Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
NFL Combine: Risers & Fallers from On-Field Drills | RBs
The Combine is always a fun time on the NFL calendar. The season comes with the obligatory overreaction in the draft community, both in response to prospects under- and over-performing.
Others believe the Combine is next-to-worthless, outside of the medical checks and interviews. Tape stands supreme, but there are many insights NFL teams take away from the Combine and all the tests, drills, and interviews.
The Denver Broncos have a need at running back this offseason. With Devontae Booker hitting free agency and Royce Freeman not taking that step forward the team expected last season, this position group needs a complement to Phillip Lindsay.
There is a lot of hype surrounding this running back class and the depth of the group. Which RBs at the Combine helped themselves and landed squarely on the Broncos' radar? Let's dive into the risers and fallers.
Risers
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU
CEH has gotten a lot of feedback about his 'disappointing' 4.6-second 40-yard dash, but that is right where every scout and analyst that I have talked to projected him running, which is also right where I had him. CEH is smooth, which makes him look faster than he is, but he also has tremendous quickness. He killed it at the Combine and the running back drills are exactly where he did it.
Darrynton Evans, Appalachian State
Evans probably helped himself the most of the group. He showed up very well athletically, but he really killed it in the drills.
DeeJay Dallas, Miami
Dallas also had a really strong day with good testing and a strong performance in the drills.
Salvon Ahmed, Washington
Ahmed didn’t test out as well as some had hoped, though not terribly, but he looked smooth and quick in his drills.
Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
Taylor is one of the top running backs in the class but there were a lot of concerns about his weigh-in. He silenced those concerns with how smooth he looked in his drills. He still presents concerns, but none that weren't addressed at the Combine.
Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt
Another back who had a really good day, mostly thanks to the drills. Vaughn was smooth and quick during the drills. His athletic testing wasn’t great but it was solid.
Rico Dowdle, South Carolina
Dowdle a really good day, though his athletic testing was slightly disappointing. He nailed it in the drills, though, and showed off his skill-set.
A.J. Dillon, Boston College
These final two risers I saved for last because immediately after watching their showing, I had to go back to their tape. Dillon had some rough moments in the drills, but he tested out very well athletically with his size. What he showed at the Combine wasn’t there on tape, which is still a concern. It doesn’t alter the fact that his testing helped his stock, even if it makes some go back, like me, and study his tape again.
Cam Akers, Florida State
As for Akers, he was probably the best looking back out there during the testing and the drills. Evans is the biggest riser, because there were questions on whether he would even get drafted but he's now looking at somewhere early day three. Akers was the best though not the biggest riser, because he was getting late round-two talk already and probably cemented himself in that area.
Fallers
Zack Moss, Utah
This part sucks. The RBs as a group were very impressive showing off the depth of the class. Very few prospects really had a bad day and a few of these fallers just didn’t stand out enough despite some having a solid day.
One player who did hurt his stock, almost literally, is Moss. During the vertical jump, he tweaked his hammy and decided to finish the drills anyways. He ran slow, and it was clear why — that hammy. The issue is, he took a terrible and unnecessary risk by running the 40-yard dash and should be grateful that he didn’t exacerbate the injury.
LaMichael Perine, Florida
Perine was solid out there is every aspect, but it would’ve been nice to see a little more out of him. Where he sits with his draft stock is amidst a crowded grouping of RBs and he didn’t find a way to stand out.
Brian Herrien, Georgia
Herrien had a rough day in drills where he just looked like a lumbered mover, lacking the smoothness you want to see.
Sewo Olonilua, TCU
Olonilua falls into the same issue as Herrien. Olonilua had solid athletic testing, but the drills were rough to watch with a clear lack of smooth movement.
Patrick Taylor, Memphis | Tony Jones, Jr. Notre Dame
Two guys who were solid during the drills, but like Perine, they just didn’t do enough to stand out. Both of these backs disappointed somewhat in the testing.
Benny LeMay, Charlotte
LeMay was a rough one to watch and he tested out poorly athletically.
Javon Leak, Maryland
Viewed as a big-play threat in college, Leak didn’t reinforce that perception of him during the Combine. With poorer testing athletically than expected, he looked very tight during the drills which caused some concerns.
James Robinson, Illinois State
I'm a big fan Robinson's which makes it slightly painful to list him as a faller. He could have really helped himself at the Combine, but instead, he failed to stand out. His tape is still really good, but he needed to stand out during the Combine.
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