Tag: NFL Scouting Combine

Tyler Nubin says it would be a ‘dream’ to play for hometown Bears

The Bears are in the market for a new safety. Could hometown product Tyler Nubin be a fit?

The Chicago Bears are looking to make their team better ahead of the 2024 season. They went 7-10 in 2023, which was a great improvement over the 3-14 season that they had in 2022. If Chicago has a good draft and is smart in free agency, they should be in a position to compete for a playoff spot in 2024.

One player who has noticed what they are building is Minnesota safety Tyler Nubin. He’s a safety who should be drafted within the first couple of rounds of the 2024 NFL draft. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Nubin talked about potentially being a Chicago Bear.

Nubin, a self-described “Chicago boy,” would love to play for his hometown team. Out of all the teams he interviewed with, he said that the Bears stuck out for him. Being from St. Charles, Ill., he loved this team growing up and would enjoy the chance to play for them.

If being a Bear is his “dream,” they should consider it if he is available at a time when they are on the clock. After all, we know how general manager Ryan Poles loves local products and Chicago has a pressing need at safety following Eddie Jackson’s release.

Nubin also fits what they’re doing with Matt Eberflus’ defense so it makes sense from a tactical standpoint. It might be something to consider from that perspective.

The fact that players want to play for the Bears these days is refreshing. Hopefully, that trend continues through the draft and with future free agents.

Kevin O’Connell believes he is the fastest among NFL head coaches

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.

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QB Jayden Daniels comments on possibility of being drafted by Patriots

Jayden Daniels clearly likes the idea of playing in New England

Jayden Daniels has been the most mocked quarterback to the New England Patriots in the 2024 NFL draft. So he was clearly going to be asked to share his thoughts on the team when speaking with the media at the NFL Scouting Combine on Friday morning.

Daniels is one of the top-three projected quarterbacks in the draft. Most have predicted Caleb Williams and Drake Maye will be taken ahead of him, but there’s always the possibility of a shake-up happening on draft night.

After suffering through another year of Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe under center, the Patriots should consider themselves fortunate to own the No. 3 overall pick, regardless of how the draft board falls.

“Yeah, it would be dope,” Daniels said, when asked about playing in New England. “Obviously, growing up and seeing what Tom Brady did there, six Super Bowls, that’s tough to live up to, but it would be dope to come in there and see the success they had and help them get back on that track.”

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky recently expressed his belief that Daniels is the best quarterback prospect in this year’s draft.

Orlovsky is a former NFL quarterback with a strong eye for talent at the position, and he believes the Heisman Trophy winner should be the first name taken off the draft board.

If Daniels falls and the Patriots end up taking him at No. 3—and assuming Orlovsky’s assumptions are right on the money—there’s a possibility they come away with the steal of the draft. There are a lot of what-ifs for a draft that should be full of twists and turns.

And New England will be at the center of it all.

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Caleb Williams reveals what he wants to still learn about Bears

What does Caleb Williams want to learn about the Bears this pre-draft process? His answer was simple and to the point.

The Chicago Bears are considering selecting USC star quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. That could be a career-defining decision by general manager Ryan Poles and his staff. If it works, he could be in that GM chair for a very long time.

If Williams came to Chicago and performed well, he’d be a legend for the rest of his life (something he aspires to be). This organization is starving for a winner and will embrace anyone who gives them what they need at the quarterback position.

Williams is the type of person who wants to know that he is going to a good situation where he’s drafted. Some people might not like that, but we’ve seen so many quarterbacks drafted high to teams that don’t give them what they need. The Bears are included on that list.

As the pre-draft process continues with pro days and Top 30 visits, Williams said there was one thing he still wants to learn about the Bears: “Do you want to win?”

It is fair for someone on the outside to wonder if the team wants to win. They haven’t done much of it in the last two decades. We can only hope that they can show they want to win through their steady improvement since Poles took over. Williams also has to know that he would be the X-factor on Chicago getting over the hump.

“I don’t play for fame. I don’t play for money. I don’t play for jewels and stuff like that,” Williams said, via Chris Emma. “It’s to go out there and win as many games as possible.”

