NFL Combine: What Insiders are Saying About Biggest Risers & Fallers

Since the start of the NFL Scouting Combine, we here at Mile High Huddle have updated you with which prospects at each position helped their draft stock or hurt it based on performance.

With the Combine officially in the books, I've reached out to sources in the NFL scouting community to get feedback on specific players of interest, as it relates to the Denver Broncos. Here are 20 prospects that I received more than a few insights back from my contacts around the league.

C.J. Henderson, CB | Florida

“This is the best cover corner in the draft. If only he had more interest in tackling, then he would be a top-five defender on our board.”— NFL Scout

“There was never a concern about his ability in coverage, it has always been about tackling. There is no doubt he was the best looking corner out there.”— College Defensive Coach

“Tackling is a problem, but you’re drafting this dog to go shut down the top receiver. If tackling keeps another team drafting him, that’s good news for us.”— NFL Defensive Backs Coach

What it Means: The praise for his drills and technique were abundant and justified. Henderson was great out there but tackling is the biggest concern with his game. Some teams care about it, and others don’t.

Jalen Reagor, WR | TCU

“Whoever told him to add 16 pounds for the Combine steered him the wrong way and did him a disservice. The kid can ball and fly, but he plays at 190-195. We want to see what he can do at that weight.”— Media Member

“His poor performance was a good thing for us. Some teams will overvalue it, causing him to drop, and giving us a shot at him. We love what this kid can do.”— NFL Scout

What it Means: Jalen Reagor ran slower than expected and just had a bad workout. He is still a talented receiver, and the poor workout is being chalked up to the unnecessary added weight.

Tristan Wirfs, OT | Iowa

“If he wasn’t before, this kid showed why he should be on every team’s board as a top-five prospect.”— Media Member

“Anyone who says he doesn’t fit their scheme is doing it wrong. Anyone who says he needs to be a guard in the NFL is going to lose their job. Tristan is a tackle, end of story.” — Media Member

What it Means: Wirfs was one of the players who garnered the most responses when I reached out. He blew away the Combine and answered a lot of questions, cementing himself as a tackle in the NFL.

Tyler Johnson, WR | Minnesota

“Skip the Shrine Game to prepare for the Combine workouts only to skip the workouts for your Pro Day? This raises questions about his work ethic and what he was doing over the last two months. When we spoke to him, he just rubbed us the wrong way.” — NFL Scout

What it Means: Some players who skipped doing the workouts aren’t getting criticized. Players like Joe Burrow and Chase Young had no benefit in running through the drills. Johnson had a lot to gain in working out. It was a weird week for him and one comment about him that I got said they were taking him off their board entirely.

Kyle Dugger, DB | Lenoir-Rhyne

“If you aren’t familiar with his tape, get familiar with it. He is a top-50 player for us and we hope he is there when we are on the clock." — NFL Scout

“His workout made him a lot of money, but made a lot of scouts unhappy. Their unknown find made himself known.” — College Position Coach

What it Means: During this draft process, Dugger has probably made the most money out of anyone. It started with showing up at the Senior Bowl where he proved he can play with the big boys.

Tee Higgins, WR | Clemson

“He isn’t participating because he needs rest? Every player needs rest. Poor excuse for a player that was probably going to test poorly and hurt his stock. Very questionable decision, but an even worse reasoning.” — NFL Scout

What it Means: Is there anything else that can be said? It is a tough receiver class and his pulling out of drills wasn’t an issue, but his reasoning clearly was.

Mekhi Becton, OT | Louisville

“Big fellas shouldn’t move like that.” — NFL Scout

“Unnatural.” — NFL Scout

“Players who play on the defensive line in college need to go request to move to offense. You don’t want to be on the receiving end of his blocking punches.” — NFL Scout

What it Means: At 364 pounds, running a 5.1 40-yard dash is very impressive. Everyone’s jaw dropped when they saw that number.

Jake Fromm, QB | Georgia

“We had him as a day three player, but we are discussing taking him off our board. He just doesn’t have what it takes for us.” — NFL Scout

“Jake is a bright kid that is going to have a very long career. If it comes as a backup or starter will depend on where he ends up for coaches and scheme.” — College Coach

“This kid screams Gary Kubiak and he can be scary good in that scheme in Gary can coach him up.” — NFL Scout

What it Means: There are mixed reviews on Fromm and watching his tape it is easy to see why. He is very limited to certain schemes in the NFL.

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Jonathan Taylor, RB | Wisconsin

“Taylor has good speed on tape, but we didn’t expect that kind of speed.” — NFL Scout

“He is our top running back based on tape, but when we add in our projection of him, he falls. There isn’t much tread left there.” — NFL Scout

“Wisconsin has to start finding and using multiple backs. The amount of carries they give these running backs is hurting their NFL career before they even start. Jonathan is the one who can break that trend.” — NFL Scout

What it Means: There is a concern about the number of carries Taylor got in college. Players with that kind of touches are rarely successful in the NFL. Their bodies get worn down, and they hit their peak really early. The fewer carries the better. Taylor has a great game, but it all comes down to how long can he last in the NFL.

