Tag: Combine

Saints hosted Penn State pass rusher Chop Robinson for pre-draft visit

Add Chop Robinson to the list of prospects meeting the Saints before the 2024 NFL draft. The Penn State pass rusher already visited New Orleans:

One of the New Orleans Saints’ pre-draft visits almost slipped under the radar. Penn State pass rusher Demeioun “Chop” Robinson told the Daily Collegian’s Sam Woloson that he visited the Saints the week before the school’s March 15 pro day; the same week in which the team met with Northern Iowa defensive tackle Khristian Boyd at their headquarters in Metairie. Robinson is an impressive athlete, and he can move and make plays unlike anyone else the Saints have at defensive end.

Robinson, 21, weighed in at a hair under 6-foot-3 and 254 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine, and he put up great numbers in athletic testing drills: timing the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds and clocking the short shuttle in 4.25 seconds, with a 6.94-second mark inn the three-cone drill at his pro day. He also leapt 34.5 inches vertically and 10 feet, 8 inches broad. That combined in a 9.79 Relative Athletic Score, which is well within the range that lines up with the Saints’ own in-house metrics.

He’s undersized by New Orleans’ standards, but both head coach Dennis Allen and college scouting director Jeff Ireland have expressed an eagerness to add different body types and more versatile athletes at defensive end than they’ve valued before. After tying for the fourth-fewest sacks in the NFL last season, they can’t afford to be so picky.

And Robinson could be a good get. He’s commonly projected to go in the first round, possibly as early as to the Saints at No. 14, though most mock drafts have him being picked after other players like UCLA’s Laiatu Latu and Florida State’s Jared Verse. He had 17.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks in 22 games at Penn State, having started his college career at Maryland. Pro Football Focus charting credited him with 48 pressures in 2022 (12 games) and 26 of them in 2023 (10 games), when he missed time with an unspecified head injury after a bad collision against Ohio State. He’s healthy now and hoping to put his best foot forward when meeting with NFL teams like the Saints.

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Saints DL coach says T’Vondre Sweat ‘made some money today’ at Texas pro day

T’Vondre Sweat earned high praise for his performance at Texas’ pro day, particularly from Saints defensive line coach Todd Grantham:

Texas Longhorns defensive lineman T’Vondre Sweat is on the New Orleans Saints’ radar, which assistant coach Todd Grantham made that very apparent at the school’s pro day this week. Scouts and position coaches are out in force on the pro day circuit as the 2024 NFL draft draws closer.

Hank South of 247Sports noted Grantham catching up with Sweat after his workout, commenting that the 22-year-old “made some money today.” Having weighed in at 6-foot-4 and 366 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine, those in attendance were wowed by Sweat’s movement skills as he completed athletic drills on Wednesday.

There are areas on the defensive side of the ball the Saints are looking to improve this offseason, including their inconsistent run defense which struggled to stop mobile quarterbacks. A player like Sweat could help to remedy that issue if the Saints are to make that a priority when they’re on the clock in April.

Sweat, who largely projects as a late first-round or early second-round pick, finished out the 2023 season with 45 total tackles (18 solo), with 5 passes defended and 2.0 sacks. His stock has been ever-rising throughout the pre-draft process as he also recorded a standout performance at the combine with a 5.27-second 40-yard dash. Sweat recorded a 26-inch vertical and an 8-foot-2 broad jump in the same event.

It will be interesting to see if he carries this performance over to the Big Easy, ready to bring an instant boost to whichever NFL team ultimately picks him up.

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Saints schedule Top-30 visit with Western Michigan combine standout

The New Orleans Saints have scheduled a Top-30 draft visit with Marshawn Kneeland, an NFL Scouting Combine standout from Western Michigan:

The New Orleans Saints have scheduled their second Top-30 prospect visit of the 2024 NFL draft, after lining one up previously with Northern Iowa defensive tackle Khristian Boyd. Next up on the docket is Western Michigan defensive lineman Marshawn Kneeland, per Ryan Fowler of Bleacher Report.

