Category: 2024 NFL Mock Draft

2024 NFL Draft: Minnesota safety Tyler Nubin scouting report

Minnesota safety Tyler Nubin has just about every attribute required for NFL success… if he can just clean up a few rogue elements.

After Antoine Winfield Jr. left Minnesota and became a star safety with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 NFL draft, it was eventually up to Nubin to be the tone-setter in the back of the Golden Gophers’ defense. Nubin really started to live up to that in the 2021 season when, in 341 coverage snaps, he allowed eight catches on 26 targets for 128 yards, 35 yards after the catch, one touchdown, three interceptions, three pass breakups, and an absurd opponent passer rating of 21.5.

In the two seasons since, the 6-foot-1, 191-pound Nubin has been one of the NCAA’s most efficient coverage safeties. In 2023, he gave up six catches on 20 targets for 90 yards, 38 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, five interceptions, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 39.6.

There are a few things about Nubin’s NFL transition that cause a bit of concern that don’t show up in the metrics, but are obvious on tape. He’s got the capacity to be a top-tier deep-third safety at the next level if he works those things out. He’s not at Winfield’s level when Winfield came out of college, but the tools are impressive, and the development curve could be highly rewarding.

PLUSES
 
— Smart, aggressive defender in coverage when he’s got the target in front of him and can use his smooth backpedal to match and cover.
 
— Very quick to hide in the weeds and jump routes for pass breakups and interceptions; Nubin has a great sense for that.
 
— Will use that sense of timing to break to receivers and prevent receptions with hits.
 
— Has the open-field speed and lateral agility to credibly cover sideline-to-sideline when he’s in single-high, or half the field when in two-high.
 
— Comes down like a shot from the box and deep third to tackle at the line of scrimmage; when it works, it’s great. When it doesn’t, well…
 
MINUSES
 
— Recovery speed at the turn of the route is inconsistent; there are times when he’s on his target, and other times, he’ll be a step behind.
 
— Needs to work over the receiver too often and can run into trouble in tight spaces.
 
— Can be waylaid from the box to the deep third by receivers running quicker, more angular routes.
 
— Needs to process run fits more accurately; reads can be predetermined and he’ll hit the wrong gap.

— Similarly, he’s not always accurate with his tackling angles, and it shows up pretty clearly on tape. He had 35 missed tackles through his career at Minnesota.

Nubin has a ton of talent, and I’d love him in a quarters-heavy defense, but his NFL team will have work to do with run fits, tackling, and decisiveness in coverage. He’s not a project per se, but I’d struggle a lot with a first-round grade. I’d also like to see him in the box more often so he’s not trying to get to running backs from 20 yards upfield all the time.

 

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: What does the scouting combine really mean?

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into what the scouting combine really means for NFL teams and top draft prospects.

Once the scouting combine is over every year — and this year’s version concluded last week — NFL scouts, coaches and personnel executives are left with reams of new information to deal with, and to add to their previous evaluations.

So, what does that really mean? And what can a great combine performance really do for a draft prospect? For example, Texas receiver Xavier Worthy broke the combine record with a 4.1-second 40-yard dash. If he already plays extremely fast on the field, what does that add to his evaluation? Or if a player like Washington left tackle Troy Fautanu aces all his drills and crushes it in the meeting rooms with NFL teams, how does he really come out the other side in the minds of the people who are set to select him in the 2024 NFL draft?

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into what the scouting combine really means, their individual experiences at this year’s event, and how drill work really matches up to game tape and NFL transitions for multiple top prospects.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Post-combine mock draft: Raiders trade up, Pats trade out, Justin Fields to Washington

In this post-combine mock draft, the Raiders and Patriots make a trade, Justin Fields goes to Washington, and the Broncos work a huge move.

INDIANAPOLIS — Now that the 2024 scouting combine is in the proverbial barn, those NFL personnel people who are still here (not to mention those who didn’t even come in the first place) will both confirm their priors about all the draft prospects in Indy, and take the new information they’ve gleaned to redefine their boards to whatever degree.