Browns meet with standout defensive tackle Braden Fiske at NFL Combine

Cleveland has their eye on the talented defensive tackle

The list of players the Cleveland Browns will meet with at the NFL Scouting Combine is long, and Florida State defensive tackle Braden Fiske has made the list.

NFL Combine workouts are underway with all 32 teams in Indianapolis meeting with and watching prospects as a part of the pre-draft process. The Cleveland Browns need a defensive tackle and though they may re-sign some guys from 2023 they need more long-term options at the position.

According to reports ,the team has met with standout Braden Fiske from Flordia State who crushed his athletic testing on Thursday. Fiske scored a 9.97 (out of 10) on the relative athletic score showing how athletic and explosive he is.

At 6-foot-4 and 292 pounds he ran a ridiculous 4.78 40-yard dash time to go with 33.5 inch vertical and 4.37 second shuttle all of which are elite numbers. He is an older prospect at 24, so the Browns might not pull the trigger on him, but it is hard to argue he isn’t a great prospect.

The testing shows up on the tape to when you watch Fiske you see a relentless player that makes a massive impact as both a pass rusher and a run defender.

Fiske was the best player on the field while he was in the MAC at Western Michigan and when he transferred to Florida State and better competition he continued to play at an elite level, the Browns would have to use their top pick if they want him but he is well worth it.

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Brock Bowers would love to play with Caleb Williams in Chicago

Brock Bowers welcomed the idea of being drafted by the Bears along with presumptive No. 1 pick Caleb Williams.

The Chicago Bears are sitting in a prime position ahead of the 2024 NFL draft armed with a pair of first-round picks inside the top 10.

While there’s little surprise with what Chicago will do at first overall (draft a quarterback, most likely Caleb Williams), there’s some mystery as to which position they’ll address with their ninth overall selection.

Some of the draft’s top wide receivers and edge rushers could be available at that spot. But perhaps the wild card in all of this is Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, who was one of college football’s most dangerous weapons.

Bowers welcomed the idea of being drafted by the Bears along with presumptive No. 1 pick Caleb Williams.

“Oh, I mean it would be pretty sweet,” Bowers said at the NFL Scouting Combine Thursday, via NBC Sports Chicago. “You saw what he did at USC, and hopefully, it translates well to the next level. Yeah, it would be pretty awesome to play with another top rookie like that.”

Bowers would join veteran Cole Kmet in Chicago’s tight end room, giving new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron a dynamic 1-2 punch at tight end that would make things difficult on opposing defenses.

“I remember watching Cole [at Notre Dame],” Bowers said. “He does a great job in all aspects of the game. It would be exciting [to play with him].”

J.J. McCarthy will be somewhat limited at NFL scouting combine

Ugh! Would have been great if he would’ve been a full go! #GoBlue

Though it appeared that Michigan football quarterback J.J. McCarthy would be fully participating in the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis this weekend, he won’t be able to do quite everything — though it’s not of his volition.

While McCarthy plans to throw, one of the hopes was that he could show off his elite speed by running the 40-yard dash — somewhere he could excel compared to some of the other top-tier quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL draft. However, he told reporters in Indy that he unfortunately won’t be able to run or do the vertical jump on Saturday due to a tweaked hamstring.

Still, it’s a good thing for McCarthy that he’ll be able to throw. And it turns out he’s been getting some practice doing just that.

On Thursday, an eagle-eyed reporter who covers the San Francisco 49ers found McCarthy throwing to former Michigan running back Blake Corum in the convention center — somewhat of an unusual practice but one that certainly garnered some attention.

Joe Milton still wears a Block M on his sleeve

What a class act! #GoBlue

Though just about no one will discuss former Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton’s previous school affiliation as he prepares for the NFL draft and participates in the NFL scouting combine, the Orlando, Florida, native hasn’t forgotten where he came from.

And we’re not referring to the Sunshine State.

Milton’s intercollegiate career started in Ann Arbor. Though he had something of a rough go of it, becoming the Michigan football starting quarterback during the COVID-19 season (2020), he’ll always relish his time with the Wolverines, so much so that he was rooting for the maize and blue in their national championship run in 2023.

