Finding Broncos: NFL Combine Winners & Losers

The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine is underway, and the offense took the field with two groups of quarterbacks and wide receivers before ending with the tight ends. With Greg Dulcich already, the Denver Broncos could be looking for a predominately blocking tight end for their room.

Measurements:

Winner: Darnell Washington | Georgia

Washington is a massive tight end standing at 6-foot-7, 264 pounds with 34-3/8 inch arms.

Winner: Zack Kuntz | Old Dominion

Kuntz is tall at 6-foot-7 but weighed 255 pounds; the more impressive aspect was the 34-inch arms.

Loser: Brayden Willis | Oklahoma

Willis will likely be more of a fullback than a tight end in the NFL, and his size is good for that, but at 6-foot-3, 241 pounds, he is a little undersized for what teams want in tight ends.

Loser: Will Mallory | Miami

Mallory came in extremely light for a tight end at 239 pounds and might be viewed as a fullback hybrid in the NFL if he can develop his blocking.

Athletic Testing:

40-yard dash:

Winner: Zack Kuntz | Old Dominion

At 6-foot-7, Kuntz ran the second fastest time, on the day, for a tight end at 4.55 seconds.

Loser: Davis Allen | Clemson

Allen ran a 4.84 second time, and while he wasn't expected to run a great time, he was expected to be a little faster.

10-yard split:

Winner: Luke Musgrave | Oregon State

Musgrave didn't do much on the day, but he did post a good 40 time and had a great split time of 1.54 seconds.

Loser: Michael Mayer | Notre Dame

Mayer was slow off the mark, which isn't ideal, and posted a time of 1.66 seconds for the split.

Vertical Jump:

Winner: Zack Kuntz | Old Dominion

Getting vertical 40 inches is impressive no matter what, but even more impressive when you are the size of Kuntz.

Loser: Darnell Washington | Georgia

Washington was a little heavier than Kuntz and the same height, but only got up 31 inches on his vertical jump.

Broad Jump:

Winner: Luke Schoonmaker | Michigan

While not the longest broad jump, Schoonmaker had a broad of 10 feet-8 inches, one shy of Kuntz for the high of the group.

Loser: Josh Whyle | Cincinnati

Whyle was one of three tight ends to broad jump 9 feet 7 inches, which is paired with a not-so-great vertical jump.

3-Cone:

Winner: Zack Kuntz | Old Dominion

Kuntz had a great day showing off his athleticism, and hitting a 6.87 second time in this drill is insane, especially at his size.

Loser: Brayden Willis | Oklahoma

Willis came in a little under the high mark you want for tight ends at 7.3 seconds.

20-Yard Shuttle:

Winner: Darnell Washington | Georgia

While he didn't do the 3-cone, Washington showed his ability to change direction with a 4.08 second time.

Loser: Brenton Strange | Penn State

With his 4.56 second time, Strange barely got his time within the high mark you want for tight ends.

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Overall:

Winner: Zack Kuntz | Old Dominion

Kuntz killed it in every drill and did an excellent job with the athletic testing. This was a great showing for a tight end who was highly rated before an injury to remind NFL teams that he is part of this deep class.

Loser: Michael Mayer | Notre Dame

Some view Mayer as the top tight end, and he just had an underwhelming day. All the other tight ends had some good showings, but Mayer struggled with routes, didn't do well in the blocking drill, and tested out in the middle of the pack.

Winner: Travis Vokolek | Nebraska

Vokolek did a solid job with the blocking drill and had some good releases in the receiving drills. He showed a good ability to highpoint the ball as well.

Loser: Noah Gindorff | North Dakota State

Gindorff and the rest of the "losing" tight ends didn't participate due to injuries. This tight-end class is ridiculous, and missing a chance to show out isn't ideal.

Winner: Josh Whyle | Cincinnati

It wasn't perfect from Whyle, but he showed some solid route running and burst in and out of breaks. He also did well with the blocking drill.

Loser: Kyle Patterson | Air Force

Being unable to participate is going to hurt the stock of Patterson in a deep tight-end class.

Winner: Payne Durham | Purdue

Durham didn't test out well athletically, but he was good enough, and his drills were not exceptional. However, he was consistent and reliable in all phases, including catching the ball.

Loser: Cameron Latu | Alabama

This was a chance for Latu, but he was unable to participate. However, he is in that group of tier-two tight ends in the class, and the rest were able to show out during the day.

Winner: Brenton Strange | Penn State

Strange had a good day. There was hype around him entering the combine and how he could push himself into day two of the draft. He was smooth and consistent in the drills, which could see him crack day two.

Loser: Dalton Kincaide | Utah

Kincaide couldn't participate due to an injury, and he has a chance to be one of the top guys taken. But, like almost every other "loser" at tight end, it isn't great to have missed the combine when those who participated had a great showing.

Follow Erick on Twitter @ErickTrickel.

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