Finding Broncos: NFL Combine Winners & Losers

The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine finished with the running backs. Overall, it was an excellent Combine for the running backs with the athletic testing and the drills. The Denver Broncos needed to keep an eye as they have a plethora of questions about their running back room.

Measurements:

The measurements for running backs vary based on their play-style mold. However, there are still general minimums and maximums in height and weight. Running backs take a beating, so the size and build do matter.

Winner: Tyjae Spears | Tulane

Spears came in at 5-foot-10 and 201 pounds, which is right there with what is ideal for a back of his play-style.

Winner: Kenny McIntosh | Georgia

Like Spears, McIntosh, at 6-foot even and 204 pounds, is right there with what you want for that style.

Winner: Travis Dye | USC

Dye measured in the same as Spears and is also that ideal size for the play-style.

Winner: Tiyon Evans | Louisville

Evans was just over the low point in height for a running back at 5-foot-9-1/2 inches. His weight at 225 pounds is great, and he is short and compact, which fits his running style.

Loser: Deuce Vaughn | Kansas State

Regarding minimums for a running back, 5-foot-5 is well below, as are the 179 pounds. However, he carries it well and is a compact and explosive runner.

Loser: Devone Achane | Texas A&M

Even for backs like Vaughn and Achane, there are still minimums you want to reach, and Achane was below it. However, at 188 pounds, Achane is only a handful of pounds away, and there is room on his frame to add it on.

Loser: Keaton Mitchell | East Carolina

Mitchell met the height minimum but was under the weight minimum at 179 pounds.

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Athletic Testing:

Due to the different molds of running backs, each test will have two winners and losers. The split is between the smaller pass-catching backs and the bell-cow types.

40-yard dash:

Winner: Bijan Robinson | Texas

Robinson didn't have to do anything at the Combine to be the top running back, but posting a 4.46 second time here helps his status overall.

Loser: Tiyon Evans | Louisville

Evans came in as a bigger back, but you want to be in the low 4.6 at the worst, but his time was 4.74 seconds.

Winner: Devon Achane | Texas A&M

It would be best if you had a good time when you are an explosive big-play running back, and 4.32 is an excellent time.

Loser: Kenny McIntosh | Georgia

McIntosh needed a better time than 4.62 seconds for the type of running back he is.

10-yard split:

Winner: Bijan Robinson | Texas

Robinson is a complete back, and his explosiveness is evident with a 1.52-second split.

Loser: Tiyon Evans | Louisville

While his 1.61 second time isn't terrible, it isn't great either and barely in the range you want.

Winner: Keaton Mitchell | East Carolina

Mitchell will be a scat-back in the NFL, and a 1.48 split is excellent.

Loser: Kenny McIntosh | Georgia

McIntosh had a good split at 1.54 seconds, but it was the worst time for this type of back.

Vertical Jump:

Winner: Chase Brown | Illinois

Brown jumped out of the stadium, starting with a 40-inch vertical.

Loser: Tank Bigsby | Auburn

A 32.5-inch vertical isn't bad for the bigger backs, but it happened to be the worst for backs of this style and comparable size.

Winner: Tyjae Spears | Tulane

Spears is explosive in his lower half, and a 39-inch vertical speaks to that lower body explosion.

Loser: Devon Achane | Texas A&M

A 33-inch vertical isn't bad, but for a back like Achane, you would like to see a little more lower-body explosion.

Broad Jump:

Winner: Chase Brown | Illinois

Brown had a great vertical and paired it with a great jump of 10-foot-7 inches.

Loser: Eric Gray | Oklahoma

A 9-foot-10-inch jump is fine, but it was the worst for backs of this type.

Winner: Keaton Mitchell | East Carolina

Mitchell exploded off the mark and had the second-best broad jump, one inch behind Chase Brown. There is no loser for the other type of back, as the general rule of thumb is about 1.8 times their height in the broad jump.

Overall:

Winner: Keaton Mitchell | East Carolina

Mitchell did a fantastic job with the drills showing natural hands, route running, and cutting you want in a running back.

Loser: DeWayne McBride | UAB

McBride didn't do anything at the Combine, which hurts with how good the group looked as a whole.

Winner: Deuce Vaughn | Kansas State

Even though he is small, Vaughn was near perfect in each drill. It was clean and smooth, and it is worth noting that smoothly makes things seem faster than they are, and Vaughn did the exercises with speed.

Loser: Zach Evans | Ole Miss

Like McBride, Evans didn't do the drills or athletic testing, and he is in a group of running backs who did the exercises and looked fantastic.

Winner: Evan Hull | Northwestern

Hull is extremely quick, with the saying quicker than fast being accurate, but he also has good speed. The drills were tremendous, and Hull looks like an ideal change-of-pace running back for the NFL.

Loser: Kenny McIntosh | Georgia

McIntosh took part in the drills after some poor testing, and the drills were also poor.

Winner: Deneric Prince | Tulsa

Prince was a man on a mission with the drills. He gave it everything every time he was up and did a good job on nearly every drill.

Loser: Tiyon Evans | Louisville

Evens did a poor job with the testing, and while the drills were a little better, they were not great. He is one of the few running backs with consistent issues throughout the drills.

Winner: Tyjae Spears | Tulane

Spears caught the eye of many at the Senior Bowl, and it carried over to a great Combine. There were hiccups in the drills that showed where he needs work, but overall he did a good job.

Loser: Eric Gray | Oklahoma

Gray was disappointing at the Senior Bowl, and he was disappointing at the Combine. There was poor balance in the drills, and his footwork was messy. The worst was watching him cheat a couple of drills.

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