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2023 NFL Combine: Physical Comps For Mountain West Football Prospects
Seven Mountain West football prospects got to showcase their talents in Indianapolis last week. How do they measure up, literally, with past NFL Combine participants?
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An interesting mix of comparisons.
The four-day NFL Combine wrapped up a couple of days ago and it didn’t take long for one of the draftnik community’s biggest tools, Mockdraftable, to pull together the results and see how this year’s participants stack up in the historical sense.
What could it mean for the seven Mountain West football prospects who took the field at Lucas Oil Stadium? It’s important to remember that the physical profile isn’t everything, but it may provide some insight into how NFL front offices view them ahead of pro day season in the next month or so.
Viliami Fehoko, DL, San Jose State
After a relatively modest performance in the bench, Fehoko’s initial comps are a mixed bag. Leal was a third-round pick in last year’s draft and Jackson got selected in the sixth, but the rest of the group didn’t make any impact on the NFL level. Getting healthy for San Jose State’s pro day will likely be the difference in how high Fehoko gets selected on Day Three.
Jake Haener, QB, Fresno State
Haener is certainly undersized when compared to the average NFL quarterback, but no one will question his toughness and he flashed enough athleticism at the combine to generate more buy-in among his backers. Howell and McCoy are interesting for their career arcs, but the next name on the list not seen here is, as well: Alabama’s Bryce Young.
Tyreque Jones, DB, Boise State
NFL teams are almost certainly going to be intrigued by Jones’s arm length and height/speed combination, which likely puts him in much better standing than the group of comps listed above. Note that, among the group of seven Mountain West players at this year’s combine, Jones’s comps are the weakest.
Jalen Moreno-Cropper, WR, Fresno State
Now this is interesting. For those keeping score at home, Moreno-Cropper’s top comps include two Biletnikoff Award winners (Westbrook and Addison) and a former first-round pick (Waddle) who set an NFL rookie record for receptions. Considering his blistering 40-yard dash time, the Bulldogs wide receiver might have made himself a nice chunk of money in Indianapolis and improved his standing in a crowded class of pass catchers.
John Ojukwu, OL, Boise State
No one talked about it, but Ojukwu had a very nice combine and held his own on just about every front but overall size. That his own list of top comps includes two former first-round selections, Ramczyk and Joeckel, almost certainly garnered some attention from professional scouts.
Kyle Patterson, TE, Air Force
Patterson’s size was his primary calling card, but how high his ceiling is at this year’s draft may depend on how much he can perform at the Falcons’ pro day. Herndon was once thought of as a dark horse at the position with the New York Jets and Otton was a fourth-round pick in last year’s draft, so someone seems likely to dream on his physical tools during Day Three, as well.
JL Skinner, DB, Boise State
It’s really a shame that Skinner tore a pectoral muscle in the run-up to the combine because, much like his teammate Jones, the combine has seen very few prospects like him. Using former Seattle Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor as the benchmark might still be the best idea and Skinner is still going to get drafted, but man.
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