Throughout the course of the week, teams will be allowed to interview players to help them make their choices easier when it comes time for the NFL draft in April. In essence, it’s one more piece of the puzzle.
On Saturday, the media was able to interview the offensive linemen and specialists, as they will be working out on Sunday afternoon.
Here are some of the main takeaways from those interviews.
Tyler Forness breaks down the defensive backs and tight ends on the latest episode of The Real Forno Show.
The NFL Scouting Combine is officially underway! After doing interviews with the media and their medical exams in prior days, the second group ended up getting onto the field for their workouts.
The second group was defensive backs and tight ends, a change from past years when the DBs would be on the last day. With how the position groups are stacked this year, having them with the tight ends made sense this year.
Was this year’s DB group the fastest in recent memory?
How did Brock Bowers test? Is he worthy of a top 10 pick?
Any other tight ends standout in a weak group?
We are here to break it all down and more on the latest episode of The Real Forno Show, airing Monday and Wednesday nights at 6 pm central on theVikings 1st & SKOL YouTube channel.
The Steelers are scouting wide receivers heavily at the NFL combine.
In something of a surprising move, the Pittsburgh Steelers have spent a great deal of time at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine meeting with some of the top wide receiver prospects for the 2024 NFL draft.
One of those wide receivers is former Texas WR Adonai “AD” Mitchell. Mitchell’s game is very similar to current Steelers wide receiver George Pickens. Mitchell has plus size and athleticism, and has a knack for making very challenging, physical catches.
“If he can play every game like he played the Alabama game, he’ll be one the best receivers in the league. They have first-round corners and he gave them problems.”
Truth be told, Mitchell doesn’t look like a Steelers receiver at all. The biggest negative on him is his unwillingness to block in the run game with a close second being inconsistency when attacking the football in the air. At times he reminds more of former Steeler Chase Claypool than Pickens.
One George Pickens, even without the baggage, is enough for the Steelers.
The football world could end up congregating at U.S. Bank Stadium for the NFL Scouting Combine
Hundreds of NFL draft prospects and thousands of media members have descended on Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine. It’s a yearly tradition and has become one of the premier events on the league schedule. Much like the draft in recent years, the NFL combine could be on the move — and its new home could be Minneapolis.
The NFL scouting combine got its start as the National Invitational Camp in 1982 in Tampa, Florida, before moving to New Orleans in 1984, Arizona in 1985 and back to New Orleans in 1986. Indianapolis became the home of the event in 1987, and it has stayed there ever since.
But now the NFL is exploring different locations for the event — and possibly changing the venue year to year, as the league has done with the draft in the past decade.
As reported by Paul Kuharsky, Minneapolis is one of four cities — along with Nashville, Tennessee; Phoenix; and Las Vegas — that were invited by the league to send representatives to the combine to discuss the potential move.
The NFL has a deal with the city of Indianapolis to keep the combine there through 2025, so the earliest the event would be on the move is in 2026. More likely, however, is either 2027 or 2028 as logistics of the move are worked out.
The Steelers have met with a handful of receivers at the NFL Scouting Combine, including two first-round hopefuls.
When you look at immediate needs for the Pittsburgh Steelers in next month’s NFL draft, wide receiver isn’t exactly a position that stands out. Offensive line and cornerback, sure — but receiver?
The Steelers love them some receivers and have met with a handful at the NFL Scouting Combine, but two stand out: According to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Christopher Carter, the Steelers had a formal meeting with first-round hopeful Brian Thomas Jr. out of LSU. Another receiver projected to go in the first, Oregon’s Troy Franklin, also met with the team.
The last receiver taken with Pittsburgh’s first pick? With their first-round pick belonging to the Miami Dolphins in the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade, they took Chase Claypool at No. 49. Santonio Holmes was their last true first-round receiver selection in 2006.
When it comes down to it, the Steelers are probably just doing their due diligence and nothing more. They don’t typically start rookie wide receivers in their first year, so taking one at No. 20 doesn’t make sense. That is unless the team has plans to trade Diontae Johnson in the offseason.
