Finding Broncos: NFL Combine Athletic Testing Risers & Fallers

In George Paton's first year as Denver Broncos GM, he went big at the cornerback position. First, the Broncos signed Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller, then drafted Patrick Surtain II at ninth overall. Cornerback is a position that Paton highly values, and he has spoken about that multiple times.

The Broncos are set to lose Fuller and Bryce Callahan to free agency, though there is reported interest in re-signing the slot corner. Whatever ends up happening at the position, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Broncos draft a cornerback at some point.

It is one of the strongest positions in the 2022 NFL draft class, and it has plenty of depth. Denver should be looking for additional depth no matter what happens with its impending free agents at the position.

The NFL Combine is a tool for evaluation, with multiple corners that can play the nickel or on the boundary, put on a display during the on-field athletic testing drills. Who were the biggest risers and fallers?

Let's dive in.

What happens next on the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Please take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

40-Yard Dash Risers

Kalon Barnes | Baylor

Fast times are always going to draw attention and help draft stock, especially for later-round prospects. Teams value speed, so posting the second-fastest 40 time of 4.23 is going to help Barnes, though by how much remains to be seen.

Tariq Woolen | UTSA

Woolen has elite length, and his speed was well-known when entering the combine, but 4.26 seemed to exceed expectations. He is viewed as a top 150 pick potentially, and that time will help cement him there.

Zyon McCollum | Sam Houston State

McCollum is an interesting development corner option that will draw attention to himself with the day he had, which started with a 4.33 40-yard dash.

Cam Taylor-Britt | Nebraska

The expectation for Taylor-Britt was between 4.4 and 4.5, but he posted a time of 4.38 with good size and length.

Tariq Castro-Fields | Pittsburgh

When going off his tape, the expectations were maybe a sub 4.5, but Castro-Fields surprised many with a 4.38.

Ahmad Gardner | Cincinnati

This was the final box for Garnder to check, and the 4.41 did that. With injuries to other top corners, this was an excellent start to Garnder putting himself as the top corner in the draft.

Kaiir Elam | Florida

Elam was much faster than expected, getting just under 4.4 with that 4.39. It was a great start to his day as he attempted to rise back up in a strong corner class.

Trent McDuffie | Washington

There will be a concern about his length as corners under 30" arms don't see much success; unless you look at the draft pedigree, then it is a much better outlook. However, McDuffie was on a mission to show length shouldn't be a concern because he is a baller, and the 4.44 was a great time to post.

40-Yard Dash Fallers

Jermaine Waller | Virginia Tech

The standard for cornerbacks to beat is 4.6, with little success if slower than that mark. Waller was the slowest corner at 4.68.

Mykael Wright | Oregon

While a blazing time wasn't the expectation for Wright, he was expected to be a sub 4.5, and instead, he posted a 4.57.

Montaric Brown | Arkansas

Brown is another prospect that wasn't expected to run a blazing fast time, but expectations were to be around the 4.45 mark, and he was a tenth of a second slower with a 4.55.

Testing Drills Risers

Roger McCreary | Auburn

McCreary was so smooth with his movement during drills and tested well athletically. In addition, he showed the versatility to play inside or outside.

Jack Jones | Arizona State

With other top nickel corner options struggling or not participating, Jones took advantage to stand out. He made it clear he can be a nickel corner at the next level with fluid movement and loose hips.

Ahmad Gardner | Cincinnati

There wasn't much Gardner needed to do with the drills because his tape is so good, but he still went out there and competed and nailed it.

Damarri Mathis | Pittsburgh

Mathis is an interesting defensive back because he offers up versatility in the secondary, and he showed exactly what he needed to show with the drills.

Trent McDuffie | Washington

There was one drill where McDuffie had a slight hiccup on, but other than that, he was near perfect with his drills. He is versatile, smooth, intelligent, feisty, and quick.

Kyler Gordon | Washington

It was surprising to see how smooth and fluid Gordon was during the drills. He moved so well, and while he needs some work on his pad height in his backpedal, his footwork was really clean.

