Finding Broncos: NFL Combine Winners and Losers

The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine is underway, and on the second day, the defensive backs took the field. First up were the cornerbacks, which the Denver Broncos could be looking at to help bolster their unit. Ronald Darby is a cut candidate, Denver lacks the depth behind Patrick Surtain II, and Damarri Mathis is lacking.

Measurements:

While wingspan is a big measurement for defensive backs, they don't measure it at the combine. Part of the equation is arm length for that ability to attack the catch point. The mark is 31 inches, but anything below 30 inches is extremely concerning. In terms of wingspan, you're looking for 75 inches at least.

Winner: Joey Porter Jr | Penn State

Porter Jr is a press-man corner; you need good length for that. He will have an advantage with 34-inch arms.

Winner: Julius Brents | Kansas State

Brents is a big and long corner at 6-foot-3 and 34-inch arms.

Winner: Anthony Johnson | Virginia

Johnson measured well with good enough length at 32-5/8 inch arms.

Winner: Darius Rush | South Carolina

Rush has good length, which is a big part of his game, so confirming 33-3/8 inch arms was nice.

Winner: Terrell Smith | Minnesota

Smith has been a riser through the process, and having solid length with 32-7/8 inch arms will help continue the rise.

Loser: D.J. Turner | Michigan

Turner came in light at 178 pounds, and his length isn't ideal with 30-3/4 inch arms.

Loser: Emmanuel Forbes | Mississippi State

Forbes is rail thin at 166 pounds, and it was known he would be light, but this is significantly higher than you want.

Loser: Clark Phillips III | Utah

Phillips is a nickel corner, but his size isn't ideal. He comes in at 5-foot-9 with 29-7/8 inch arms.

Loser: Riley Moss | Iowa

Moss just met the 30-inch arms minimum most teams have.

Loser: Arquon Bush | Cincinnati

Bush is a college nickel that will get a chance outside in the NFL, but his 29-7/8 inch arms weren't great for getting that chance.

Athletic Testing

For cornerbacks, it is about the explosion. The broad and vertical jumps show that explosion, and more with the vertical. The 40-yard dash matters and anything over 4.6 seconds is essentially a death sentence.

40-yard dash:

Winner: D.J. Turner | Michigan

Turner was blazing with his 40 putting up an official time of 4.26 seconds, which ties the third-fastest time for a corner.

Loser: Anthony Johnson | Virginia

For the 40-yard dash, you don't want corners over the 4.6-second mark, and Johnson was the lone corner this year to go over with a 4.63 time.

10-yard split:

Winner: Jaylon Jones | Texas A&M

Jones exploded off the mark, covering the first 10 yards in 1.48 seconds.

Loser: Darrell Luter Jr | South Alabama

Luter had a decent 10-yard split with a 1.57-second mark, but he just happened to be one of the slower times.

Vertical Jump:

Winner: Deonte Banks | Maryland

Banks jumped out of the stadium and touched the moon, getting up 42 inches in the vertical.

Loser: Anthony Johnson | Virginia

The vertical is a test of lower body explosion, and Johnson got up 30-1/2 inches.

Broad Jump:

Winner: Julius Brents | Kansas State

Brents will be mentioned often, and he is another who jumped out of the stadium with an 11-foot-6 broad jump.

Loser: Arquon Bush | Cincinnati

Broad jumping 9-foot-7 isn't bad, but the other corners outclassed him.

3-Cone Drill:

Winner: Julius Brent | Kansas State

The 3-cone time for Brents was great, posting a time of 6.63 seconds.

Loser: Tyrique Stevenson | Miami

Stevenson is stiff with his change of direction, and his 7.09 second time highlights those concerns.

20-yard Shuttle:

Winner: Julius Brents | Kansas State

Brents checked all the boxes in every aspect of the combine, and pasting a 4.05 shuttle time is a good time to post.

Loser: Darrell Luter Jr | South Alabama

The shuttle is another test of change of direction, and Luter had a solid time of 4.43 but was the slowest of the corners that ran it.

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Position-Specific Drills:

The cornerback drills always test footwork, smoothness, hip fluidity, ease of transitions, and that finish. Finally, they end the drills with an interception attempt, and it is always better to come down with it than drop it.

Line Drill

This drill tests how smoothly the defensive backs can flip their hips side to side and flip too close to get the interception. They have to stay low and keep their arms moving. Time is also an important factor.

Winner: Corey Trice | Purdue

Trice is a 6-foot-3 corner, and part of this drill is keeping low, and Trice did that, which is difficult for taller corners.