Which NFL head coach would win a 40-yard dash race? Kevin O’Connell thinks he could
CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala had a chance to go around the NFL Scouting Combine and get the attending head coaches’ thoughts on a hard-hitting question: Which current NFL head coach would run the fastest 40-yard dash?
Kinkhabwala got responses from the likes of Doug Pederson (Jacksonville Jaguars), Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Browns), Raheem Morris (Atlanta Falcons), Brian Callahan (Tennessee Titans), Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals) and Kevin O’Connell (Minnesota Vikings).
All the coaches listed off names of some of the young guns around the league (Sean McVay, DeMeco Ryans, Mike McDaniel, etc.), but nobody thought they stood a chance in the competition. That is, until Kinkhabwala asked Minnesota’s head man about his chances in the hypothetical head-to-head:
“I don’t know if my hamstrings would survive, but I would still give myself 40 yards to beat anybody out there.”
When you look at the head coach’s Relative Athletic Score coming out of San Diego State in 2008, the confidence is well warranted. O’Connell had an elite speed grade as he ran a 4.61-second 40-yard dash and ended the cycle with an elite 9.64 RAS, the highest of any quarterback in that draft class. One of the top comparisons for O’Connell, according to the site, is Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen. Coming out of Wyoming in 2018, Allen ran a 4.75 in the 40.
The confidence from O’Connell makes it easy to see why the players who have met with the Vikings all have such glowing endorsements for the staff.
We’re looking at ten defensive backs for the Baltimore Ravens to watch during the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine
The Ravens are in Indianapolis for the NFL combine, and GM Eric DeCosta will be front and center to watch the defensive backs and tight ends work out.
Cornerback depth will be a massive priority for Baltimore, and there will be changes this offseason with Ronald Darby, Arthur Maulet, and Rock-Ya-Sin all pending free agents.
With Day 2 of on-field workouts set to begin, we’re looking at ten defensive backs for the Ravens to watch.
Throughout the course of the week, teams will be allowed to interview players to help them make their choices easier when it comes time for the NFL draft in April. In essence, it’s one more piece of the puzzle.
On Friday, the media was able to interview the quarterbacks, running backs and wide recievers, as they will be working out on Saturday afternoon.
Here are some of the main takeaways from those interviews.
Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman confirms he met with the Ravens at the NFL Combine, and would love to play with Lamar Jackson
The Ravens have a young star in second-year wide receiver Zay Flowers, but the club could look to add more size to the position in the NFL draft.
Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman is 6 foot 4, 220 pounds, and brings a combination of speed, athleticism, and power with his arsenal of moves and ability to win 50/50 balls.
During his Friday media session at the NFL Combine, Coleman told Carita Parks that he’d had an informal meeting with Baltimore and would love to play with MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson.
FSU WR Keon Coleman had a “great” meeting w/ Ravens. Asked him abt the prospect of playing w/ Lamar Jackson: “I would be grateful for that…and if they bring Odell back, that would be better…to play with him, Lamar, Zay Flowers & Rashod Bateman would be a dream.#RavensFlockpic.twitter.com/3Ehs6WVLrn
2024 NFL draft prospect Johnny Wilson wants everyone to know he’s a wide receiver, not a tight end, despite his impressive size
Johnny Wilson knew the question was coming. The supersized Florida State wide receiver fielded it right off the bat during his NFL Scouting Combine podium interview.
Have any NFL teams he’s met with asked if he would consider playing tight end?
“No, nobody has,” Wilson responded.
It’s a natural question for the 6-foot-6, 237-pound Wilson. He towered over his podium microphone much like he did opposing DBs during his time at Florida State, and Arizona State before that.
“Just focusing on being the best receiver I can be,” the soft-spoken Wilson stated.
He described his playing style as “physical, fast and deceptive,” with an aspiration of running a 4.4 40-yard dash during his on-field workout. The physical part of that answer has led many to speculate a transition to tight end at the next level, but that’s clearly not something Wilson has interest in pursuing.
