Tag: NFL Scouting Combine

The Real Forno Show: Combine standouts from DBs and TEs

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?
  • Injuries to top prospects mar testing.
  • Cam Hart and Khyree Jackson run really well for their size
  • 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 the Vikings 1st & SKOL YouTube channel.

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JJ McCarthy on playing for hometown Bears: ‘It’s been one of my dreams’

JJ McCarthy has dreamed of playing for his hometown Bears – or against them.

The Chicago Bears have an important decision to make at quarterback this offseason where choosing between keeping Justin Fields or drafting Caleb Williams with the first overall pick will define general manager Ryan Poles’ tenure.

This is a deep quarterback class, where some even believe four quarterbacks could go in the top 13. While Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels headline the group, there could be some wild cards in the mix.

That includes Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy, who welcomed the idea of playing for his hometown Bears.

“It’s been one of my dreams,” he said at the NFL Scouting Combine, “whether that’s playing for the Bears or against them.”

McCarthy, who confirmed he met with the Bears at the combine, grew up in LaGrange Park, Ill. He acknowledged that it would be special to play at Soldier Field, where he grew up going to games, whether it was as a Bear or an opposing player. That makes sense for any kid coming from the Chicagoland area.

But it’s unlikely that the Bears select him. Chicago will likely choose between the big three in Williams, Maye or Daniels. But there will be quarterback-needy teams who could turn to McCarthy in the first round. Chicago will likely choose between the big three in Williams, Maye or Daniels.

McCarthy has proven that he can win on the big stage. He led Michigan to a National Championship this season, but the NFL is an entirely different animal. He’s going to have to prove that he can be an impactful player. And some team will take a chance on him. Just probably not the Bears.

Steelers met with Iowa DB Cooper DeJean at NFL Scouting Combine

Cooper DeJean is one of the most versatile defensive players in the 2024 NFL draft.

There was a time during the 2023 college football season when Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean was the biggest name in the country in terms of DBs. A freakish blend of athletics and football acumen, DeJean has all the tools to be an All-Pro at either cornerback or safety and was also the best return man in college football. This made his a fascinating prospect for the 2024 NFL draft.

But a broken leg in November ended his season and took his name out of the mouths of pundits. Now the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine is going strong and while DeJean is in Indianapolis, his recovery from the broken leg continues, delaying any workouts until April.

It was refreshing to see the Pittsburgh Steelers had a formal meeting with Dejean at the combine and see him as a potential first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft. The Steelers have a significant need at both cornerback and safety so getting a player like DeJean might be a perfect fit, assuming he’s healthy.

DeJean is one of several top cornerbacks the Steelers met with at the combine, indicating they definitely view getting a player to start opposite Joey Porter Jr. as a top priority.

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NFL Draft analyst explains why Georgia TE Brock Bowers is a good fit for Jets

ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper pinned former Georgia TE Brock Bowers to the Jets in his latest mock draft.

Brock Bowers is expected to be one of the most highly sought-after prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft, pinned as an early first-round pick. And it doesn’t take long into the film-watching to see how he could bring a significant boost to practically any NFL offense.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper sees that particular offense as being the one owned by the New York Jets.

Kiper sent Bowers to the Big Apple with the 10th overall pick in his latest mock draft.

“Love Brock Bowers. I think he’d be great with Aaron Rodgers,” Kiper said. Obviously, they need somebody to help out Garrett Wilson. You say, well, they have to take an offensive lineman.”

Some believe the Jets should address the offensive line with their first selection — which they could very well do — but the pairing of Rodgers and a versatile Bowers could bring instant electricity to the Jets on that side of the ball.

“Think about it: Aaron Rodgers is returning, they have a void at the position and they might jump at the opportunity to add a pass-catching tight end with rare run-after-the-catch ability. That’s a natural fit,” Kiper wrote. “And yes, New York has a bigger hole at offensive tackle, but what if it doesn’t totally love its options here?”

There’s a lot to like about Bowers’ game between the multiple ways he can be utilized, his abilities as a blocker and his pure impact as a steady playmaker.

He finished out the 2023 season with 56 receptions for 714 yards with 6 receiving touchdowns and 1 rushing score over 10 games. Over 40 total games at Georgia, he reeled in 175 passes for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns.

Expect to see Bowers come off the board sooner rather than later on April 25, whether that’s with the Jets or in another landing spot.

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PHOTO GALLERY: Alabama defensive players take over the NFL Combine

Former Alabama football players take over the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. Check out the top images from their performances.