There’s also time and room here to discuss impending free agents with the new league year just 10 days away…

…NOT THAT ANY NFL TEAMS IN THE FINE CITY OF INDIANAPOLIS ARE ENGAGED IN ILLEGAL TAMPERING BECAUSE THAT NEVER HAPPENS…

…in an entirely hypothetical sense, of course.

The point is, a lot of things change after this week, and all boards and mocks should reflect that in some form or fashion. In this post-combine mock, we have some stuff based on things we’ve heard, and stuff we’re just spitballing because it would be cool if it happened.

  • The Commanders trade with the Bears for Justin Fields, and decide in the shocker of the draft to take LSU receiver Malik Nabers over Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. as the first receiver. Harrison goes to the Cardinals with the fourth overall pick, and with the Bears taking Brian Thomas Jr. ninth overall, that’s quite a day for LSU!
  • The Raiders move up with the Patriots and take LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels with the third overall pick. The Patriots still get their next franchise quarterback a bit later with Michael Penix Jr.
  • With Fields in the nation’s capital, the Broncos trade for Sam Howell, and go EDGE with their 12th overall pick after designating Russell Wilson as a post-June 1 cut to manage his massive dead cap hit.
  • Yes, Texas’ Xavier Worthy broke the combine scouting record with a 4.21 40-yard dash, and yes, it shows up on tape, but focus drops are a problem, so I don’t think this elevates him as much as people may think — especially in a receiver class that is absolutely prosperously deep.

With all that out of the way, here’s my two-round post-combine mock draft, published just in time to head to the airport.

2024 Scouting Combine: Nine receiver prospects detail their favorite college plays

The 2024 scouting combine was the right place to ask nine receiver prospects for their favorite college plays, and what they will mean in the NFL.

INDIANAPOLIS — Unless you are somehow able to gain access to one of the rooms in which NFL teams meet with draft prospects during the week of the scouting combine, there’s no way to know what’s really discussed. One thing that is almost always happens is a tape-watching expedition in which the NFL people will have play examples dialed up that hopefully show what the prospects can do.

Here at Touchdown Wire, we do not possess the required juice to crash those rooms, but we are able to ask these prospects during their combine media sessions which plays from their college careers best typify their potential.

We’ve already done this with five quarterbacks, six tight ends and seven cornerbacks here at the combine, and now, it’s time to get into the favorite plays of nine receiver prospects of all shapes, sizes, and talents.

The full lineup:

  • Washington’s Jalen McMillan and Ja’Lynn Polk
  • Alabama’s Jermaine Burton
  • Tulane’s Jha’Quan Jackson
  • Florida State’s Johnny Wilson
  • Pitt’s Bub Means
  • Michigan’s Roman Wilson
  • South Carolina’s Xavier Legette
  • Texas’ Jordan Whittington

Xavier Worthy isn’t just track-fast… he’s ridiculously fast on the field

Xavier Worthy’s record-breaking speed didn’t just happen at the scouting combine — it also shows up on the field.

INDIANAPOLIS — Texas receiver Xavier Worthy blazed his name all over the field at Lucas Oil Stadium during the 2024 scouting combine, when he ran a 4.21-second 40-yard dash, setting the all-time record. Of course, when the excitement of that wears off, everybody will ask the same question: Does that kind of speed actually show up on the field?

In Worthy’s case, the answer is a resounding “Yes.” Though he caught just six passes of 20 or more air yards last season on 23 targets, he also had a lot of drops on those deep passes, which he tried to explain this week at the podium.

“I feel like I had really good hands,” he said. “I feel like it’s just kind of focus drops for me. It’s not a technique thing or a hands thing. I feel like it’s focus.”

If he can get his focus together, Worthy might be just about unstoppable at the NFL level. because that speed does indeed show up on the field, in multiple ways.

We could start with this 45-yard banger against TCU, in which Worthy gave his defender a nasty foot fake before going off to the races and winding up with a two-yard cushion against press coverage…

…or this 44-yarder against Alabama, where the deep safety had no shot in Cover-3.

How about this 54-yard catch against Oklahoma State that was 53 yards after the catch, and Worthy just caterwauling his way through the entire defense?