Appearing at the NFL scouting combine, Milton shared his thoughts on the Wolverines’ run, and as he notes, he did graduate from the University of Michigan.

Milton moved to Knoxville in 2021 and while he got the first nod at starting quarterback at the outset of that season, Hendon Hooker ultimately took the job and ran with it. Milton got his opportunity to regain the starting job after Hooker was injured during the 2022 season. He put on a show in the Capital One Orange Bowl that year and started all of 2023.

While it may not have worked out for Milton and the maize and blue together, it appears it may have actually worked out for all parties involved. Michigan earned its national championship with J.J. McCarthy, and Milton earned his degree and ended up starting for a high-level SEC program.

Star Washington WR says Mike Sainristil toughest player he faced in college

Gonna miss him so much! #GoBlue

The national championship game was supposed to feature the nation’s best pass offense flying high with wide receivers even the best pass defense couldn’t cover. But it didn’t work out like that.

The defense for Michigan football dominated, due to the defensive front generating enough pressure and stout coverage by the defensive backs across the board. Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan weren’t fully neutralized, but pretty close.

One big reason was team captain and nickel back Mike Sainristil, who frustrated McMillan all day. And it’s a night he’ll never forget — in the worst way.

Appearing at the NFL scouting combine on Friday, McMillan was asked who was the toughest player he went up against at the college level and he stated Sainristil. According to Nolan Bianchi:

“He was pissing me off — he was calling out formations, routes,” McMillan said.

While somewhat diminutive in stature, Sainristil is incredibly instinctive and a willing tackler — and it went beyond the national championship game. His highlights after converting from wide receiver feature mostly timely, incredible plays — from his pass breakup against tight end Cade Stover in the end zone, to his truck stick hit against TreVeyon Henderson the following year, he played huge against Ohio State. He made two timely interceptions against Maryland in Week 12 in 2023, but in the national championship game, he came even more alive.

Here is one instance where Washington had a creative play design to get McMillan the ball but Sainristil sniffed it out.

And while this is an overthrow, who can forget the game-sealing interception. And who was Penix targeting? McMillan.

Yes, it was an overthrow, but Sainristil was in the right spot at the right time and it led to the Wolverines hosting the national championship trophy less than an hour later.

 

He also made a clutch open-field tackle on third down, against — you guessed it — McMillan. The Huskies’ wideout attempted to shake him, but Sainrstil wrapped him up and got him on the ground.

Though not expected to be a high-end NFL draft pick due to his measurables, there are some analysts out there who believe Sainristil has the tools that could make him a first-round pick.

Caleb Williams on lack of great Bears QBs: ‘I like to create and rewrite history’

Caleb Williams isn’t concerned about the Bears’ brutal QB history. He’s looking to make history.

It’s no secret the Chicago Bears have a long, brutal history when it comes to quarterbacks. When your best quarterback played in the 1940s, that’s a problem.

For presumptive No. 1 pick — and potential future Bear — Caleb Williams, he’s not someone who compares himself to other players. But he’s also a fierce competitor who cares about winning above all else.

During his Friday press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine, Williams was asked about Chicago’s lack of great quarterbacks. And he had the perfect response.

“I’m my own player,” Williams said, via Chris Emma. “I tend to like to create history and rewrite history.”

The Bears have had 29 different starting quarterbacks since 2000, where Jay Cutler was the closest thing Chicago had to a franchise quarterback this century. While the hope as Justin Fields would finally break the quarterback curse, that wasn’t the case (and things are trending toward him being traded in the coming weeks).

If drafted, Williams would be the 30th different starting quarterback for the Bears, where he’d be tasked with what others before him have failed to do: Develop into a true franchise quarterback in one of the biggest sports markets.

In an ESPN interview earlier this week, Williams talked about studying Chicago greats Michael Jordan and Walter Payton, where he made it clear he doesn’t want to be just great; he wants to have a lasting impact on the game.

Williams described the opportunity to join an ascending Bears team as “exciting,” especially considering the pieces already in place for a team that just missed the playoffs last season. For Williams, he’s focused on success.

“I don’t play for fame. I don’t play for money. I don’t play for jewels and stuff like that,” Williams said, via Chris Emma. “It’s to go out there and win as many games as possible.”