Kneeland was one of the 321 total players invited to this year’s NFL Scouting Combine and was also a participant at the 2024 Senior Bowl. At the combine, Kneeland weighed in at 6-foot-3 and 267 pounds and stood out as an exceptional athlete in pretty much every event. He ranked highly amongst his peers at the defensive end position:

  • 40-yard dash: 4.75 seconds (19th)
  • 10-yard split: 1.66 seconds (tied-18th)
  • Vertical jump: 35.50 inches (8th)
  • Broad jump: 9 feet 11 inches (T-14th)
  • 3-cone drill: 7.02 seconds (1st by 0.28 seconds)
  • 20-yard shuttle: 4.18 seconds (1st)
  • Bench Press: 21 reps (T-8th)

It is worth noting that he has been listed at defensive tackle in other rankings, which would only help his case. In terms of Relative Athletic Score, a measure created by Kent Lee Platte, Kneeland ranked 75th out of 1,620 defensive tackles from 1987 to present day, with a 9.54 out of 10.00.

Kneeland is an extremely disruptive defensive lineman with 37 total pressures, 6 sacks, 38 tackles, and 2 forced fumbles this past season. He also has NFL size for a defensive lineman, a similar frame to Cameron Jordan who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 287 pounds. Kneeland will absolutely be an intriguing prospect in this draft process, and he may see a substantial rise in draft stock due to his combine success.

He also has other Top-30 visits scheduled with the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Carolina Panthers, so it is extremely clear that he is garnering attention in the pre-draft process. He’s currently seen as a second-round draft prospect.

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Saints schedule one of their first draft visits with Trevor Penning’s old teammate

The Saints scheduled one of their first pre-draft visits with Trevor Penning’s old teammate: Northern Iowa defensive tackle Khristian Boyd.

The New Orleans Saints have one of their first top-30 prospect visits lined up, as they will meet with Northern Iowa defensive tackle Khristian Boyd, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Boyd, a former college teammate of Saints offensive lineman Trevor Penning, didn’t get invited to the NFL combine last week but did have a nice showing at the East-West Shrine Bowl (where he weighed in at 6-foot-2 and 320 pounds) to start his pre-draft process. His scouting report carries many of the same talking-points as Penning did after during the process, such as bringing a lot of energy and aggression off the snap.

The interior lineman looks like someone that could be a powerful run defender in the NFL, but he’s disruptive with 10.5 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss, plus 89 quarterback pressures in his college career per Pro Football Focus charting. If the Saints like what they get out of him in this interview and private workout, expect him to be either a late-round pick or priority undrafted free agent target.

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Saints get Bryan Bresee a tag-team partner in TD Wire’s post-combine mock draft

In this post-combine mock draft, the New Orleans Saints picked a new tag-team partner for Bryan Bresee in Illinois DT Johnny Newton:

How did the NFL Scouting Combine shake up everyone’s plans for the 2024 draft? In this post-combine mock draft from Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar, the New Orleans Saints picked a new tag-team partner for Bryan Bresee in Illinois defensive tackle Johnny Newton at No. 14 overall.

Newton, who went by Jer’Zhan in college, didn’t participate in athletic testing at the combine while recovering from Jones fracture  surgery in his foot — he’s expected to work out at his pro day in April — but he did meet with teams and by all accounts left a good impression.

And he checked every box at weigh-ins, which matters for a team that sticks to its athletic prototypes like the Saints. Newton weighed in 6-foot-1 5/8 and 304 pounds, with 32 3/8-inch arms and 9 1/2-inch hands. For comparison, at last year’s combine Bresee weighed in at 6-foot-5 and 298 pounds with 32 1/2-inch arms and 10 1/4-inch hands (though the Saints listed his weight at 305 pounds during the season). Netwon is shorter than Bresee with a slightly lighter frame (75-inch wingspan versus Bresee’s 78) but he passes the thresholds the Saints have maintained since Jeff Ireland took over their scouting department.

More than any of that, Newton is an outstanding football player. He appeared in 47 games at Illinois and finished his career with 27.5 tackles for loss and 18 tackles for loss, batting down 5 passes at the line of scrimmage while forcing 3 fumbles (recovering 2 of them). Pro Football Focus charting found he generated 43 quarterback pressures in 2023 after posting 59 of them in 2022. He’s highly disruptive and gets into the backfield in a hurry.

