Tag: 2023 NFL Combine

5 things to know about Colts’ new RB Evan Hull

Here are five things to know about Colts rookie RB Evan Hull.

The Indianapolis Colts drafted 12 new faces in April, adding fresh talent to an evolving roster. General manager Chris Ballard selected competition for nearly every area of need, including running back.

Evan Hull, a back from Northwestern, was drafted in the fifth round at pick No. 176. The selection of Hull was made possible through the offseason trade of cornerback Stephon Gilmore, netting the team a compensatory pick. Hull brings a wealth of skills and a motor to match.

Here are five things to know about the new Colts running back:

5 things to know about Colts’ new TE Will Mallory

Get to know Colts new TE Will Mallory.

The 2023 NFL Draft is the largest class ever selected by general manager Chris Ballard, boasting 12 picks. Among those selections, the Indianapolis Colts drafted tight end Will Mallory in the fifth round.

Mallory joins a crowded tight end room with Mo Alie-Cox, Jelani Woods, Kylen Granson, Drew Ogletree, and Pharaoh Brown. He’ll have to stand out to make the roster and show what made him a standout at the University of Miami.

Here are five things to know about the fifth-round pick:

Is Jack Campbell destined as the NFL’s next star linebacker?

After a legendary Iowa career, is Jack Campbell destined for NFL greatness? His NFL Combine numbers indicate that he just might be.

Jack Campbell was the heart and soul of the Iowa defense, and may just be the future backbone for some NFL team’s defensive unit.

Campbell was one of the most productive tacklers in the nation, topping 125 combined tackles in both years as a starter. He was also the best-graded coverage linebacker in the draft by Pro Football Focus. Campbell took home many awards after this season, including the Dick Butkus Award, given to the best linebacker in the nation.

Despite athletic concerns, Campbell backed up the stellar stats and play on film with a NFL Combine for the ages, posting some of the best linebacker numbers of all time. Seriously, Campbell is one of the best athletes at the position to enter the draft if you go by his combine scores.

According to Relative Athletic Score creator Kent Lee Platte on Twitter, Campbell’s score is ranked sixth out of 2,600 linebackers since 1987. Let that sink in for a second. Of all the great linebackers to enter the draft over the past few decades, Campbell has the sixth-highest Relative Athletic Score. So much for athletic concerns.

Jack Campbell enters the NFL Draft as a collegiate star and just looking at the athletic numbers, he just might be on the road to NFL stardom. Just take a look at some of the past greats that Campbell stacks up to.

Eagles to host UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson on a top 30 pre-draft visit

After having a formal meeting at the NFL scouting combine, the Philadelphia Eagles will host a top 30 predraft visit with UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson

The Eagles are about developing quarterbacks, and a player that made our NFL combine sleepers list will meet with team brass again.

After meeting with former UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson at the 2023 NFL scouting combine, the Eagles will host the dual-threat signal-caller on a top-30 predraft visit.

During his final season with former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, Thompson-Robinson completed 69.6 percent of his passes for 3,169 yards, 27 touchdowns, and ten interceptions for the Bruins in 2022, adding 12 rushing touchdowns.

At UCLA, the 23-year-old signal-caller completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 10,710 yards, 88 touchdowns, and 36 interceptions in his five seasons.

Similar to Jalen Hurts in size and stature(6-1, 205), Thompson-Robinson was also efficient on the ground, totaling 1,826 rushing yards in his career, including a career-high 645 yards last season.

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2023 NFL Mock Draft: Let’s wildly overreact to Combine results, starting with Anthony Richardson

Wherein a surprise team trades up for Anthony Richardson, Nolan Smith is a top 3 pick and Jordan Addison doesn’t get selected.

The annual scouting combine is a perfectly timed piece of business for the NFL. Any earlier and it might be lost in a Super Bowl hangover. Any later and it steps on the toes of free agency announcements and the breathless roster makeovers across the league.

Instead, the tail end of February and beginning of March belong to a week of college stars, clad in spandex and working out to a crowd of millions watching from home. The NFL stokes its own headlines through 40-yard dash times, sound bites from interviews and the vortex of rumors and back-channel chatter that pervades hotel bars in Indianapolis over the course of five nights.

This, balanced against the void of no-football, creates space for speculation and overreaction. Anthony Richardson, for example, vaulted up draft boards and into top overall pick territory thanks to the best combine any quarterback has ever had in the history of the NFL. Will Anderson, the uber-productive pass rusher who had 27.5 sacks the last two seasons at Alabama, has become an afterthought after testing out as merely “pretty good” in Indy.

So here’s an exercise. Let’s make a mock draft where a player’s performance in last week’s drills thoroughly outweighs the previous three to five years of college performance that preceded it. The result is a draft that won’t reflect what’s about to happen in April, but does reflect the current hype cycle as less proven prospects rise wildly and college stars who either turned in OK combines or didn’t work out at all watch their stock fall.

