Is Justin Madubuike Considered A First Round Prospect?
COLLEGE STATION — The NFL Combine will always have its winners and losers who could see their stock rise. Some players are considered early selections while others solidify their top status.
Then some players blow teams out the water, see their stock head into the clouds and become a first round selection.
Texas A&M's Justin Madubuike could be getting that upgrade to the reserved 32-man first-class cabin following his week in Indianapolis.
The near 300-pound defensive tackle was expected to be the highlight from A&M's seven-man draft class. He lived up to those expectations, both with his strength and speed in drills at Lucas Oil Stadium. Madubuike would finish in the top 10 of defensive lineman on the bench press (31 reps) and 3-cone drill (7.37) while being shy of the trifecta in the 40-yard dash (11th- 4.83).
But looking beyond the measures on the field, Madubuike would leave the home of Colts historically. When looking at his strengths from a statistical standpoint, once could view him as the next big name in the trenches for an NFL roster.
According to Dallas Morning News' John Owning, Madubuike's numbers placed him near the top of all percentiles among defensive tackles. His 4.83 40 ranked in the 96th percentile among defensive tackles while his 7.37 3-cone drill was inside the 81st percentile overall. It also was the fastest time by a defensive tackle in the last two years, per Next Gen Stats.
Although not in the top tier of other categories, Madbuike still finished in the top half of all defensive categories. His 31 bench reps were in the 77th percentile while his 1.73 10-yard split was in the 64th.
According to Owning, Madubuike's sub 300 weight, along with is metrics, will have him projected to a more durable career at the next level. The Roto World metric grading system should have the former Aggie finish significantly higher going into the next part of the draft process.
The question will remain if Madubuike can sneak into the end of Thursday's first round next month. Several mock drafts have begun to see the Dallas native's stock rise towards the 27th pick by Seattle. Others still believe a team like the Jaguars, Colts or Cowboys will use an early day 2 selection to enhance their defensive lines long-term.
A two-year starter for the Ags, Madubuike was praised for his ability to add pressure to any backfield. For his career, the future NFL defender would collect 105 tackles, 24.5 tackles for losses, 11 sacks, five forced fumbles, four pass deflections and an interception.