A handful of defensive Alabama football players have had the opportunity to showcase their size, strengths, talents and personalities at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.

In Indianapolis, representatives from all 32 NFL teams get to meet with, watch, and take notes on some of college football’s biggest stars ahead of the upcoming draft.

Alabama is always well-represented at the combine, and this year isn’t any different. While players met with media members and took to the field to put their skills on display, fans and analysts got to watch them.

In case you missed out on seeing it live, or if you just want to relive it, check out the top images from Alabama’s defensive players at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Steelers meet with speedy CB Nate Wiggins at NFL Scouting Combine

The Steelers met with Nate Wiggins prior to his impressive 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been busy scouting and meeting with all the top cornerbacks at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. One cornerback they had a formal meeting with of particular interest is former Clemson speedster Nate Wiggins.

Wiggins film is strong and he is definitely in the mix to be one of the first cornerbacks off the board in the 2024 NFL draft. Wiggins’ calling card is his speed and he backed that up with he ran an unofficial 4.29-second 40-yard dash on Friday. Unfortunately, Wiggins combine ended at that point as he suffered a groin injury on the run.

Pittsburgh doesn’t seem to have a type when it comes to potential rookie cornerbacks. The Steelers have a serious need for a starting cornerback opposite Joey Porter Jr. and could be in the market for a quality slot cornerback as well. Wiggins projects as a boundary corner with his speed despite a slight frame.

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Minneapolis among candidates for a potential move of NFL Scouting Combine

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.

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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.

Caleb Williams details his meeting with the Bears

Caleb Williams met with the Bears brass on Wednesday at the combine and he’s sharing what went down when he talked with them.

The Chicago Bears were only able to spend around 15-20 minutes with prospects at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, so there’s not much time to dive deep into what makes them tick, their characteristics, or how they will fit into a team’s offense or defense. But in Caleb Williams’ case, the Bears made sure to use their meeting time to work on recollection and see how he did memorizing NFL plays.

Williams spoke with NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero about his experience at the combine and what it would mean to him to be picked first overall. The conversation then turned to his time with the Bears brass, who currently hold the No. 1 overall pick. Williams was pleased with their conversation and peeled back the curtain on what they did. “It was good, everybody was cool…it was really nice,” Williams said. “They were mainly testing me on my mentals and seeing how I would handle things and putting up a play on the board and 10 minutes later, 15 minutes later, asking me to recall it, things like that.”

Hearing Poles and the Bears front office quiz Williams during their brief time together isn’t surprising. The general manager did a similar test with last year’s first-round pick, Darnell Wright, and lauded the tackle’s mental recall ability. Quarterback is arguably the hardest position to play in sports. The ability to memorize and have quick mental recall is imperative when playing the position at the highest levels. Williams didn’t reveal how he did with the quiz, but the fact that he said things went well during the meeting should be viewed as a positive.

The former Heisman Trophy winner has been the talk of the combine and left a positive impression on Friday, even after he declined to partake in the medical exams. The Bears are doing their homework on him and could be closer to making a decision about whether to draft Williams, someone else, or stick with Justin Fields.

Rome Odunze says playing with Caleb Williams would be ‘something special’

Rome Odunze loves the idea of being paired with Caleb Williams in Chicago.

The Chicago Bears could very well have a lot of good options with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

They could pass rusher, offensive lineman or wide receiver if one of the big three falls to them there. One of those elite wideouts is Washington’s Rome Odunze, who touched on the potential of playing for the Bears.

At the NFL Scouting Combine, Odunze was asked about potentially playing with Caleb Williams in the pros. The Bears are expected to select the USC star QB with the first overall pick. That means that Odunze would be catching his passes if they were both drafted by Chicago.

“I got to see Caleb first hand,” Odunze said. “I got to see his talents and abilities.”

Odunze went on to say that being paired with Williams would be “something special.”

It is good to know that he would enjoy playing with Williams. There needs to be chemistry if things are going to work. With guys like DJ Moore and Cole Kmet already in the mix, the Bears could have a breakout offense.

Odunze is right there with Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. and LSU’s Malik Nabers at the top of the receiver class. As confident as Odunze is in Williams, he is in himself. Odunze believes that he is the best receiver in the class despite being the third-ranked one on most people’s boards.

“Me… I’ve shown the skills that can transfer to the NFL,” he said, via Matt Zahn.

If the Bears decide to draft both of these guys, they can only hope that the confidence spills onto the football field. Williams playing well would impact the career of Odunze if they were paired together. If he is as good of a wide receiver as he claims, that could be a lethal combo for years to come.