I find the NFL Scouting Combine to be a test of expectations. Fast players should look fast. Slow players should look slow. When the results don’t match the expectations, that is when more work must be done. 

Below you’ll find my expectations for this position group this week in Indianapolis. Who do I expect to stand out? Who does this week mean the most for? What are the drills I prioritize most? Here are my thoughts on all of that and more!

Full Scouting Reports on all of these players can be found in the DieHard Draft Guide!

Workout Warriors

These are the players I expect to perform best in the athletic testing portion of the workout.

Monroe Freeling (Georgia)

Just a one-year starter at left tackle for the Bulldogs, Freeling is an explosive athlete. There’s very little wasted movement from him on the run. He’s got light feet in pass protection, especially for a guy listed at 6-foot-7, 315 pounds. There are impressive flashes of lower body flexibility to sink his hips into and through contact for a guy that tall as well. I think he’s one of the best natural athletes in this class. 

Max Iheanachor (Arizona State)

One of the reasons why I was bullish on Iheanachor going back to my summer film study was because of his physical traits. Despite a short resume in terms of playing experience, there just are not many guys that are just under 6-foot-6, 325 pounds that move the way he does. The film is (understandably) a bit volatile, as he didn’t start playing football until junior college in 2021, but he had a good week at the Senior Bowl and that positive momentum is only going to snowball here at this event. He’s built for this.

Caleb Lomu (Utah)

Listed by the Utes at 6-foot-6, 304 pounds, Lomu is a two-year starter at left tackle and, like Iheanachor, he’s a great athlete. He’s explosive. He’s light on his feet and can run the hoop with ease. He’s flexible in his lower half (which is important), giving him the ability to recover and work himself out of trouble. He covers a ton of ground on the move. This is an event where he should really shine.

Logan Jones (Iowa)

I have a starting grade on Jones and view him as one of the more underrated offensive linemen in the class at this stage of the process. We’ll see if that buzz starts to build after this weekend, because on tape? He’s a standout athlete. His snap-to-block play speed is really impressive. His balance and ability to get his feet up and down in traffic are impressive, he should look outstanding in the field work and I expect him to be one of the top testers in attendance.

Vega Ioane (Penn State)

If you have any questions about how athletic the 6-foot-4, 330 pound guard is, check out some of the highlights from him that have gone viral the last two seasons. It’s not often you can say that about offensive linemen! Penn State often put Ioane into the slot or on the wing as a tight end, using him as a lead blocker coming across the formation and delivering a whooping on unsuspecting defenders. He’s flexible, twitchy, explosive and they weaponized his movement skills in that scheme. 

Chase Bisontis (Texas A&M)

Bisontis is put together, listed at 6-foot-6, 320 pounds; he has great size for a guard, but he’s not just some slug off the ball. He’s a good athlete. He’s always under control and never looks panicked. He’s got light feet for a big man (which should show up in these drills), redirects well and can mirror well against interior rushers. It’s rare to see him on the ground. His combination of quickness, balance, explosiveness and body control should all result in him being one of the best testers in this group.

Jalen Farmer (Kentucky)

I didn’t get a chance to study Farmer before the Senior Bowl, but he impressed me in person and I was excited to dive into the tape upon my return home. He’s a bit tight when he has to unlock his hips and open up as a puller, but in terms of just going from Point A to Point B? He’s explosive. That should show up in the form of impressive jumps and 10-yard split times. 

Jaeden Roberts (Alabama)

Like Farmer, Roberts is another explosive linear athlete. For a guy who is 335 pounds, you’ll need to keep the weight-adjusted context in mind, but this guy can move weight in a hurry. He’s body beautiful at just under 6-foot-5 with over 33.5-inch arms. Inconsistency has plagued him, and he’s gotten dinged up with injuries here and there, but the physical tools are undeniable.

Aamil Wagner (Notre Dame)

Seeing Wagner up close at the Shrine Bowl, you can see he just LOOKS like an athlete. Watching him on film beforehand only confirmed it. I think he’ll test well here. He’s got pretty good feet and has some really good flashes on the move against smaller defenders. I don’t think he’s elite like some of the other guys on this list, but when you get to day three, I think he’s an intriguing developmental project because of his tools.