Francis Bernard, LB | Utah

“We expected a lot better from the former running back.” — NFL Positional Coach

“He has matured a lot since his issues at BYU, but during interviews we had some other questions come up.” — NFL Scout

“His testing needed to be a lot better than what it was. We will be at his pro day watching him and hopefully he improves.” — NFL Scout

What it Means: Bernard was with BYU as a running back, but had some off-field stuff come up that saw him leave and go to Utah. As a linebacker, he plays the run extremely well likely due to his running back history. He also is more than good enough for the NFL coverage game.

Tanner Muse, DB | Clemson

“Did you see this coming? I didn’t.” — Media Member

“Wow. That may have been the best safety. Just wow.” — NFL Scout

“It is safe to say that the Tanner we saw out there wasn’t the same Tanner on tape.” — NFL Scout

What it Means: Muse is one of my worst-graded players on tape. What he did at the Combine far exceeded expectations. I will be going back over his tape and seeing if there are signs of that in-game.

Cameron Dantzler, CB | Mississippi State

“Rough. That is the only way to describe what we saw out there.” — Media Member

“Every concern we had on tape, he showed out there during the combine. We are wondering if he was working on technique or not during the downtime.” — NFL Scout

What it Means: Dantzler is an athletic but raw corner on tape. At the Combine, he didn’t show up well athletically and he struggled in the drills. It wasn’t surprising to me with how raw he is, but he should’ve been better than he was.

Khalil Davis, DL | Nebraska

“Tape is good, but the Combine was wow.” — NFL Scout

“Whatever his mother did raising him and Carlos, she did something right. Both of them are good interviews and respectful.” — NFL Scout

What it Means: I liked his brother a little more on tape, but Khalil caught my attention a few times. Nebraska had three defensive linemen I viewed as sleepers, but the Davis twins are that any longer.

Grant Delpit, DB | LSU

“There are questions about his toughness, and after meeting with him, they are warranted.” — NFL Scout

“Delpit just rubbed us the wrong way. Good player, but something didn’t sit well.” — NFL Position Coach

“His interview was interesting. Wouldn’t say he bombed it, but he didn’t ace it either.” — NFL Scout

What it Means: This was a little shocking. During the season I had heard how great Delpit is and nothing but praise, but the Combine is leading to different feedback. He also had his toughness questioned, which seemed a little unfair with him playing most of the season with an injury.

Carlos Davis, DL | Nebraska

“These twins made themselves money. We didn’t have a draftable grade on them, but they opened our eyes to cause us to go back over their tape.” (About Khalil Davis as well) — NFL Scout

“Carlos wasn’t as impressive as Khalil, but he still had an outstanding day.” — NFL Scout

“Athletic with good power and good technique? Yeah, we are in.” — NFL Scout

What it Means: I liked Carlos on tape, but I wasn’t expecting the showing he put out there. He had a great day and made money for himself.

Laviska Shenault, WR | Colorado

“Tape alone, you have a top-three receiver and top-20 player. Most of the injuries at Colorado don’t concern us, but this groin injury he ran with does.” — NFL Scout

“We advised him not to run and that he would only hurt himself. He ran and that is what happened. We get it, but these guys need to learn to protect themselves.” — NFL Scout

What it Means: There is no doubt that Shenault is a great player, but the injuries are the issue. Most of his injuries at Colorado, for the most part, aren’t concerning as there are no long term or lingering issues. This groin injury is different and can cause problems for players for their whole career.

Ross Blacklock, DL | TCU

“First-round player. Always has been, but for some, the combine will put him there.” — Media Member

“All we cared about was the medicals from the combine and they are all clean.” — NFL Scout

“There should only be two defensive linemen ahead of him. If you have more, then go back to his tape.” — NFL Scout

“37 parking tickets? How did he not know about them? It doesn’t hurt his draft evaluation for us, but it is a weird situation.” — NFL Scout

What it Means: Blacklock had an ACL injury in 2018. He bounced back in 2019 and looked quick and agile when attacking blockers. Great athlete that has the highest ceiling of all the defensive linemen in the class.

Zack Moss, RB | Utah

“When you are hurt, don’t do the drills. That is a good reason not to. If you choose to do the drills while hurt, we won’t give you a break on it.” — NFL Scout

“You have to question his decision making after deciding to workout while injured, especially with the medical red flags he already has. It was a bad business decision.” — Media Member

What it Means: There is no question about Moss’ ability as a running back when he is healthy. He has all those traits you want, but he just has had some problems staying at 100% for the Utes.

Denzel Mims, WR | Baylor

“Nothing about his athletic testing should be surprising. The speed was clear on tape, and coaches at Baylor raved about his athleticism.” — NFL Scout

“Denzel is one of the best receivers in this draft. For us, he is a top-five wideout.” — NFL Scout

What it Means: I have been a big fan of Mims for a long time, and it always seemed people were doing a disservice when talking about his speed. When you turn on the tape, you can see he has the speed to challenge defenses deep.

Jared Pinkney, TE | Vanderbilt

“In our meetings last summer, one of our staff claimed he was the next big tight end. Prior to the combine, that staff member changed his stance. There are a few things to like, but not enough.” — NFL Scout

What it Means: Pinkey is a solid tight end prospect, but there are a lot of issues with his play. It is going to take time and the right coaching to get him going in the NFL.

Follow Erick on Twitter @ErickTrickel and @MileHighHuddle.