LIVE BLOG: 2020 NFL Scouting Combine
The on-field portion of the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine begins on Thursday afternoon. Irish Breakdown will bring you the latest results, analysis and updates regarding all nine former Notre Dame players at the combine.
This thread will continue to be updated, so stay locked in and keep coming back to this thread. Also, leave any questions, comments or analysis you have in the comments section below.
Here is the schedule:
Thursday: Wide Receivers, Tight Ends and Quarterbacks
Friday: Offensive Line, Running Backs
Saturday: Defensive Line, Linebackers
Sunday: Safeties, Cornerbacks
SUNDAY UPDATES
7:02 PM - Pride had a 6.94 in the 3-cone drill, which was tied for 4th best among cornerbacks. His 4.26 in the 3-cone drill was 7th.
6:58 PM - Both Elliott and Gilman performed well in drills. Gilman got off to a slow start on his first rep, but he was clean and sharp the remainder of the day. You could see his instincts during drills and he showed good change of direction. Elliott was fluid and showed good change of direction during the drills.
The 40-time for Gilman was solid, although I'm sure he'll want to get into the 4.5 range at the Notre Dame Pro Day. There might not be a Notre Dame player with more on the line at the Pro Day than Elliott. All the good buzz he had with the Senior Bowl is going to be slowed down with a 4.8 in the 40-yard dash.
Elliott didn't show great explosive numbers either, jumping 34" in the vertical and 125" in the broad jump. His vertical jump was near the bottom of the safety board but his broad jump was 7th.
Where Elliott and Gilman did well was in the change of direction drills. Gilman had an impressive 6.81 and Elliott had a 6.87. Gilman's 4.08 in the pro shuttle (20-yard) was outstanding. Elliott's 4.30 was solid, but not ideal and not good enough to overcome the other times.
5:46 PM - Gilman's 40-time was made official at 4.60. Elliott's was 4.80, both times now official.
5:30 PM - Gilman's second attempt at the pedal/transition drill was much, much better. His footwork was far more efficient and his transitions were much cleaner. Elliott's second rep also looked good.
5:24 PM - Elliott's first back-pedal transition drill was relatively clean. His first turn was a bit tight but his next two were clean. Gilman struggled on his first rep in this drill. His turns weren't efficient and were slow, not a good rep.
5:06 PM - Elliott ran a 4.82 on his second run. That's two disastrous 40 times for him. Gilman runs a 4.68 on his second run. Rough day for the former Irish safeties in the 40-yard dash.
4.47 PM - Jalen Elliott ran a 4.81 in his first 40-yard dash. Alohi Gilman ran a 4.67. TI still hold that these times aren't accurate. Both ran much better times than that at Notre Dame.
4:19 PM - Pride went the wrong way to start the gauntlet drill and had to start over .... on the second attempt he aced it. Caught all the balls clean and stayed on a solid track down the line.
4:11 PM - Pride just lost another shoe in a drill. He was really good in the drill, but for whatever reason his shoe keeps coming off.
4:07 PM - Pride was very smooth and clean on the next drill that had him back pedal and then plant and drive laterally in the direction he was dictated to go. He didn't make the catch, which is a minus and overall today his ball skills haven't been great, which is something we see from him on film as well. But his movement in the on-field drills has been excellent outside of the one rep on the W Drill.
4:04 PM - Pride was choppy in the W Drill. He was leaning back a bit too much and allowed his plant foot to get too far back, which caused him to slip on his final plant. In fact, his shoe also came off.
3:51 PM - Pride has looked good in the on-field drills so far. He has stayed on path (instead of fading in the direction he turns), his pedal has been smooth and his hip turns have been clean. Combine that with a 4.40 and he's having a strong day.
The interesting thing is in my head I still look at it as an overly disappointing day, which is a bit unfair when you consider that it's one of the fastest times at the combine, but Pride is consistently faster than that at Notre Dame.
But take away expectations and so far this has been a strong day for Pride.
3:30 PM - Troy Pride's 40-time ranked 4th among corners. Javelin Guidry (Utah) ran a 4.29 and both CJ Henderson (Florida) and Javaris Davis (Auburn) ran a 4.39.
3:35 PM - Troy Pride's official time was changed to 4.40, so there was clearly something wrong with the timing mechanism on NFL Network. That's still not an ideal speed for Pride based on what he's done at Notre Dame, but 4.40 is moving really well.
2:53 PM - On his second attempt Pride ran a 4.46. Those are very good times, but not close to what was expected for Pride. Much slower than what he ran at Notre Dame. Pride ran low 4.3s consistently at Notre Dame, and the times I've always received from the sources at ND have translated to what we've seen at the combine.
2:28 PM - Troy Pride Jr. ran a 4.45 on his first attempt at the 40-yard dash. That's a surprising time for him. He looked to be running well, but both he and Jeffrey Okudah of Ohio State (4.48) ran slower times than expected.
SATURDAY UPDATES
The bench press for the defensive backs is today. Jalen Elliott, Alohi Gilman and Troy Pride area ll expected to participate.
6:13 PM - Cornerback Troy Pride Jr. did 18 reps on the bench.
