)
  3. Kaiir Elam (Florida)
  4. Daxton Hill (Michigan)
  5. Derek Stingley Jr. (LSU)

Gardner’s PSR is so-so, but there’s no denying his more technical stats and the 4.41 forty helps keep him in place. I was high on Taylor prior to the Combine, but I thought it was all in my head, so I didn’t act on it. His performance yesterday gave me confidence in my previous feelings. Kaiir Elam helped himself out a ton in my opinion, especially since I was barely viewing him in the top ten at Corner. You’re going to see Hill at Safety on a lot of analyst’s boards, but I like him as a Slot Corner, with the ability to move outside or back to Safety when the defense shifts to just 4 DBs on the field. Since I think the Slot is where he’ll play the most he ends up on my board here, either way he is a top five player at his position. Stingley opting out was the opposite of what happened to Dean, the Corners blew the testing out of the water and when you add in Stingley’s recent injury history and his overall lack of performance since his freshman year, it’s the perfect remedy for a fall, on my board anyway.

Safety

  1. Kyle Hamilton (Notre Dame)
  2. Jaquan Brisker (Penn State)
  3. Lewis Cine (Georgia)
  4. Dane Belton (Iowa)
  5. Smoke Monday (Auburn)

Hamilton put the stamp on his position, he didn’t shoot up to top ten with his PSR for my overall board, but his size to speed ratio did push him up into my personal top ten rankings. I wish Brisker would have done more because his forty alone wasn’t enough to launch him into the first round for me, still, I love the potential. Cine has good size, his athletic tests were off the charts, and all of it backs up his college game this past season. Belton was on the fringes of the top five for me and thanks to that 4.38 forty he moved up into it. Monday had a solid 4.52 forty, unfortunately that’s not going to cut it in a record breaking speed testing year. He’s still got the talent there though, and the good not great athletic numbers were enough to keep him from falling out of my top five.