The Green Bay Packers value true athleticism more and more in the draft, making the NFL Scouting Combine an important tool for sorting out the best athletes – within the context of their individual height and weight – at various positions. When a good football player puts together strong overall workout numbers, they’re immediately on the radar as a potential draft pick of the Packers.
Here is a combine star the Packers could target at each of the team’s positions of need in the 2020 draft:
RB: Darrynton Evans, Appalachian State
If the Packers want an insurance policy on Aaron Jones, who is about to enter a contract year, Evans looks like a perfect option. They are both slashing runners with effortless movement skills. Evans ran 4.41 in the 40-yard dash, put up 20 reps on the bench and had explosive numbers in the jumps. Getting him in the middle rounds would be a big win for the Packers at running back.
WR: Denzel Mims, Baylor
Mims (6-3, 207) tore up the combine, running a sub-4.4 40-yard dash (4.38), producing the best three-cone time of the event (6.66 seconds) and acing both jumps. He’s big, fast, quick and explosive, with a physical game made for producing down the field and in close quarters at the next level. Mims and Davante Adams could be a dynamic duo.
Bonus WR: Justin Jefferson, LSU
The slot extraordinaire had the collegiate production of a first-round pick. Now, he has the athletic profile. Jefferson calmed all worries about his speed with a 4.43-second run in the 40. He put up great numbers in the explosion test and looked like a natural catching the football throughout drills. The Packers need a middle-of-the-field threat in the slot and in the red zone.
TE: Chase Claypool, Notre Dame
We’re cheating a little bit here, but Claypool – who is listed as a receiver – looks like a perfect candidate to move to tight end. He killed the combine, running 4.43 and hitting 40.5″ in the vertical at 6-4 and 238 pounds. He’s big and tough and athletic enough to be a real weapon at tight end. There are serious flashes of Jared Cook in his game, and the Packers must regret letting Cook get away after the 2016 season.
OT: Austin Jackson, USC
Regardless of whether or not the Packers re-sign Bryan Bulaga, offensive tackle is a position of need. In Jackson, the Packers could acquire a hugely talented and athletic tackle prospect to develop as the future at right tackle. He has a huge wingspan but also movement ability, upper-body strength (27 reps) and lower-body explosiveness (third-best broad jump among offensive linemen).
DL: Jason Strowbridge, North Carolina
Teams like the Packers are going to love his combination of athleticism, length and versatility. He’s on the light side at 275 pounds, but the Packers will probably see an opportunity to beef him up and stick him next to Kenny Clark up front, possibly as a future five-tech. Even at 275, Strowbridge ran the 40-yard dash in 4.86 seconds, put up 26 reps on the bench and was explosive in the jumps and agility drills. He’ll have some positional versatility at the next level.
LB: Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma
Murray looked like an elite athlete on tape, and he proved it in Indianapolis, running the 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds and hitting 38″ in the vertical and 10-9 in the broad jump despite weighing in over 240 pounds. He’s big and fast and checks nearly all the boxes required of a modern, NFL linebacker. Murray should be in play for the Packers at No. 30 overall in the first round.
Bonus LB: Malik Harrison, Ohio State
The Packers need a tough, rangy linebacker to anchor the middle of the defense. Could that player be Harrison? The 6-3, 247-pounder ran the 40-yard dash in 4.66 seconds, proved explosive in the jumps and blazed through the three-cone drill in 6.83 seconds. He appears to have the right mix of athleticism, size and experience playing off-ball linebacker. Expect him to be in play for the Packers if he’s still on the board at No. 62.
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