NFL Combine: Risers & Fallers from On-Field Drills | DL

When it comes to the defensive linemen, who were the biggest winners and losers from the on-field testing at the Combine??

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

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 all the tests, drills, and interviews at the Combine.

It was the first day of the Combine where the defense takes the field. For the first set of prospects, we got to see the front-seven kids. It was a most impressive group with some of these big defensive linemen running fast-moving very smoothly. 

The bad news is, there were plenty of prospects who didn’t help themselves at the Combine during drills.

Risers

Neville Gallimore, Oklahoma

Gallimore is an athlete that is still growing as a defensive lineman for the NFL. His Combine showed that he is quite athletic. His position drills were surprisingly smooth, for the most part.

Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M

Another athlete on the defensive line, Madubuike also looked really smooth in the drills and had a good base in his technique.

Carlos & Khalil Davis, Nebraska

These twins were monsters out there. They didn’t just kill it with their athletic testing, but they also looked quite good with the position drills.

Davon Hamilton, Ohio State

It was a little surprising to see Hamilton look as good as he did athletically. His drills did have some inconsistencies, which is also an issue with his tape.

Ross Blacklock, TCU

Blacklock didn’t just test out very well athletically but the drills were also clean and crisp. It wasn’t just a strong day, but a strong week for Blacklock who also got back good news on the medical front, easing teams' minds.

Marlon Davidson, Auburn

For the longest time, I was grading Davidson as an edge and he always disappointed. Then a few weeks ago, I ran him through the defensive line grading scale and he ended up with a much higher grade. His Combine confirmed he should be a defensive lineman in the NFL and he has the traits to be very successful inside.

Malcolm Roach, Texas

The Texas defensive lineman is a capable 3- or 5-tech in the NFL. He tested out well athletically to fit what teams want there, but the drills were really good in technical terms to play there.

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Fallers

Robert Windsor, Penn State

It was a disappointing day for Windsor. When watching his drills, it would’ve been nice to see him work as smoothly as he does on tape and as good on a technical basis.

Raequan Williams, Michigan State

While he tested out solidly with the agilities, the expectation was to see a little more from him and he didn’t quite meet them. The drills were fine, which does help him out a little bit.

Rashard Lawrence, LSU

Lawrence is the opposite of Williams where he tested out a little better than expected athletically, but the drills lacked refinement and he didn’t keep a consistent base through them.

Benito Jones, Ole Miss

If there was one player that probably wishes he could do the day over, it’d probably be Jones. The athletic testing was fine, but his bad day comes down to the drills. They were quite sloppy and saw him stumble multiple times. 

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