In that case, what would the 2023 NFL Draft look like?

Fastest 40-yard dash times by position at the NFL Combine

Video: Top 40-yard times for each position

The 2023 NFL scouting combine has concluded, and everyone is headed back to their homes for some rest and to start prepping for pro days. 32 teams spent four days evaluating 319 former collegiate players through a number of tests and drills. The highlight of the combine is the 40-yard dash and has been for years.  It’s to the point where it’s now an annual tradition for NFL Network host Rish Eisen to run it for charity.

The record time run by John Ross (4.22) will stand for another year with the closest time clocked by the former defensive back from Michigan, DJ Turner with a 4.26. For the full results, you can visit NFL.com.

For the fastest 40-yard dash times by position in the 2023 NFL please view below.

Bills meet with TE Luke Schoonmaker at 2023 NFL combine

#Bills meet with TE Luke Schoonmaker at 2023 NFL combine:

The Buffalo Bills met with a uniquely named tight end, Luke Schoonmaker, at the 2023 NFL combine.

According to Chat Sports, Schoonmaker had a formal meeting with the Bills:

Buffalo had 45 formal meetings to conduct at the combine with prospects. The Bills using one on Schoonmaker does show a level of interest the team would have in him at the 2023 draft.

Of course, Schoonmaker would bring more than just his name to a NFL club.

The Draft Network slates Schoonmaker as a third-round pick. Viewed more as a blocker than playmaker, Buffalo did previously attempt to build a 1-2 punch at the tight end position with Dawson Knox and OJ Howard a year ago.

That didn’t work out, but that does show a desire the Bills have in adding a secondary tight end option.

At Michigan, Schoonmaker did not have much production as a playmaker until his senior year. He notched 35 catches for 418 yards and three scores in 2022. All were far and away his career-bests.

That area of his game is where the Bills will likely want Schoonmaker to add to in the pros. Knox did exactly that under the watch of Buffalo’s coaching staff. The 6-foot-5 Schoonmaker could, too.

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2023 NFL scouting combine: Top SEC performers

2023 NFL scouting combine: A look at the top SEC performers

The 2023 NFL scouting combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana ended on Monday.

Seven former Vols participated in the NFL scouting combine. Quarterback Hendon Hooker did not participate in on-field workouts due to a torn ACL suffered in 2022.

Multiple former Tennessee players earned high praise for their performance at the NFL scouting combine. Jeremy Banks was named to the 2023 All-Combine Team (NFL.com), while Darnell Wright earned an honorable mention.

Eight former Southeastern Conference players were named to the 2023 All-Combine Team, while 10 earned honorable mentions honors.

Following the 2023 NFL scouting combine, Vols Wire looks at top performers from former Southeastern Conference players.

Top SEC performers from the 2023 NFL scouting combine are listed below.

Commanders meet with two of the draft’s top cornerbacks at the NFL combine

Washington was focused on the offensive line and cornerback at the combine.

The Washington Commanders headed into the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine with a focus on two positions: Offensive line and cornerback.

While Washington met and scouted every position, it was clear from some of the formal meetings scheduled that the Commanders paid specific attention to these two positions. We produced a list of the offensive linemen who met with the Commanders.

Most mock drafts have Washington landing a cornerback from the trio of Joey Porter Jr. [Penn State], Christian Gonzalez [Oregon] and Devon Witherspoon [Illinois.]

Speaking of those cornerbacks, Washington formally met with Porter and Witherspoon at the combine. It is believed that the Commanders met with Gonzalez, but that is not confirmed.

When Porter spoke to the media, he said spent a lot of time with the Commanders and mentioned how many of his former college teammates are on Washington’s roster.

Some regard Witherspoon as the draft’s top cornerback prospect. Witherspoon and Porter fit the profile of what head coach Ron Rivera and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio love in a corner. Both aren’t afraid to stick their nose in the run game.

The Commanders were OK at cornerback last season. Kendall Fuller and Benjamin St-Juste carried the unit until St-Juste missed five of the last six games. Washington needs another starting cornerback.

Fortunately, there is depth in the second round if the Commanders choose to address the offensive line in the first round. But don’t be surprised if Porter, Gonzalez, or Witherspoon is the pick next month.

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Prospects at 10 positions who saw their stock rise at the 2023 scouting combine

Touchdown Wire’s Laurie Fitzpatrick was in Lucas Oil Stadium for all the scouting combine drills, and here’s who impressed her the most.

Now that all the prospects have all gone through their interviews, measurables and drills at the 2023 scouting combine. It’s time to look at which guys won the days at their positions.

There are a few players that proved that they are valued correctly, and some other prospects who showed that they should be considered a little higher in the draft.

Let’s dive into how some of these prospects were able to show their skills and why it shouldn’t have been a surprise!