4:56 PM - Safety Alohi Gilman did 17 reps on the bench.
4:55 PM - Safety Jalen Elliott did 15 reps on the bench.
FRIDAY UPDATES
10:04 PM - Jones did not test well in the 40-yard dash or the explosive drills, but I was impressed with what I saw from him during drills. Jones is quick and smooth. He got out of cuts clean and quickly, was sharp with his routes and snatched the ball out of the air in the pass game. His on-field work was much better than his testing.
8:23 PM - 4.69 for Jones Jr. on his second run. He was running well, smooth, just not fast.
7:55 PM - Jones Jr. had a 4.70 unofficial on his first 40-time.
7:47 PM - Tony Jones Jr. had a 32.5" vertical jump. That finished in the bottom half of RB's. Former Boston College RB AJ Dillon - who Autry Denson told was a linebacker - had a 41" vertical, tops among RB's. Also had the best broad jump at 131".
Jones also had a 119" broad jump, which also finished in the bottom half.
4:53 PM - Okwara's 27 reps on the bench tied for 5th among 19 edge players that performed in the bench. Making it even more impressive is that he also had the fourth longest arms and fourth longest reach.
The longer the arms the more strength that goes into doing a bench rep. That's an impressive performance for a guy whose strength has been questioned by some. He had more bench press reps than AJ Epenesa (17), Yetur Gross-Matos (20), James Lynch (23) and Bradley Anae (25).
To add to this, Okwara could only measure in, interview and bench based on his injury. The fact he measured in extremely well (very long, 252 pounds) and now impressed on the bench means this was a very productive combine for him.
3:56 PM - Julian Okwara did an impressive 27 reps on the bench!
Day Two (Friday, Feb. 8) is ready to go! Tony Jones Jr. will test on the field and Julian Okwara is set to bench.
THURSDAY UPDATES
9:06 PM - Some Group 2 WR 40-times
Henry Ruggs, Alabama - 4.28
Denzel Mims, Baylor - 4.40
Jerry Jeudy, Alabama - 4.46
Jalen Reagor, TCU - 4.47
CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma - 4.51
Michael Pittman, USC - 4.52
Donovan Peoples-Jones, Michigan - 4.56
Laviska Shenault, Colorado - 4.59
Austin Mack, Ohio State - 4.62
8:13 PM - Talked to a source that said Jones' back locked up during the bench press and he tried to power through but they grabbed the bar from him because he was having back spasms.
8:05 PM - Tony Jones Jr. did just 13 reps on the bench, which is very surprising. Will try and find out if he got hurt or something.
7:48 PM - Chris Finke had a 40" vertical. That's impressive!
7:43 PM - Claypool jumped 40.5" in the vertical and had a 126" broad jump. Tremendous night so far for him.
7:37 PM - According to NFL.com's official results Claypool's 40-time has improved to 4.42, which was third among WR's in the first group.
7:24 PM - Kmet had his first rough drill of the night at the combine. He had a 7.44 in the 3-cone drill, which was second lowest among the tight ends. That measures agility and change of direction.
Kmet also posted a 4.41 in the pro shuttle (20-yard), which was middle of the pact.
7:18 PM - Some other notable WR 40-times from the first group
Devin Duvernay, Texas - 4.40
Antonio Gibson, Memphis - 4.40
Chase Claypool, Notre Dame - 4.43
Justin Jefferson, LSU - 4.44
Tyrie Cleveland, Florida - 4.47
Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State - 4.50
Gabriel Davis, UCF - 4.54
Chris Finke, Notre Dame - 4.57
KJ Hill, Ohio State - 4.60
7:11 PM - Cole Kmet had a 123" broad jump, which was tied for second among all tight ends. His combination of 37" vertical and 123" broad jump was the best explosive testing numbers of any TE's.
7:08 PM - Something to consider when watching athletes run a 40-yard dash. It's not just about the time, it's about how it translates. If a guy is a high exertion runner his speed won't translate as well because you can't run like that on the football field because you can't control your speed.
That's what made Claypool's 40-time even better. If you watch it he was very smooth, it wasn't a high exertion run, which means it translates.
7:00 PM - Quick side note, but if Matt Balis and Clark Lea don't get huge pay raises this offseason then the people who make those decisions need to be considered as not being qualified to make those decisions moving forward. These two flat out need to be paid among the best in the nation at their jobs, especially Balis at this point.
6:55 PM - Cole Kmet had the best vertical jump among all the TE's with 37 inches. Vertical jump is a test of explosiveness. When you combine the 37" vertical with a 4.70 (I have sources who said some NFL teams had him in the 4.6s) and that answers any questions about his explosiveness.
6:47 PM - On Claypool - I get why some people view Claypool as a tight end, because they see a matchup advantage with him in the slot. But people are say he is a TE because lacked explosiveness are people whose opinions should be questioned, and rejected.
What people need to learn to do is be able to tell the difference between a guy lacking a physical trait or a technical trait. Claypool's issues, as I've pointed out time and time again, were technical issues, not physical issues.
Claypool has WR athleticism, of that I have no doubt, and he is showing that at the combine.