So he could be a good addition in New Orleans. Newton anchors better with his lower body than Bresee did coming out of college, so he could play more heavily on running downs while they both get on the field in obvious passing situations. If Malcolm Roach leaves in free agency there should be plenty of snaps to go around for the two of them, plus veteran defensive tackles Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders.

The complicating factor: Newton has played the same three-technique alignment that Bresee fills in New Orleans, so he’d be trying new things and moving around the formation more often than he did in college. The Saints do need to look for another upgrade on the interior line after allowed the 11th-most rushing yards per carry and per game last season, but they might be looking for a different type of player than Newton, given his many similarities to Bresee. But if he’s the best available prospect when they’re on the clock in April, the coaching staff can figure out a way for everyone to coexist.

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6 things I think I learned about the Lions at the NFL Scouting Combine

6 things I think I learned about the Detroit Lions at the NFL Scouting Combine, from Lions Wire’s Jeff Risdon

After spending over a week in Indianapolis for the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, it’s nice to be back home. With the pro day circuit firing up later this week, it’s a welcomed pit stop to actually cook a meal. It’s also a good time to share what I think I learned about the Lions at the combine.

I have to say “I think I learned” because, let’s face it, the decisions aren’t made yet. And even if some are, Brad Holmes isn’t sliding into my DMs (or anyone else’s) with his offseason master plan. If you believe anyone speaking in absolutes or guarantees right now, I’ve got timeshares of a bridge to Greenland for sale just for you…

But based on conversations I had with Lions personnel, agents, players and various media members, both local and national, during my week in Indianapolis, here’s what I think I learned about the Lions.

Packers positions of need: Top performing RBs from NFL Combine

Highlighting the top performing running backs from the NFL Scouting Combine.

It’s not a matter of if the Green Bay Packers are going to draft a running back, but rather when will they make that move? With athletic testing playing a key role in the draft selections that Brian Gutekunst makes, here were the top performers at the running back position.

Relative Athletic Scores allow us to compare prospects within a position group through the lens of one simple figure. In short, the closer a prospect scores to 10 on the RAS scale, the better the athlete.

Gutekunst has made 54 draft picks during his tenure that have registered on the RAS scale and 40 of them have scored 8.0 or higher, with 25 of those 40 above the 9.0 mark. And, oftentimes, the earlier the pick in the draft, the higher the RAS.

To learn more about RAS and its connection to the Packers’ draft classes, click here.

With that said, running back is where we’ve seen a bit of a deviation from those aforementioned figures–although it is a small sample size. Gutekunst has selected four running backs, and two of them, Dexter Williams and AJ Dillon, scored above 8.0, with Dillon posting a RAS of 9.15.

Lew Nichols and Kylin Hill – two seventh round picks – were close, scoring 7.83 and 7.28, respectively, but both just shy of the line in the sand that has been drawn at 8.0.

Following the NFL Combine, below you will find all of the running backs who posted a RAS of 8.0 or higher.

Isaac Guerendo, Louisville: 9.98
Tyrone Tracy Jr., Purdue: 9.87
Jaylen Wright, Tennessee: 9.81
Trey Benson, Florida State: 9.77
MarShawn Lloyd, USC: 9.29
Dylan Laube, New Hampshire: 9.21
Kimani Vidal, Troy: 8.84
Isaiah Davis, South Dakota State: 8.73
Kendall Milton, Georgia: 8.68
Audric Estime, Notre Dame: 8.59
Blake Corum, Michigan: 8.48
George Holani, Boise State: 8.44

The Packers and Aaron Jones’ need to come to an agreement on a reworked contract, whether that be through a restructure, or Jones taking a pay cut, to lower his hefty $17.1 million cap hit for the 2024 season.

However, I’m guessing the Packers want to avoid a restructure if possible, given that this is the final year of Jones’ contract, and he already comes with a dead cap hit of $6.63 million in 2025 before another restructure takes place.

Although there is still work to be done to lower Jones’ cap hit, Gutekunst was pretty direct during his season-ending press conference in saying he wants Jones to be back this season–and why wouldn’t he? Jones’ impact on this offense when healthy is massive, and not only in the run game, but the passing game as well.