Testing Drills Fallers

Joshua Williams | Fayetteville State

It was rough watching Williams as he kept getting too high in his backpedal and getting caught up on his feet when changing direction. There were also times he wasn't able to finish the drill with the interception that teams wanted to see.

Tariq Woolen | UTSA

Woolen was fast, but a lot needs work with his technique. However, the size, length, and athleticism are great, and coaches will love to get their hands on the ball of clay that he is.

DeMarcus Fields | Texas Tech

Fields probably had the worst day of the bunch. His footwork was clunky, and he consistently got high in his backpedal. On top of that, there was a lot of wasted movement, and he struggled to flip his hips and change direction.

Jalyn Armour-Davis | Alabama

This is one prospect that is probably looking at being moved to safety in the NFL. His drills were not suitable for a corner, but they were fine when viewing him as safety.

Overall Risers

Roger McCreary | Auburn

McCreary could hear his name called early because he looked on the field and showed off his versatility. He is a top 50 prospect and one of the more versatile corners in the class.

Trent McDuffie | Washington

McDuffie is the type of player you want in the building. He has all the intangibles you want and has the most versatility of all the corners to play anywhere in the secondary. Those around him praise his leadership, work ethic, everything. The length isn't there, but he is a football player that coaches will love. Some view him as the second-best corner in this class.

Ahmad Gardner | Cincinnati

Garnder put himself squarely as the top corner for multiple people.

Zyon McCollum | Sam Houston State

McCollum ran fast, and while the drills were not consistent, he showed he has the tools and traits to work with for a coaching staff. So it would be surprising if he didn't hear his name called early day three.

Jack Jones | Arizona State

Jones took advantage of other top nickel-only corners missing out on the day. While he isn't my top nickel, it wouldn't be shocking if he is the top nickel for multiple teams.

Tariq Woolen | UTSA

The drills were rough, and he ran fast, so why is he a riser overall? Well, there were some beautiful moments with his drills that show how smooth and good he can be if you can clean up those technical mistakes he has. You don't often see someone his size and length that can move as fast and quick as he does. His change of direction footwork was clunky, but his sheer speed made up for it.

Kalon Barnes | Baylor

Barnes ran fast, but he had cleaner drills than Woolen. His change of direction was consistently smooth and quick, and he didn't lose speed during it. While he could play on the boundary, he may be better suited as a nickel.

Kaiir Elam | Florida

With what he ran and combining that with good drill work, Elam helped himself move back up. His movement was smooth and fluid, which was a big concern coming in.

Overall Fallers

Mykael Wright | Oregon

There was an opportunity before Wright to put himself up boards, but his athletic testing was disappointing. Not only that, he was all over the place with his drills and couldn't finish multiple times. In addition, his change of direction was clunky, and his footwork sloppy.

Jermaine Waller | Virginia Tech

Waller was alright during drills, but he needed to have a fantastic day during the drills to overcome that 40 time. He has some flashes on tape, but he is probably looking at being an undrafted free agent pickup that will probably be moved to safety.

Marcus Jones | Houston

Marcus Jones didn't partake in any testing or drills. He was the top pure nickel coming in, but there's a chance he lost that. Not only will he miss all pre-draft workouts after having surgery on both shoulders, but he also came in with under 29-inch arms. Some like to throw Bryce Callahan as a comparison, but Callahan was over 31 inches with his arm length.

Derek Stingley Jr | LSU

Stingley has growing concerns as he is working back from a Linsfranc foot injury. During his time at LSU, other injuries cause concern as well. His first year was excellent, but after that, he has regressed. Other corners pushed forward ahead of him despite not partaking in the drills despite being cleared, according to NFL Network.

Andrew Booth Jr | Clemson

Booth was on a downward spiral entering the combine, and it is only going to continue. However, with other corners coming out and putting on a show while Booth is sidelined with an injury, those other corners moved ahead of him.

Follow Erick on Twitter @ErickTrickel.

Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.

Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!