The Drill To Watch

I am a big proponent of studying the position work at this event. That is my focus when I’m inside Lucas Oil Stadium – not the athletic tests! Here’s the drill I weigh the heaviest and who I expect to shine when it’s that time of the night.

Coaches are looking to put stress on these big-bodied blockers, and one of the best ways to do that is to get them on the move. One of the best drills to accomplish that is the ‘Wave’ drill, which is done not only with the offensive linemen, but with the defensive linemen as well. Players will start laying on their stomachs before popping up and taking direction from a coach on moving forward, backward, left or right as quickly as possible before finishing through the goal line in a sprint. Some things to watch during these drills:

• Players will try to get away with guessing when the coach is about to give the next direction, so expect to see the coach yell at a couple of the first prospects in line to not guess and to wait on their commands. 
• This drill is great at pointing out players with great reaction quickness and twitch. How fast do the players respond and is there any wasted movement when they change direction? Then look for a strong, urgent finish to close out the rep! 

Here are the players who have a chance to shine in these drills.

Caleb Tiernan (Northwestern)

A 4-year starter at tackle (he’s played both sides), Tiernan is a really efficient athlete out of his stance with explosive bursts that show up on tape. I think he tests a bit better than people think, but I also expect him to look pretty good in the field work as well. He’s got light feet and can run the arc. He looks good out in space. On drills like these I think he’ll do well.

Drew Shelton (Penn State)

Shelton is a bit scheme-specific because he’s a smaller tackle, but his athleticism and ease of movement stood out to me whenever watching him on tape. He’s very calm and collected. He’s got great feet with range to reach the corner. In a drill like this I think his lateral quickness and change of direction will shine. 

Sam Hecht (Kansas State)

Hecht is a lighter center (he came in under 300 pounds at the Senior Bowl), so he *should* look good in these kinds of drills. That said, he surpassed my expectations when I saw him in person in Mobile, enough to ascertain that I need to make more passes through his tape. He’s got foot speed to cover ground in pass pro, and that should come to the forefront here on the turf at Lucas Oil.

Parker Brailsford (Alabama)

Like Hecht, Brailsford is a smaller center and makes his hay with his fluid athleticism and athletic profile. He’s explosive off the ball and gets into blockers fast. He’s got light feet and smooth hips in transition. Drills like this one should let him show that off. 

Trust The Tape

These are the players I don’t expect to test off the charts athletically, but don’t panic! The tape shows a prospect who is a better football player than he is an athlete. With that in mind, don’t drop him down the board with a subpar workout!

Spencer Fano (Utah)

Fano is currently my top tackle, but it’s one big cluster between him, Mauigoa, Proctor and Freeling. All four have very similar grades for me. It’s important to get the real measurements on him (he’s listed at 6-foot-6, 302 pounds), because what the school has provided is small for a tackle. Does he come in at that size? How does he test at that size? I think what is important here is that he (along with these other guys) check the necessary boxes. As long as he isn’t a huge negative outlier from an arm length or athleticism standpoint, I don’t think anything earth shattering should happen to his stock. That said, because the margins are so slim in this group, they will get nitpicked. 

Francis Mauigoa (Miami)

Many analysts think Mauigoa HAS to move to guard to play his best football, and I don’t believe that to be the case. Like Fano, we’ll get his real measurements this week (he’s listed 6-foot-6, 315 pounds by the Hurricanes), but I think he will test better than people think in Indy and I think he’ll check the box in terms of arm length. Like Fano, as long as there are no cratering test scores along with that, he should be in good shape and projects as one of the Top 12 picks of this class. 

Dametrious Crownover (Texas A&M)

Crownover’s tape is not the smoothest, but he’s tall (nearly 6-foot-7), long (nearly 36-inch arms) and both strong and powerful. I think he’ll test better than most guys his size do at this event, but even if he falls short of those expectations this is a guy whose game is built more on strength and nastiness than it is on being fleet of foot. I’m not sliding him down the board this week. 

Markel Bell (Miami)

The same goes for Bell. He’s a one-year starter at left tackle but this guy is a behemoth. Standing nearly 6-foot-9 and 358 pounds, Bell is not an explosive athlete, but he’s fluid and he’s smooth. He may run a 5.45 in the 40-yard dash … I honestly couldn’t care less. 

