Finding Broncos: NFL Combine Winners & Losers

The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine has finished. The offensive linemen kicked off the final day, and the Denver Broncos were likely watching closely as they look to rebuild their offensive line.

Measurements:

Length does matter for the interior offensive linemen, but not as much as at tackle. You don't want under 32-inch arms. On the other hand, you also don't want to see them be too light, and it isn't ideal to be under 6-foot-2.

Winner: Jordan McFadden | Clemson

On the interior, having extra length can be a big help, and McFadden measured with 34-inch arms.

Winner: Richard Gouraige | Florida

Gouraige has a chance to be a tackle in the NFL first, and having 34-inch arms can help him there, and if he is on the interior, it is an extra boost.

Winner: Tashawn Manning | Kentucky

Manning weighed 327 pounds, carried it well, and measured with 34-1/2 inch arms.

Winner: McClendon Curtis | UT-Chatanooga

At the Senior Bowl, Curtis got some run at tackle and did alright. He seems better suited for guard, but if a team wants to give him a shot at a tackle, measuring 6-foot-6 with 35-inch arms will help.

Winner: Henry Bainivalu | Washington

Like the other guards here, Bainivalu measured with good length for the inside at 34-inch arms.

Loser: Jarrett Patterson | Notre Dame

Looking at the mark for length, Patterson came in under it with 31-3/8 inch arms.

Loser: Jovaughn Gwyn | South Carolina

Gwyn was under that 32-inch mark with 31-3/8 inch arms, but he will likely be at the center spot where that is a fine number.

Loser: Braeden Daniels | Utah

For interior offensive linemen, you want to see them over the 300-pound mark, and Daniels came in at 294 pounds. It could be a case of dropping weight for the Combine, but if not, he has a frame to add about 10 more pounds.

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

Athletic Testing:

While the testing is often shrugged off for offensive linemen, there is a correlation between NFL success and multiple tests, especially the full 40, 10-yard split, and 3-cone.

40-yard dash:

Winner: Braeden Daniels | Utah

Daniels had a great time at 4.99 seconds, which puts him with some good company for interior offensive linemen.

Loser: John Michael Schmits | Minnesota

It wasn't a bad time for John Michael Schmitz, and it is right where he was expected to run, but it was one of the slowest times on the day for the position.

10-yard split:

Winner: Braeden Daniels | Utah

Daniels posted a time of 1.71 seconds, which matches a pair of interior linemen who just won a Super Bowl and puts him in with some other great interior guys.

Loser: Henry Bainivalu | Washington

There are 74 interior guys over a 1.8-second split, and less than five have been successful in the NFL. Bainivalu came in at 1.87 seconds, where the number dropped to none to have success.

Vertical Jump:

Winner: Jon Gaines II | UCLA

Gaines had a good vertical of 32.5 inches.

Loser: Alex Forsyth | Oregon

The jump isn't super significant for the offensive line, but Forsyth had a bad 20.5-inch vertical.

Broad Jump:

Winner: Jon Gaines II | UCLA

Gaines had two good jumps with a broad jump of 9 feet 6 inches.

Loser: Alex Forsyth | Oregon

Forsyth was the worst jumper in the position and hit a 7-foot-11-inch broad jump.

3-Cone:

Winner: Jon Gaines II | UCLA

Gaines had a wonderful 3-cone time at 7.31 seconds, which tied for the seventh-best time ever for interior offensive linemen.

Loser: Henry Bainivalu | Washington

With an 8.34 second time, Bainivalu finds himself tied for the seventh-worst time ever for the position.

20-yard Shuttle

Winner: Jon Gaines II | UCLA

Gaines killed the athletic testing and finished with his 4.45-second shuttle, which puts him in some good company.

Loser: Henry Bainivalu | Washington

Much like his 3-cone time, Bainivalu is not in good company with his 4.97-second shuttle, but it isn't one of the worst times ever for the position.

Overall:

Winner: Braeden Daniels | Utah

While the weight wasn't ideal, Daniels did well with the athletic testing and carried it to the drills. His drills were pretty clean with the footwork and bend.

Loser: Henry Bainivalu | Washington

The testing started poorly for Bainivalu, and his day went downhill with rough work in the drills.

Winner: Jon Gaines II | UCLA

Gaines stood out in the drills with how clean and smooth he was, and his athletic testing was also great.

Loser: T.J. Bass | Oregon

Bass was all over the place in the drills. He didn't keep his body and movement under control, which led to issues when changing direction in the drills.

Winner: O'Cyrus Torrence | Florida

Torrence did a great job with the drills where there were questions about his ability. His feet were light, and while it wasn't perfect, he showed much better lateral movement skills than expected.

Loser: Jarrett Patterson | Notre Dame

The testing wasn't great for Patterson, and he didn't do well in the drills. He was once viewed as a day-three guy, and he came from a school that pushed technique on the offensive line. Unfortunately, it didn't show at the Combine.

Winner: Anthony Bradford | LSU

Bradford was a surprise with how smooth and clean he was in the drills, which isn't there on tape. There was work put in to improve the mechanics.

Loser: Juice Scruggs | Penn State

Scruggs had some mechanical issues in the drills, and his footwork needs a lot of work.

Winner: Luke Wypler | Ohio State

The other primary centers didn't have the best day or didn't work out, and Wypler showed clean technique and mechanics. He made it clear he can't be forgotten among the group of centers.

Loser: Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu | Oregon

You want light feet and to stay low, and neither was the case here. There were also issues with balance, which showed up the most when changing direction.

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!

Add us as a preferred source on Google