Loser: Riley Moss | Iowa

Moss has plenty of speed and quickness, but his footwork was an issue. Also, to finish the drill, you want to attack the ball for an interception, and Moss wasn't finishing.

Backpedal and Transition

This drill tests the smoothness of your feet and hip fluidity to challenge the corner/post routes.

Winner: Kei'Trel Clark | Lousiville

Clark showed quick feet in the drill, was smooth with his movement, and finished exactly how you want to see.

Loser: Tyrique Stevenson | Miami

Stevenson is a taller corner, and he had issues staying low. On top of that, his footwork was choppy when flipping his hips.

W-Drill

This five-yard backpedal to close tests the transition to closing on the ball and back. There are five transitions, and you want to finish with the pick.

Winner: Cameron Mitchell | Northwestern

Mitchell was a surprise in each drill with the same things he showed in this one. His feet were light and quick, footwork wasn't choppy, and he was a naturally smooth mover.

Loser: Nic Jones | Ball State

Part of clean transitions is the footwork, and in this drill Jones' feet got out from under him, leading to him slipping. He also didn't finish the drill how you want to see it.

Backpedal and 90-degree break Drill

This is a simple five-yard drop, then breaking on those short outside throws. Again, you want to finish the backpedal and show a smooth transition to jump on the route.

Winner: Jaylon Jones | Texas A&M

This was the best drill for Jones. Everything was clean and smooth, and he finished strong.

Loser: Emmanuel Forbes | Mississippi State

When you are as light as Forbes is, you need to be smooth with your movements, and Forbes wasn't close to as smooth as you want.

Teryl Austin Drill #1

Every drill tests the transition of the defensive backs. This is a difficult one to open up inside, then flip and jump a curl route. You don't want wasted steps to gather for the change of direction and want to keep a good tempo through the drill.

Winner: Tre'vius Hodges-Tomlinson | TCU

This drill favors smaller and lighter corners a little bit. Hodges-Tomlinson was near textbook throughout the drill.

Loser: Jakorian Bennett | Maryland

Tempo is important, and you don't want to slow through the drill, and Bennet slowed multiple times.

Teryl Austin Drill #2

This drill tests the break inside after a backpedal, then flipping to cover the out. Again, you want to stay low and get your feet up in the transition.

Winner: Christian Gonzalez | Oregon

Gonzalez has a great technical foundation, and he is so natural and smooth, which he showed each drill, especially this one.

Loser: Jay Ward | LSU

Ward was clean with the technique throughout the drill, but he would slow into flipping his hips and slowed down to finish the drill.

Box Drills

This drill throws a lot at the cornerbacks. They must keep a good tempo through multiple transitions and change direction with their movement.

Winner: Terrell Smith | Minnesota

Smith was clean and smooth in the drill, showing good footwork, but his reaction time was on point.

Loser: Christian Gonzalez | Oregon

This was easily the worst drill from Gonzalez, and it is nitpicky as his footwork got a little off on the break and caused him to slip.

The Gauntlet

While this drill is more important for wide receivers, showing good hands is always a boost for the cornerbacks.

Winner: Mekhi Blackmon | USC

Blackmon was fine through the drills, but he had a gauntlet that would make receivers envious. He stayed tight on the line, attacked the ball with his hands, and made every catch.

Loser: Anthony Johnson | Virginia

It was rough for Johnson, who had to deal with some bad throws. However, he dropped one pass, and it seemed to rattle him. Also, Johnson was all over the place instead of staying tight on the line.

Overall

Winner: Julius Brents | Kansas State

Brents had the best day overall. He killed it with the athletic testing and measurements, and his drills were clean and consistent.

Loser: Kelee Ringo | Georgia

Ringo will be coveted, but he didn't show the technical foundation you want to see. He is clearly an athlete and not a football player at this time.

Winner: Christian Gonzalez | Oregon

For me, at least, Gonzalez cemented himself as the top corner and should be a top 10 pick.

Loser: Tyrique Stevenson | Miami

The tightness and lack of fluidity in Stevenson were noticeable.

Winner: Cameron Mitchell | Northwestern

Mithcell was a surprise and probably one of the best three corners in each drill.

Loser: Emmanuel Forbes | Mississippi State

Forbes did fine in the drills, but there was a lack of smoothness in his movements, that are problematic.

Winner: Terrell Smith | Minnesota

Smith is rising and measured well, tested out well, and did extremely well in each drill.

Loser: Riley Moss | Iowa

Moss has athleticism, but his change of direction and footwork were consistently an issue.

Winner: Clark Phillips III | Utah

Phillips made it clear he is a natural fit as a nickel in the NFL.

Loser: Anthony Johnson | Virginia

Johnson didn't test out well and was consistently rough in the drills.

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