“He changed a lot of the way we operated when he was in there and healthy,” Gutekunst said. “For us, it’s finding a way to keep him out there and keeping him healthy. He’s such an influential leader in our locker room. The heartbeat of our team.”

But, even with Jones likely returning, behind him on the depth chart is a major unknown. AJ Dillon is a free agent, and Tom Silverstein recently reported that he isn’t expected to return. This leaves the Packers with Emanuel Wilson – once he’s officially back as an exclusive rights free agent – and Ellis Merriweather at the running back position.

Perhaps Wilson can earn the second running back role or at least additional responsibilities this season, but there will absolutely be competition for that playing time that takes place this summer.

What the Packers need behind Jones is another dynamic presence. With the Packers again going to be mindful of Jones’ snap count, that second running back is going to get his share of touches. And while Dillon was reliable, he was limited, averaging just 3.4 yards per carry this past season.

Even if the Packers do end up moving on from Dillon, which is the direction that the wind is blowing, that doesn’t mean there won’t be a Dillon-like presence on the roster at running back. In fact, having that skill set is important to Gutekunst.

“I do think we would always like to have one power, bigger back on the roster for short-yardage situations and playing in the weather and closing out games,” Gutekunst said via Packers.com.

Along with the obvious need for a running back to be effective with the ball in his hands, what can’t be overlooked is the importance of pass-blocking and pass-catching at that position within the Packers’ offense, something both Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur have discussed in the past. It’s these elements that not only determine playing time, but roster spots as well.

As Gutekunst said, the offense operates differently when Jones is on the field, and although not many can impact the game as he does, what the Packers need is more playmaking when he isn’t out there. There’s, of course, the big-play ability that a home run presence can bring, but when the defense is mindful of the run, that then opens up opportunities in the passing game for the offense as well.

The Packers addressing the running back position also isn’t solely about 2024 either; as already mentioned, this is the final year of Jones’ deal, which means it could be his last in Green Bay. And whether or not that is the case, the Packers need to prepare like it’s going to be.

2024 NFL draft: Chargers had formal meeting with RB Ray Davis

Ray Davis became the first player in NCAA history to rush for more than 1,000 yards at three different schools.

The Chargers had a formal meeting with Kentucky running back Ray Davis, according to Kentucky Sports Radio’s Adam Luckett.

Davis rushed for 1,066 yards and finished his only season with the Wildcats with a school-record 20 touchdowns, surpassing the single-season mark set by Benny Snell in 2017.

Davis, who also played at Temple and Vanderbilt, became the first player in NCAA history to rush for more than 1,000 yards at three different schools.

Davis is a physical and efficient rusher who can beat a defense on the ground and in the passing game, capable of becoming a three-down back in the NFL.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh has preached that he wants to run the ball at a high level, so Davis is just one of many running backs the Chargers have done their homework on during the pre-draft process.

WATCH: Kool-Aid McKinstry taste tests Kool-Aid flavors at NFL Combine

Former Alabama DB Kool-Aid McKinstry has some fun at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine!

Former Alabama defensive back Kool-Aid McKinstry is expected to be an early-round selection in the upcoming NFL draft. His play is what makes him an NFL-caliber player, but his name is what originally catches people’s attention.

McKinstry was born with a big smile on his face, comparable to that of the Kool-Aid Man’s, so his family began calling him Kool-Aid from birth.

While at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, McKinstry, who has a deal with Kool-Aid Brand, was tasked with putting his taste buds to the test. Without looking at the flavor, McKinstry had to guess the flavor.

The Combine can be a stressful time for many, but McKinstry was able to have fun at the event, despite receiving some rather unexpected news regarding a foot injury.

Looking back at how Dolphins’ current stars performed at the NFL combine

A look back at how current Dolphins did during the combine.

The 2024 NFL Scouting Combine is taking place this week with players from colleges around the country displaying their strengths and weaknesses on the field and in the meeting rooms for teams to see.

In less than two months, all 32 teams, including the Miami Dolphins, will add young talent to their rosters in this year’s draft with many decision-makers taking a lot of information from the combine.

Before the event finishes, let’s look at how some of Miami’s current stars performed when they took part in the past.