6:47 PM - Chris Finke ran a 4.57 and 4.62 (I believe) for his two times.
6:46 PM - Cole Kmet led all tight ends with a 37-inch vertical jump.
6:45 PM - Claypool's second 40-time was a 4.43. Unreal.
6:44 PM - Jim Nagy from the Senior Bowl had Chase Claypool at a 4.38!!!
6:30 PM - Chase Claypool just ran a 4.45 in the 40-yard dash. He just made himself serious money.
5:36 PM - On-field drills are over. Outside of a telegraphed corner route it was a strong session from Kmet. He was crisp, ran good routes and caught the ball clean. Combined with his outstanding 40-time and it's obvious he helped himself.
Up next for the tight ends are the agility and explosiveness tests.
5:26 PM - Kmet telegraphed his corner route a bit. Didn't fly off the ball and didn't burst out of his break either. You could hear a coach telling him to get going.
5:19 PM - Good curl route for Kmet. Pushed well vertically, sunk his hips at the top of his drop and was quick getting back inside to the quarterback. Clean catch and turn. Continues a strong combine performance for the former Irish standout.
5:15 PM - Solid in-cut for Cole Kmet during the routes period. Feet were a tad heavy, but he was quick getting into and out of his break and wasn't as choppy as Hunter Bryant. Caught the ball clean.
5:10 PM - Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel just pointed out that when Kmet was coming off the line on the gauntlet drill is was towards the ball. That's what I was referring to earlier, he didn't shy away from the ball. It was a strong observation from Vrabel because you want to see a pass catcher attacking the football, not drifting.
5:06 PM - Cole Kmet looked smooth going through the gauntlet drill. Seemlessly caught every ball, didn't shy away from the ball (as some do) and he didn't just catch and flip the ball. The ball wasn't popping when it hit his hands either, which is something I always look for. Loud hands is not what you want to hear.
4:54 PM - They are doing a lot of new drills at the combine this year. One is blockers are working on a one-man sled. Tight ends are going through that now.
4:43 PM - Kmet's time on NFL.com was improved to 4.65. If there are NFL teams that have Kmet in that range he's going to almost be a lock for the first round.
Remember, last year's No. 1 TE in the draft, TJ Hockenson, ran a 4.71 at 251 pounds. The same website that had him at 4.71 has Kmet at 4.65, at 262 pounds.
4:36 PM - Dayton's Adam Trautman ran a 4.80 on his second attempt. Kmet should distance himself a bit from Trautman with those 40 times.
4:32 PM - On Kmet - With two consistent 40-yard dash times around the 4.70 mark he certainly improved his draft stock. His times are as good or better than any tight end in consideration for the top spot, with the exception of Okwuegbunam.
But Kmet is much bigger than most of the TE's in the discussion, and the only TE that I've seen listed ahead of Kmet with equal size is Trautman, who ran a 4.79 on his first attempt.
Very good start to the on-field workouts for Kmet.
4:30 PM - Missouri TE Albert Okwuegbunam ran a 4.50 on his second attempt.
4:28 PM - On his second 40-yard dash Cole Kmet ran a 4.71 according to NFL Network. Two good times for Kmet.
4:25 PM - Washington TE Hunter Bryant ran a 4.77 on his second 40-time. Purdue's Brycen Hopkins ran a 4.75 on his second run.
4:21 PM - Another contender for TE1 is Adam Trautman from Dayton, who is similar to Kmet in size. He ran a 4.79 in his first attempt.
4:19 PM - On Kmet - If he can stay at the listed time or even improve it you can bet his stock is going to rise in the minds of many teams. Some have questioned his explosiveness, which I personally think is a bit misguided. Kmet can run for his size, and being in the 4.6 range is HUGE for him.
Remember, Tyler Eifert ran a 4.68. Kyle Rudolph ran a 4.78 at the Notre Dame Pro Day.
4:18 PM - LSU TE Stephen Sullivan ran a 4.66 at 248 pounds.
4:16 PM - Missouri TE Albert Okwuegbunam ran a listed 4.49 on the NFL Network, but NFL.com lists him at 4.59.
4:14 PM - NFL.com is listing Kmet's first 40-time at 4.67, which would be tremendous if it sticks.
4:12 PM - Cole Kmet's first 40-time was unofficially a 4.70, which is a strong time for Kmet. Kmet basically out-ran guys 15+ pounds lighter than him in the first round of 40-yard dash attempts.
4:11 PM - TE Brycen Hopkins of Purdue ran a 4.67 in his first attempt.
4:09 PM - Another TE in competition for TE1 is Hunter Bryant from Washington. He measured in at 6-2 1/8 and 248 pounds. He ran a 4.75, which is slower than expected.
4:08 PM - One of the tight ends in competition with Cole Kmet at tight end is Harrison Bryant from Florida Atlantic. He ran a 4.74 in his first attempt.
3:54 PM - A reminder that WR Chris Finke will participate in the 40-yard dash and vertical jump but that is likely it. Finke injured his hamstring at the East-West Shrine Bowl. He can jump and run in a straight line but the lateral moves and change of direction drills won't come until the Notre Dame Pro Day in March.
