NFL Scouting Combine Winners, Studs, and Flat Out Animals

The NFL Scouting Combine has been one of my favorite offseason spectacles ever since I can remember. Specifically, the 2011 NFL Combine featuring Cam Newton, Julio Jones, Patrick Peterson, and Von Miller was the first one where I was mesmerized by the scouting process each team goes through to evaluate the talent that might fit their team. It isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but the interviews, on-field workouts, and athletic screening offer insights into the capabilities players can translate to game time. The 2024 NFL Scouting Combine showcased extremely talented participants (those who didn’t opt out) and gave them an avenue to prove why they should be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. I was engrossed in watching the wide receivers (due to the obvious lack of WR talent on the Panthers), so I will show some WR bias as the article progresses. We are going to dive into the best combine moments and look at the numbers to determine some players who boosted their stock or proved themselves worthy of high draft picks. 

JJ McCarthy

A national championship quarterback and now a combine winner. McCarthy proved a lot of haters wrong this weekend. He looked poised, ready, and able to make every throw and help lead an NFL roster. The 6’2 ½ champ made almost every throw and appeared to have one of the biggest arms in the field (aside from Joe Milton). McCarthy had a couple miscues, but I don’t think that his value comes from being a Mahomes type player. He is an elite manager of the offense and knows when he needs to make plays and when he needs to let others make plays. For a Quarterback, it is imperative to know when you need to take over and when you must get the most out of your skill players. As McCarthy showed at Michigan, he is able to do that to an elite level. After his combine performance, my guess is NFL general managers are looking at him with intent and curiosity. 

Xavier Worthy

Worthy boosted his value in one simple way on Saturday, speed. The Texas standout ran a 4.21 second 40-yard dash, breaking former Washington star John Ross’ 4.22 in 2017. Now, there is an unnecessary infatuation with the 40-yard dash, however a player of Worthy’s caliber breaking the combine record is simply an added bonus to his already stellar skill set. In addition to his 4.21 40, Worthy leaped for a 41 inch vertical jump and a 10 foot 11 inch broad jump. Freak numbers all around. It is safe to say that Worthy’s performance has locked him in as a late first round pick to early second round pick.

Braden Fiske

The FSU product had a great day at the combine last week. He showed that with his 4.78 speed at 6’4 292 pounds, he can be a great interior pass rusher if he can shed blocks consistently. After his 40 time, he was mic’d up saying “Oh yeah” which is promising for a couple reasons (I’m really reading into this). It means that he knows what he can do and he can feel when he does it. This tells me he has a high motor and expects himself to perform every rep. Secondly, it tells me he has some personality. Tell me the last defensive tackle who has a large personality who wasn’t a solid NFL player (I’m sure there are some but you know what I mean). I love his athleticism and I love his motor. As a defensive tackle those are key attributes to have in a front 4 rotation.  

Keon Coleman

Coleman, like Worthy, is a part of the second tier of receivers in the NFL draft this year. The 6’3 213 pound FSU star ran the slowest 40 time of the receivers this year at 4.61 seconds. However, he looked fearless, confident and smooth during the on-field workout portion of the testing. Coleman ran the fastest in the gauntlet drill, displaying confidence in his ability to catch passes while at full speed. According to the NFL network broadcast his average speed during the workouts was the highest. Coleman’s stock might not shoot up or down, but in my opinion he showed that there is a difference between football speed and speed alone. 

Adonai Mitchell

Mitchell, the other Texas standout also had an incredible day showcasing his athleticism, and routerunning. The 6’2 205 pounder ran a strikingly quick 4.34 40 yard dash, faster than both Julio Jones and AJ Brown (similar statured All-Pro’s). His 39.5 inch vertical and 11 foot 4 inch broad jump also proved to be some of the top scores in the class and make for a pass catching threat in the future. Mitchell also looked smooth on the field and that he could make any catch on the field- not too dissimilar to the aforementioned Julio Jones. Mitchell is my favorite WR that the Panthers could take simply because of his athleticism and playmaking. But can you imagine if the Chiefs took him at 32 and paired him with Patrick Mahomes? Would be the worst case scenario for the rest of the league. 

Payton Wilson

Wilson has me hooked for 1 reason… he models his game and preparation off of Luke Keuchly. If that doesn’t tell you he’ll be a good player than I don’t know what will. All bias aside, Wilson looked strong, fast and smart. Three of four main attributes that a linebacker needs to have. The fourth is aggression, and if you watch his film you will see it on full display. He ran an official 4.43 second 40 yard dash and leaped 9 feet 11 inches in the broad jump. He also ran an impressive 1.54 second 10 yard split, meaning he is explosive off the ball and at the point of acceleration. I am excited to see where Wilson goes and how he performs at the next level. 

In conclusion, for a year where some of the top players decided to not participate (lame) the combine showcased some of the games future stars. I believe that there will be many studs from this years draft class and I think they will shine right away given the right opportunity. I’ll end with a litte personal preference and excitement for the Panthers. I hope we draft a Wide receiver with the 33rd pick and I hope it’s either, Adonai Mitchell, Xavier Worthy, Ladd McConkey, Troy Franklin, or Keon Coleman. All of those guys have the potential to be Bryce Young’s go to guy for years to come and it gets me pumped to watch them perform at a high level on tape and during the combine. Here’s to another NFL offseason – next step NFL free agency.