Keylan Rutledge (Georgia Tech)

Rutledge is a pure guard and his game is predicated on being the biggest bully on the block. He’s a physical player who will scrap and spar as soon as possible and is always looking to finish the rep. He flashes explosive traits but I don’t think he’s going to test like a freaky athlete this week. If he does, that will be awesome for his stock, but I don’t think it’s a requirement. 

Most To Prove

Some players make this trip with a big question (or three!) at this stage of the process. How well does he run? Will he pass the medical check? What is he like off the field in the interview room? These are the prospects with the most notable question marks on their resume at this stage of the process.

Kadyn Proctor (Alabama)

Proctor was listed by Alabama at 360 pounds, but he’s played much bigger than that throughout his career as he has faced struggles with his weight. He’ll have to talk through that with teams and discuss what his plan is for managing that in the future. But what does he weigh in this week and how does he test at that weight? He’s capable of putting up some insane numbers at his size, but I think everyone expects that. It’s how his meetings go with teams that will really determine his overall draft slot, in my opinion.

Emmanuel Pregnon (Oregon)

With Ioane and Bisontis both coming in with the ‘Workout Warrior’ label and Rutledge being a guy who could shock, I think it’ll be up to Pregnon to see if he can pull his weight (literally) in athletic testing. On tape, I’m not sure I saw even an average athlete by NFL standards, but if he can climb closer to that tier then I think his stock won’t / shouldn’t take a hit. If he’s well below that? Then he could potentially drop a bit further than he should based off his film.

Connor Lew (Auburn)

Lew was in my Top 50 coming into the season, and the athletic junior is still there despite tearing his ACL back in October. What does the knee look like and what’s his road to recovery? How soon will he get back on the field? The feedback from his medical exam will be big for his stock. Had he been healthy, he would have been a Workout Warrior here in Indy.

The Rest Of The Pack

Everyone else who will take part in the events in Indianapolis (in alphabetical order).

Chris Adams (Memphis), Austin Barber (Florida), Evan Beernsten (Northwestern), Jude Bowry (Boston College), Joshua Braun (Kentucky), Travis Burke (Memphis), Jager Burton (Kentucky), DJ Campbell (Texas), Fernando Carmona (Arkansas), Kage Casey (Boise State), Pat Coogan (Indiana), Anez Cooper (Miami), Enrique Cruz (Kansas), JC Davis (Illinois), Garrett DiGiorgio (UCLA), Gennings Dunker (Iowa), Fa’alili Fa’amoe (Wake Forest), Matt Gulbin (Michigan State), Alex Harkey (Oregon), Alan Herron (Maryland), Blake Miller (Clemson), Micah Morris (Georgia), Febechi Nwaiwu (Oklahoma), Brian Parker (Duke), Diego Pounds (Ole Miss), Ar’maj Reed-Adams (Texas A&M), Billy Schrauth (Notre Dame), Jake Slaughter (Florida), Beau Stephens (Iowa), Logan Taylor (Boston College), Keagen Trost (Missouri), Dillon Wade (Auburn), Carver Willis (Washington), Isaiah World (Oregon), Jeremiah Wright (Auburn), Trey Zuhn (Texas A&M)

Mr. Average

We get to read all about the measurements for all these players over the next few weeks…but wouldn’t it be nice to have some context? What is considered a ‘good’ 40-yard dash time for this position? What about arm length? The broad jump? Here’s what the average player drafted at each position has looked like over the last decade (by my records).

TACKLE/GUARDS:

Height: 6053 (6’5 3/8’’’)

Weight: 312

Hand Size: 1000 (10’’)

Arm Length: 3400 (34’’)

Wingspan: 8168 (81 3/4’’)

40-Time: 5.15

10-Yard Split: 1.77

3-Cone Drill: 7.77

Short Shuttle: 4.72

Broad Jump: 108’’

Vertical Jump: 29.0’’

GUARD/CENTERS:

Height: 6037 (6’3 7/8’’’)

Weight: 308

Hand Size: 1000 (10’’)

Arm Length: 3268 (32 3/4’’)

Wingspan: 7918 (79 1/8’’)

40-Time: 5.15

10-Yard Split: 1.77

3-Cone Drill: 7.69

Short Shuttle: 4.69

Broad Jump: 107’’

Vertical Jump: 29.0’’