So yes, Worthy’s speed does show up on the field, and if he wasn’t a first-round pick before, he probably is now.

Twitter reacts to Xavier Worthy breaking the scouting combine record with a 4.21 40-yard dash

The reactions to Xavier Worthy breaking the scouting combine record with a 4.21-second 40-yard dash came thick and fast.

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media]INDIANAPOLIS — Texas receiver Xavier Worthy was fast on the field for the Longhorns, and he was even faster on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium at the scouting combine. Worthy ran a 4.25-second 40-yard dash on his first try, and then, on his second rep, Worthy put up an unofficial 4.22-second 40 — which was then bumped up to a 4.21… and that is the all-time combine record, breaking the 4.22 mark set by Washington receiver John Ross in 2017.

As you would expect, there were all kinds of reactions to this.

Texas WR Xavier Worthy sets scouting combine record with 4.21-second 40-yard dash

Texas receiver Xavier Worthy set the all-time scouting combine record with a 4.21-second 40-yard dash.

INDIANAPOLIS — Texas receiver Xavier Worthy was fast on the field for the Longhorns, and he was even faster on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium at the scouting combine. Worthy ran a 4.25-second 40-yard dash on his first try, and then, on his second rep, Worthy put up an unofficial 4.22-second 40 — which was then bumped up to a 4.21… and that is the all-time combine record, breaking the 4.22 mark set by Washington receiver John Ross in 2017.

2024 Scouting Combine: Five quarterbacks detail their favorite college plays

The 2024 scouting combine was the place to ask five quarterback prospects for the best plays of their collegiate careers.

INDIANAPOLIS — Unless you are somehow able to gain access to one of the rooms in which NFL teams meet with draft prospects during the week of the scouting combine, there’s no way to know what’s really discussed. One thing that is almost always happens is a tape-watching expedition in which the NFL people will have play examples dialed up that hopefully show what the prospects can do.

Here at Touchdown Wire, we do not possess the required juice to crash those rooms, but we are able to ask these prospects during their combine media sessions which plays from their college careers best typify their potential.

We’ve already done this with six tight ends and seven cornerbacks here at the combine, and now, it’s time to get into the favorite plays of five quarterback prospects — Oregon’s Bo Nix, Kentucky’s Devin Leary, Florida State’s Jordan Travis, South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler, and Tulane’s Michael Pratt.

2024 Scouting Combine: Seven cornerbacks detail their favorite college plays

At the 2024 scouting combine, we asked seven different cornerbacks for their favorite NCAA plays, and got some great answers.

INDIANAPOLIS — Unless you are somehow able to gain access to one of the rooms in which NFL teams meet with draft prospects during the week of the scouting combine, there’s no way to know what’s really discussed. One thing that is almost always happens is a tape-watching expedition in which the NFL people will have play examples dialed up that hopefully show what the prospects can do.

Here at Touchdown Wire, we do not possess the required juice to crash those rooms, but we are able to ask these prospects during their combine media sessions which plays from their college careers best typify their potential.

On Thursday, we asked seven different cornerback prospects — Iowa’s Cooper DeJean, Kentucky’s Andru Phillips, Wake Forest’s Caelen Carson, Pitt’s M.J. Devonshire, Oregon’s Khyree Jackson, and Ole Miss’s Deantre Prince — for their favorite collegiate plays. These are the ones they’d like to show to NFL teams this week as indicators of their finest work.

2024 Scouting Combine: Which DL, EDGE, and LB helped themselves the most?

Which edge-rushers, defensive linemen, and linebackers helped themselves the most in the scouting combine drills? We have the answers here.

INDIANAPOLIS — For some draft prospects, the scouting combine on-field drills are mere confirmation for NFL teams looking to add a bit to positive tape study and personal interviews. For others, it’s a bigger deal, as great numbers might have some personnel people going back to that tape to see what they might have missed the first time around.

On Thursday afternoon and evening, we saw the defensive linemen, edge defenders, and off-ball linebackers do their thing on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium. While a lot of prospects acquitted themselves well, here are the ones who did the most to stand out, and to potentially see their stocks rise through the next two months before the 2024 NFL draft is in the bag.